Alchemy, Medicine, Religion in the China of a.d. 320: The Nei P'ien of Ko Hung (Pao-p'u tzu)

«I was his third son and, being born late, was spoiled by my parents. I was not trained at an early age in the study of history.» — Ko Hung cuenta su formación por su falta: tercer hijo, nacido tarde y consentido, sin instrucción temprana en historia.

«Having frequently been caught in the midst of warfare, my father’s library had become dispersed, leaving me no means for study during the moments of leisure from farming and obliging me to travel on foot, a little bundle of books on my back, and to borrow material.» — Ko Hung explica de dónde le viene el hábito de rastrear libros: la biblioteca de su padre se dispersó en la guerra y tuvo que viajar a pie con un atadito de libros a la espalda, pidiéndolos prestados.

«Whenever I happened upon any household that owned some com¬ plete texts, it cost me still more labor and time, for I had to cut and sell firewood to provide myself with the paper and brushes for making copies of them; it was in official barracks and paddocks that I did my copying by firelight.» — Ko Hung describe el precio material de copiar un texto completo: cortar y vender leña para pagar el papel y los pinceles, y copiar a la luz del fuego en barracas y establos oficiales.

«Since paper was generally scarce, I used both sides to make my copies, and they were hardly legible.» — Ko Hung consigna la escasez de papel: copiaba por las dos caras y las copias quedaban apenas legibles.

«At the age of sixteen I began the study of Filial Piety, The Analects, The Poems, and The Changes, but in my poverty I lacked the means for searching afar for teachers and friends.» — Ko Hung fecha en los dieciséis años el comienzo de su estudio de los clásicos confucianos y dice que su pobreza le impidió buscar maestros lejos.

«Having never fully embraced Confucianism, I have never become a teacher in that tradition. After one look at their Ho t’u, Lo shu, and books of divination, I stopped and could pay them no further attention (7.504).» — Ko Hung declara su distancia de la escuela en que se formó: nunca abrazó del todo el confucianismo ni enseñó en esa tradición, y dejó de mirar el Ho t'u, el Lo shu y los libros de adivinación tras un vistazo.

«Later I did study and got a rough acquaint¬ ance with the arts of divination by wind and weather, good and bad days, and the periodicity of the primary agents. I never went into them thoroughly, however, for I considered that all such activities were specific useful arts, practiced only by those thus personally in¬ clined, and that there being no urgency requiring that we belabor ourselves with them, it was better to concentrate on the profitable things that the philosophers have to say. So I have neglected divination.» — Ko Hung fija el límite de su interés por la adivinación: se asomó a la de vientos y tiempo, días fastos y nefastos y periodicidad de los agentes primarios, pero las tuvo por artes útiles específicas de quienes se inclinan a ellas y prefirió los filósofos.

«Altogether, Ch'i liieh pieh lu and Chapter 30 of Han shu list 13,299 scrolls of books, and since the advent of the Wei dynasty [a.d. 220—] writing has mounted in floods twice as great as before. I am conscious, therefore, of how much I have never seen.» — Ko Hung mide lo que no ha leído: los catálogos suman 13 299 rollos y desde la dinastía Wei la escritura ha crecido al doble.

«Everywhere south of the Yangtze there was a universal shortage of written material; I there¬ fore wished to go to teachers at the capital (jbi 1) in search of rarities, but I encountered a serious rebellion and retraced my steps when al¬ ready halfway there. This makes me constantly sigh with regret.» — Ko Hung cuenta el viaje frustrado que explica su biblioteca: al sur del Yangtsé faltaba material escrito, quiso ir a los maestros de la capital en busca de rarezas y una rebelión lo hizo volverse a medio camino.

«Today I am approaching forty, and my will for such searching has declined. I think only of “ diminishing further what has already been diminished and carrying on in the action that is perfect freedom” (T 48); doing my part in tilling the paddies and fruitlessly continuing my existence.» — Ko Hung se fecha cerca de los cuarenta y declara decaída la voluntad de buscar; lo que le queda es disminuir lo ya disminuido y seguir en la acción que es libertad perfecta, con la referencia al Tao te ching 48 puesta por el impreso.

«That is the reason my neighbors call me Simplex (Pao-p'u), which name I have used as a sobriquet in my writings.» — Ko Hung da el origen del nombre bajo el que corre el tratado: Simplex, Pao-p'u, es el apodo que le pusieron los vecinos y que él adoptó como sobrenombre en sus escritos.

«It has been my plan to preserve regularity and not to follow the whims of the world. My speech is frank and sincere; I engage in no banter. If I do not come upon the right person, I can spend the day in silence.» — Ko Hung se retrata por la conducta: conservar la regularidad contra los caprichos del mundo, hablar franco y sin burla, y callar el día entero si no da con la persona adecuada.

«Idle argumentation is conducive to injuries to our inner gods; it is not beneficial; it causes loss.» — Ko Hung da una razón fisiológica a su retraimiento: la argumentación ociosa daña a los dioses interiores, no beneficia y causa pérdida.

«I confess to being the most miserable of Confucianists. Whenever I talk with another I always turn the conversation to things he knows; I do not force him into subjects he does not know.» — Ko Hung se declara el más miserable de los confucianistas y describe su modo de conversar: llevar la plática a lo que el otro sabe y no forzarlo a lo que ignora.

«If they object to my terseness and find it difficult to understand what I have in mind, it is deliberately that I merely express the approximate direction and the associations of my thought, just enough to arouse their minds.» — Ko Hung explica su concisión como método de enseñanza: da a propósito solo la dirección aproximada y las asociaciones de su pensamiento, lo justo para despertar la mente del alumno.

«Whenever I have a ten days’ supply of food, I share it with those who have nothing, but when there is not enough for myself, I do not deprive myself.» — Ko Hung fija su regla de reparto: comparte cuando tiene provisión para diez días y no se priva cuando no le alcanza.

«Fan Jan’s refusal of support from the rest of his family and Hua Hsin’s being so meticu¬ lously puritan toward the befriended guest who was overloading the boat were probably sham acts in search of glory, not great deeds to be long remembered at the ancestral temple.» — Ko Hung juzga dos ejemplos célebres de escrúpulo como actos fingidos en busca de gloria, no como grandes hechos dignos de memoria en el templo ancestral.

«Taking no pleasure in the astrological and numerological, I devoted no time at all to» — Ko Hung declara qué dejó fuera de su estudio: sin gusto por lo astrológico ni lo numerológico, no dedicó tiempo alguno a lo que la plana siguiente enumera.

«Sky's Nine Divisions, Three Marvels, Grand Unity, or “Express” Amulets, because such things can give a person much trouble and con¬ tain little that is attractive.» — continúa en la plana siguiente la lista de lo que Ko Hung desechó: las Nueve Divisiones del Cielo, las Tres Maravillas, la Unidad Magna y los amuletos Express, porque dan mucho trabajo y contienen poco atractivo.

«The human being is so hard to know that even fathers and older brothers are not sure of understanding their own sons and younger brothers thoroughly. Those resembling ourselves receive immediate approval; those differing, immediate disapproval.» — Ko Hung enuncia por qué se niega a juzgar personas: el ser humano es tan difícil de conocer que ni padres ni hermanos mayores están seguros de entender a los suyos, y se aprueba de inmediato a quien se nos parece y se desaprueba a quien difiere.

«(Writing around a.d. 335:) Long ago, in the T’ai-an period (a.d. 303-4), Shih Ping led a revolt resulting in serious disturbances throughout six states; lawful government was interfered with and hostile cliques were formed against the state. The Commander-in-Chief of the Loyalists (Ku Pi) ordered me to take a command, and I felt subjected to many pressures. Since my own native region feared the rebels, who were causing much damage and wide concern, and the Ancients considered action proper in emergencies, and, finally, being personally awed by martial law, I dared not yield to my own» — abre la segunda mitad de la autobiografía, fechada por el impreso hacia el 335 d. C., unos veinte años después de la primera: la revuelta de Shih Ping, el mando que le ordenan tomar y la ley marcial que lo obliga.

«I warned that I would behead any soldier who joined the looters, and from that point on nobody dared counter my authority.» — Ko Hung cuenta cómo mantuvo la disciplina de su compañía mientras los demás mandos soltaban a sus soldados al saqueo: amenazó con decapitar a quien se sumara.

«The commandant then gave me the title of Wave-Subduing General and awarded all those of my rank one hundred pieces of cloth. Most of the commanders packed theirs or sent them home, but I shared mine with my officers and men and gave some to the poorer of my friends. The remaining ten pieces I exchanged for meat and wine with which to feast my officers, thus winning for myself a day of glory.» — Ko Hung consigna la recompensa y el uso que le dio: el título de General Sometedor de Olas y cien piezas de tela, que repartió entre sus oficiales y los amigos más pobres, cambiando las diez últimas por carne y vino.

«When peace returned, I threw down my spear, removed my lorica, and immediately started for Lo-yang (see 3/12) to search extensively for writings that are out of the ordinary but certainly not to discuss my military merit» — Ko Hung nombra el motivo por el que fue a Lo-yang apenas terminada la campaña: buscar escritos fuera de lo común, no discutir su mérito militar.

«Riches and honors can be gradually attained if one thinks long enough about them, but it is impossible to garner them quickly. Meanwhile, little things here and there often wear out a man; power and glory are like overnight guests. Since they are nothing perma¬ nent, their departure cannot be put off indefinitely. All flourishings come to an end, and moments of glory die. They are like the flowers of spring that suddenly succumb to frost. Let there then be no joy at their attainment, no grief at their loss! Since it is impossible to enu¬ merate all the regrets they occasion and all the worry and fear they inspire, they are not worth our efforts.» — Ko Hung resume su cálculo sobre la fortuna: riquezas y honores son huéspedes de una noche, flores de primavera heladas de golpe, y no merecen esfuerzo ni alegría ni duelo.

«I am going to retire into the famous mountains to regulate my diet and nurture my life, so that there can be no abandonment of the plan on my part. When a man’s activities are not mutually helpful, how is he to cultivate God (the Dark and Tranquil) without quitting the world’s normal activities ?» — Ko Hung anuncia el retiro a las montañas famosas para regular la dieta y nutrir la vida, y lo justifica con una pregunta: cómo cultivar a Dios sin dejar las actividades normales del mundo.

«If you call to me that there are no roads in the mountains and forests, I must remind you that the ancient practitioners of the divine process were also obliged to enter the mountains and forests because they truly wished to avoid noise and keep their hearts and minds at peace.» — Ko Hung contesta la objeción de que no hay caminos en montes y bosques con el precedente: los antiguos practicantes del proceso divino también tuvieron que entrar ahí para evitar el ruido y guardar en paz corazón y mente.

«I shall quit my native district for Mount Sung in search of the path trod by Wang Yuan and Liang Mu.» — Ko Hung nombra el destino y el linaje de su retiro: el monte Sung, tras la senda que pisaron Wang Yuan y Liang Mu.

«thus it was only after having acquired much wider experience and having come to feel the difference between beauty and ugliness that I rejected practically all of my enormous literary output, and retained less than one percent.» — Ko Hung mide la poda de su propia obra: al ganar experiencia rechazó casi toda su enorme producción literaria y retuvo menos del uno por ciento.

«In all, I have composed Nei p’ien in 20 scrolls, Wai p'ien in 50; inscriptions, lauds, regular and free poetry in 100; Chun shu yao i and Chang piao chien chi in 30.» — Ko Hung inventaría su obra: veinte rollos de Nei p'ien, cincuenta de Wai p'ien, cien de inscripciones, loas y poesía, y treinta más de otros dos títulos.

«I also compiled a book on those who are not normally listed, which became the Shen hsien chuan in 10 scrolls; I did the same for those who out of idealism do not enter public office, which became the Yin i chuan, also in 10 scrolls.» — Ko Hung nombra dos compilaciones biográficas suyas: el Shen hsien chuan sobre los que no suelen figurar en las listas, y el Yin i chuan sobre los que por idealismo no entran en el servicio público.

«I am indeed mindful that this sort of lowly art disturbs thought and wastes days and months. For those in authority it de¬ tracts from the conduct of public affairs. It causes Confucianists to abandon their studies, ordinary people to forget their crops, and merchants to neglect their businesses.» — Ko Hung condena el juego de mesa por lo que cuesta: perturba el pensamiento y desperdicia los días, hace que los confucianistas abandonen sus estudios, la gente común olvide sus cosechas y los mercaderes descuiden sus negocios.

«Since all these games put together are not worth the reading of one foot of writing, I find no pleasure whatever in them and do not play them. One might say that they are the things with which the lower classes are on familiar terms.» — Ko Hung cierra la cuestión del juego con una medida: todos esos juegos juntos no valen lo que la lectura de un pie de escritura.

«I also had instruction in sword plus shield and in single sword plus double lance, all of which have abstruse instructions and significant tricks for use against adversaries. After acquiring these secret methods and becoming adept at them, it becomes possible to remain unscathed and win a victory all alone provided this procedure is used against an uninitiated person.» — Ko Hung declara haber recibido instrucción de armas con instrucciones abstrusas y trucos significativos, y acota que el método secreto solo garantiza la victoria frente a un no iniciado.

«Already as a young man it had been my fixed purpose not to seek prominence for myself. Whenever I read the accounts of Hsu Yu, Tzu-chou Chih-fu, Pei-jen Wu-tse, and Shih-hu-chih-nung (all four in Chuang), the two Chiangs, the pair ofYuans, Fa-chen, and Shen-t’u P’an (all in HHS), I always forgot the book and advanced off my mat as I cherished the memory of the type of man they had been, and my thoughts turned to mastering the Five Classics in order to be able to compose a philosophical work of my own, so that later generations might know that I was a literary Confucianist and nothing more.» — Ko Hung dice cuál era su propósito de juventud: no buscar prominencia, dominar los Cinco Clásicos y componer una obra filosófica propia para que se le tuviera por un confucianista de letras y nada más.

«By the decree of a.d. 330 I was granted the fief title of Marquis of Kuan-chung with 200 households of Chii-jung for my income.» — Ko Hung fecha en 330 el decreto que le otorgó el título de marqués de Kuan-chung con la renta de doscientas casas de Chü-jung.

«My Nei p'ien, telling of gods and genii, pre¬ scriptions and medicines, ghosts and marvels, transformations, main¬ tenance of life, extension of years, exorcising evils, and banishing misfortune, belongs to the Taoist school. My Wai p'ien, giving an account of success and failure in human affairs and of good and evil in public affairs, belongs to the Confucian school (16.1 bi).» — Ko Hung adscribe él mismo sus dos mitades a dos escuelas: el Nei p'ien, de dioses y genios, recetas y medicinas, fantasmas y maravillas, transformaciones, mantenimiento de la vida y conjuro de males, a la escuela taoísta, y el Wai p'ien, de éxito y fracaso en los asuntos humanos, a la confuciana.

«When I had completed [the first half of] this autobiography, some¬ one raised this objection: “Of old, in his sixties when his course had been run and his hopes were at an end, Wang Ch’ung, fearing that both his body and his name would disappear together, wrote an autobiography as a conclusion to his work (Lun heng 30).» — voz del objetante anónimo que la autobiografía incorpora: le recuerda que Wang Ch'ung escribió la suya a los sesenta, con el camino recorrido y las esperanzas agotadas, por temor a que su cuerpo y su nombre desaparecieran juntos.

«Since i have no extraordinary talent but do happen to like the pursuit of action that constitutes perfect freedom, by de¬ ploying my wings I might well traverse the dark heavens, and by speeding my feet move over the landscape with the speed of wind. It has been my desire, however, to continue to stack my sinews and wings with low-flying flocks and store my poor doings with lame donkeys, especially since God (the Mass of Greatness) has provided me with ordinary short wings and creation has conferred upon me» — abre el prefacio de Ko Hung al Nei p'ien, con la minúscula del impreso en el pronombre: se niega talento extraordinario y declara su gusto por la acción que constituye la libertad perfecta.

«Those able to judge themselves are careful; where in¬ competent, they desist. One with only the strength of a greenhead does not expect to rise to high heaven; and he who rides a crippled tortoise does not follow in the tracks of the thoroughbred.» — Ko Hung enuncia la regla de medida que rige su prefacio: quien sabe juzgarse es cuidadoso y desiste donde es incompetente.

«I have examined not a few writings dealing with God (the Marvelous) and found that most of them use obscure lan¬ guage and are hard to understand thoroughly. Unless one is of the very best, it is impossible to examine these writings in depth; without true diligence it is impossible to read them all.» — Ko Hung diagnostica el estado de la literatura que hereda: la mayoría de los escritos sobre Dios usa lenguaje oscuro y es difícil de entender a fondo, y solo el mejor puede examinarlos en profundidad.

«Few processors have a profound, broad learning in their subject, while those engaging in personal opinions and making incoherent claims are legion. The occasional dilet¬ tante desirous of something to practice, not knowing whom to accept, finds himself in doubt and without any source of correct information.» — Ko Hung describe el vacío que su libro viene a llenar: pocos processors tienen saber hondo y ancho, abundan los que opinan por su cuenta, y el diletante ocasional queda en duda y sin fuente de información correcta.

«The Confucianists of our day know only how to maintain faithfully the memory of the Duke of Chou and Confucius, both of whom died in the stocks. None of them believe in the gods and the genii; they consider such talk ill-omened or mad.» — Ko Hung nombra a su público hostil: los confucianistas de su día solo saben guardar la memoria del Duque de Chou y de Confucio, ninguno cree en los dioses ni en los genios, y tienen esa plática por aciaga o demente.

«Although this book is not worthy to be stored in the stone caves of famous mountains (as are the heaven-inspired Taoist writings), I do wish to secure it in a metal coffer, so that it may become known to connoisseurs. Let it not be seen by those with whom these matters may not be discussed!» — Ko Hung fija el régimen de custodia de su libro: no merece las cuevas de piedra de las montañas famosas, pero sí un cofre de metal, y no ha de verlo aquel con quien estas materias no se discuten.

«My purpose is that those of the future interested in the Fullness of Life may find a place where their doubts can be resolved. The confidence of nonbelievers is not sought. Respectfully submitted.» — Ko Hung declara el destinatario de su libro y cierra el prefacio: los del futuro interesados en la Plenitud de Vida, cuyas dudas podrán resolverse ahí; la confianza de los incrédulos no se busca.

«God is the first ancestor to nature, the grandsire of all the different empiricals (18.362). God’s depth being such as to make us squint and see obscurely, the epithet subtle may be used.» — abre el capítulo primero, God (the Mystery) Defined, con la definición por negaciones: Dios es el primer ancestro de la naturaleza y el abuelo de todos los empíricos, y su hondura autoriza el epíteto de sutil.

«Metal and stone are no analogy for God’s hardness; nor are the wet and the dew any comparison for God’s softness. God is square, but no carpenter’s square has been applied; God is round, but there has been no compass.» — Ko Hung define por contrarios simultáneos: ni el metal ni la piedra sirven de analogía para la dureza de Dios, ni el rocío para su blandura, y es cuadrado sin escuadra y redondo sin compás.

«God enwombed Primal Unity and cast in their mold the two symbols (the straight line, either whole or broken at the middle, = yang and yin). God breathed forth Grand Begin¬ ning and forged the thousands of genera. God turns the cycle of the 28 celestial mansions and fashions the beginnings of things.» — Ko Hung describe la obra cosmogónica: Dios engendró la Unidad Primordial y fundió los dos símbolos, exhaló el Comienzo Magno, forjó los millares de géneros y hace girar el ciclo de las veintiocho mansiones celestes.

«Additions do not make God overflow, nor do withdrawals exhaust God. What is given does not glorify God. Depredations do God no harm.» — Ko Hung enuncia la invariancia: ni lo añadido desborda a Dios ni lo retirado lo agota, lo dado no lo glorifica y lo depredado no lo daña.

«Therefore, where God is present, joy is inexhaustible; whomever God abandons finds his body declining and his inner gods departing.» — Ko Hung enlaza la presencia de Dios con el estado del cuerpo: donde está, el gozo es inagotable; a quien abandona se le declina el cuerpo y se le van los dioses interiores.

«Distinguishing of the five notes, the eight instruments, and the various musical modes wears away our hearing. Ornamentation with all its variety and beauty with its bril¬ liance harm our eyesight. Festive gatherings, leisure, in¬ dulgence, and drinking throw our very natures into disorder. Lovely faces, fair skins artfully painted, erode our very lives.» — Ko Hung ordena el catálogo de los desgastes sensoriales: los cinco tonos y los ocho instrumentos gastan el oído, el ornamento daña la vista, la fiesta desordena la naturaleza y los rostros hermosos erosionan la vida.

«When joy has attained culmination, however, grief en¬ sues ; perfect fullness is bound to be followed by deficiency. When the song is ended, sighs are heard; when the feasting is over, hearts turn sad. Truly the evocations of logical situa¬ tions are as closely knitted to their sources as shadows and echoes. Being artifice and unreal, all these activities, when ended, leave a void.» — Ko Hung enuncia la ley de reversión que sostiene su argumento: culminado el gozo sigue el duelo, la plenitud perfecta trae deficiencia, y lo que es artificio e irreal deja un vacío al terminar.

«Second to him stands the man who really knows how to be satisfied. Such a man can find happiness in uselessness and cultivate his affairs in the mountains and forests. He deploys his phoenix-dragon wings in the company of simple folk» — Ko Hung pone en segundo lugar a otra figura: el que sabe estar satisfecho, que halla dicha en la inutilidad y cultiva sus asuntos en montes y bosques.

«God’s users become veri¬ table gods; God’s forgettors, instrumentalities. Thus I feel that God has been put to you succinctly.» — Ko Hung cifra en una fórmula el capítulo primero: quienes usan a Dios se vuelven dioses verdaderos y quienes lo olvidan, instrumentos; la frase arranca en la plana anterior, donde el Misterio que es Dios se alcanza por dentro y se pierde por lo externo.

«God’s possessor will be honored even without the prestige of the gilt ax as badge of office. Who embodies God is rich; he needs no rarities. The eminence of such a man is not to be scaled; his depth is not to be plumbed.» — Ko Hung retrata al poseedor de Dios por lo que no necesita: honra sin la insignia del hacha dorada, riqueza sin rarezas, y una eminencia que no se escala ni una hondura que se sondea.

«Borne on streams of light and plying the whip to flying rays, he traverses all space and pierces the floods. He exits through the zenith and enters through the nadir. He passes through the gateway of the Boundless and travels in fields of peace and beauty. He takes diversion in God (the Vague and Confused); he comes and goes far beyond all normal coming and going. He enthroats all the beautiful things at the very edge of the clouds; he tastes the six breaths of the universe at the red cloud accompanying the sun. He sojourns in God (the Obscure); he soars in God (the Infinitesimal). He travels the rainbow; he treads the celestial sphere. Such is the man who has found God.» — sigue el retrato del hombre que ha hallado a Dios: viaja en corrientes de luz, sale por el cenit y entra por el nadir, cruza la puerta de lo Ilimitado, gusta los seis alientos del universo y pisa la esfera celeste.

«He lets gems remain in Mount Sung’s peak so that they will not be worked on the grindstone. He lets tortoise shells sink into the dark depths so that they will not suffer the drillings and scorchings of di¬ viners.» — Ko Hung describe al satisfecho por lo que deja en su sitio: las gemas en el pico del monte Sung para que no las labre la muela, y los caparazones de tortuga en la hondura oscura para que no sufran las perforaciones y quemaduras de los adivinos.

«Maintaining God (Truth) intact and staying uncommitted, he leads the simple life. Partaking of its immensity and movement, he makes his naturalness one with the whirl of all nature. De¬ spite its vastness and confusion, he comes to terms with crea¬ tion, whether dark, bright, murky, or pure. While seeming dilatory, he is quick; he looks empty, but he is really full.» — Ko Hung enumera los rasgos del que vive sin compromiso: conserva intacto a Dios, hace su naturalidad una con el remolino de la naturaleza entera, parece tardo y es rápido, parece vacío y está lleno.

«Therefore, since he cannot be lured from his chosen path by great riches or the highest honors, how can other things beguile him ? Since he is not to be coerced by naked blades or boiling cauldrons, how can slander affect him?» — Ko Hung remata el retrato con un argumento a fortiori: a quien no seducen grandes riquezas ni los honores más altos no lo seduce nada, y a quien no coaccionan las hojas desnudas ni los calderos hirvientes no lo afecta la calumnia.

«One might say that men of the world act with precipitation and are eager to arrive, but the wise man acts with coolness and melancholy.» — Ko Hung contrapone dos tiempos: el mundo actúa con precipitación y ansia de llegar; el sabio, con frialdad y melancolía.

«Dragon that he is among men, he conceals his scales and horns at Useless where there is no need to trust to paltry lairs. When he looks down, it is not with a hoot of disdain; when he looks up, it is not with ambition which he will have cause to repent. Nobody recognizes him. He is far, far removed and aloof!» — cierra el capítulo primero con la imagen del dragón entre los hombres que esconde escamas y cuernos en lo Inútil, a quien nadie reconoce.

«The interlocutor laughed and retorted: Whatever begins is sure to end; whatever exists is sure to perish. Therefore, even sages like the Three Augusti, the Five Emperors, Confucius, and the Duke of Chou vdied, as did also the technicians Hou Chi (Emperor Millet), Shu-li Chi, Chang Liang, and Ch’en P’ing; the persuasive discoursers Tuan-mu Tz’u, Yen Ying, Sui Ho, and Li I-ch’i; the stalwarts Meng Pen (8.905), Hsia Yu, and the Five who worked for the King of Shu. Death is» — el Interlocutor responde riéndose con el principio contrario: lo que empieza acaba y lo que existe perece, y enumera sabios y técnicos que murieron; la frase termina en la plana siguiente, donde *a constant in the human order*.

«To eat out one’s heart and to constrain oneself to the per¬ formance of unprofitable activity are to do our engraving on ice and our carving on dead wood, where there is no prospect of success.» — el Interlocutor compara el esfuerzo por la inmortalidad con grabar en hielo y tallar en madera muerta.

«On the other hand, action that is perfect freedom holds shapeless winds in its grasp; it seizes upon shadows hard to hold; it seeks something unattainable; it travels a road which is sure to lead nowhere. Quitting the niceties of civilized living, it takes us through hardship and distress; relinquish¬ ing the easy, it strives for the extremely difficult.» — el Interlocutor describe la vía que rechaza: aferra vientos sin forma, toma sombras difíciles de sujetar, busca lo inalcanzable, y cambia lo fácil por lo extremadamente difícil.

«Therefore, even ghosts and gods cannot do the impossible; even all nature cannot achieve the un¬ achievable. So where in our world could a miraculous recipe be found for restoring youth to the old or life to the dying ?» — el Interlocutor cierra con el límite que da por sentado: ni fantasmas ni dioses hacen lo imposible, y no hay receta milagrosa que devuelva juventud al viejo ni vida al moribundo.

«Ko replies: When a man has lost his hearing, he cannot discern even thunder; when his sight is gone, he cannot be made to see even the sun, moon, or stars. Would you say that rumblings and peals were mere whispers and that the luminaries in the sky were dim ? The deaf man, however, insists that there are no such sounds, and the blind man claims there is nothing in the sky.» — Ko Hung contesta con la analogía del sordo y el ciego: el sordo insiste en que no hay tales sonidos y el ciego, en que no hay nada en el cielo.

«I have been taught only that after the frost a drying up and perishing occur; that in the summer things lose their freshness; that when the grain fails to head there is no flour¬ ishing ; that before fruit forms the leaves of the flowers dry up.» — el Interlocutor arguye desde la observación agrícola: tras la helada viene el secarse y perecer, en verano las cosas pierden frescura, sin espiga no hay florecimiento.

«I have never heard of anyone enjoying a myriad years of life or everlasting vision without cease. That is why The Ancients never learned in their studies to aim for geniehood, and never talked about anomalies (Ana. 7.21). Anything strange was blocked at its beginning, and only the natural things were preserved. Setting aside the tortoise and the crane as a special category famous for longevity, they felt that life and death were matters of brief duration.» — el Interlocutor deriva de eso su norma: nunca oyó de nadie con miríadas de años, y por eso los Antiguos no estudiaron para hacerse genios ni hablaron de anomalías, salvo tortuga y grulla como categoría aparte.

«Interlocutor: Is it possible to believe that gods and genii are immortal ? Ko: Even with the best of eyes it is impossible to see every material object, and with the best of hearing not every sound can be heard. Even with feet like those of Ta-chang and Shu Hai (two of Yu the Great’s helpers) the land we tread would never be as vast as the untrodden. Though we possessed all the specialities of Yu’s minister Yi and Ch’i Hsieh, what we know would never equal the bulk of our ignorance.» — abre el capítulo segundo, Genii: el Interlocutor pregunta si cabe creer inmortales a dioses y genios, y Ko Hung responde por el argumento de la ignorancia, midiendo lo sabido contra el bulto de lo ignorado.

«What is there that does not exist somewhere in the multiplicity of creation (Chuang 11.55)? Why, then, should the genii, whose life histories fill books, not exist ? Why should there be no divine process leading to im¬ mortality ?» — Ko Hung remata ese argumento con dos preguntas: qué no existe en algún lugar de la multiplicidad de la creación, y por qué no habrían de existir los genios cuyas vidas llenan libros.

«Therefore, if the deaf and blind right in the midst of concrete objects lend no credence to the thunder and the 2b luminaries in high heaven, they will believe even less in things that are subtler than these.» — Ko Hung extiende la analogía del sordo y el ciego a lo sutil: quien no cree en el trueno ni en los luminares creerá menos en lo que es más sutil que ellos.

«The majority of people claim that all that begins must also end, but one does not derive universal principles by lumping all the facts together and giving them all equal weight.» — Ko Hung objeta el método del Interlocutor antes que su tesis: no se obtienen principios universales amontonando los hechos y dándoles el mismo peso.

«It is said that in summer there is sure to be growth, but this is just when shepherd’s-purse and wheat wither. It is said that in winter there is sure to be fading, yet it is the time when bamboos and thuyas flourish. It is said that begin¬ nings must have endings, but heaven and earth never perish.» — Ko Hung enumera los contraejemplos de la regla: en verano se marchitan la bolsa de pastor y el trigo, en invierno florecen bambúes y tuyas, y cielo y tierra no perecen aunque todo comienzo deba acabar.

«Of all living things that have high intelligence, none sur¬ passes man. One might well expect this creature who pos¬ sesses such a noble nature to be of one uniform type, but — given their moral perfection and unenlightenment, per¬ verseness and righteousness, beauty and ugliness, tallness and shortness, purity and impurity, chastity and prurience, poise and tenseness, sluggishness and alertness — men. differ in their preferences and in their sensual desires, just as heaven and earth or ice and glowing coals differ from one another.» — Ko Hung aplica la variación al hombre: siendo la criatura de más alta inteligencia, difiere en perfección moral, belleza, pureza y temple tanto como cielo y tierra o hielo y brasa.

«If you claim that all breathing things follow one fixed norm, your thesis cannot be sustained, for the pheasant turns into a shen bivalve (see Li ki, part 6, “ Yueh-ling,” and also HNTj, the sparrow becomes a clam (ibid.), earth bugs assume wings, river frogs come to fly, oysters are changed into frogs( ?), hsing-ling plants(?) become maggots, field mice become quail (ibid.), rotting grass turns into lightning bugs (ibid.), alligators become tigers, and snakes become dragons.» — Ko Hung opone a la norma fija el catálogo de metamorfosis que sus clásicos consignan: faisán en bivalvo, gorrión en almeja, ratón de campo en codorniz, hierba podrida en luciérnaga, caimán en tigre y serpiente en dragón.

«If a genie nurtures his body with medicaments and pro¬ longs his apportionment of life with special arts, illness will not arise from within him, nor will disease strike him from without. Though he attains everlasting vision and does not die, the body which he has long had undergoes no change.» — Ko Hung define la condición del genio por sus dos medios: nutrir el cuerpo con medicamentos y prolongar la porción de vida con artes especiales, de modo que la enfermedad no surja dentro ni golpee desde fuera.

«The shallow-minded, however, cling to popular beliefs and preserve the ordinary ways: They merely say that because they see no genii in their world it is not possible that such things exist.» — Ko Hung nombra el argumento que combate: los de mente somera dicen que, como no ven genios en su mundo, tales cosas no pueden existir.

«All our lives we have a sky over our heads but never know what is above it; to the end of our days we walk the earth without ever know¬ ing what is below it. Our bodies are our very own, but we never come to understand how our hearts and wills become what they are. An allotment of life is ours, but we never understand how its actual measure is achieved.» — Ko Hung mide la ignorancia por lo más cercano: se vive bajo un cielo sin saber qué hay encima, se pisa la tierra sin saber qué hay debajo, y el cuerpo es propio sin que se entienda cómo llegan a ser el corazón y la voluntad.

«Isn’t it a sad spectacle to rely upon the surface perceptions of eyes and ears in judging the existence of the subtle and the marvelous ?» — Ko Hung cierra ese tramo con la pregunta que ordena el capítulo: si no es triste fiarse de las percepciones superficiales de ojos y oídos para juzgar la existencia de lo sutil y lo maravilloso.

«If he chances in a playful mood to pass among men, he disguises his true self and conceals his extraordinary qualities, so that externally he resembles ordinary mortals.» — Ko Hung explica por qué no se ve a los genios: al pasar entre los hombres disfrazan su ser verdadero y ocultan sus cualidades extraordinarias.

«Genii can be recognized only if they have square eyes as did Chiao Hsien, ears rising from the top of their heads as did Ang Su, ride a dragon as did Ma-shih Huang, or drive a white crane like Wang Ch’iao; when they are scale-bodied or serpent¬ headed, carried in a golden chariot, or clothed in feathers.» — Ko Hung da las marcas por las que un genio es reconocible: ojos cuadrados, orejas que nacen en lo alto de la cabeza, montura de dragón o de grulla blanca, cuerpo escamoso, cabeza de serpiente, carro de oro o vestido de plumas.

«Since men of our day do not believe in them and are even highly critical of the idea that they exist, God’s Men become angry and conceal themselves all the more.» — Ko Hung invierte la carga de la ausencia: como los hombres de su día no creen y critican la idea, los Hombres de Dios se enojan y se ocultan todavía más.

«From a distance of a hundred paces the eye cannot see too clearly; thus, when we wish to consider that which we see as existent, and that which we do not see as nonexistent, there will most certainly be a great many things that do not exist in the world!» — Ko Hung reduce al absurdo el criterio de la vista: si lo visto es lo existente y lo no visto lo inexistente, habrá muchísimas cosas que no existan en el mundo.

«Water is cool by nature, but there are also hot springs in Warm Valley. Fire should burn, but there exists the cold flame of Wormwood Hill (situated at sea). Heavy things sink, but in the sea to our south there is a mountain ja whose rocks float.» — Ko Hung cierra la serie de excepciones naturales: agua caliente en el Valle Templado, llama fría en la Colina del Ajenjo y un monte del mar del sur cuyas rocas flotan; el *ja* dentro de la cita es la referencia marginal a la edición china impresa a media plana.

«He treads upon raging fire but is not scorched; he walks the dark waves with floating step. Beating his wings he moves through the limpid void, riding the clouds with the winds for his steeds;» — Ko Hung enumera los poderes del genio: pisa el fuego sin quemarse, camina las olas oscuras con paso flotante y atraviesa el vacío límpido cabalgando nubes.

«he comes to earth and nests in the K’un-lun mountains. How could men, who are but walking corpses, ever see them ?» — sigue en la plana siguiente el movimiento inverso, hasta anidar en los montes K'un-lun, y la pregunta de cómo habrían de verlo hombres que son cadáveres andantes.

«Emperor Wen of the Wei (Ts’ao P’ei, a.d. 188-226) had read everything there was to read, and was extremely well» — Ko Hung introduce su primer testigo imperial, Ts'ao P'ei, que lo había leído todo; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente, donde se dice *informed*.

«He used to claim that there was nothing in crea¬ tion with which he was unacquainted. He stated that a knife that would cut jade [abrasive-fed rotary steel knife?], or a cloth that could be cleansed in fire [asbestos], did not exist anywhere in the world. When the Tien lun (.Discussions on Our Institutions) was compiled, his statement was cited.» — Ko Hung consigna la negativa de Ts'ao P'ei: que no existían en el mundo ni el cuchillo que corta el jade ni la tela que se limpia en el fuego, y que la declaración se citó en el Tien lun.

«his statement was cited. Be¬ fore long, however, both of these things were brought to His Majesty, and, bemused, he had the Discussions sup¬ pressed. This instance may well serve to show that we can never be absolutely dogmatic about anything.» — Ko Hung remata el caso: traídas las dos cosas al emperador, hizo suprimir las Discusiones donde lo había negado, y de ahí la moraleja de que nunca cabe ser absolutamente dogmático.

«In his Resolution of Doubts, Ts’ao Chih [a.d. 192-232] states, “ I used to say that the techniques of divine process are unquestionably baseless talk to entice the unenlightened. Yet when I watched my father (Ts’ao Ts’ao) put it to the test by setting apart Tso Tz’u and others and having them refrain from starches for almost a whole month — their com¬ plexions remained unchanged and their vitalities stayed nor¬ mal, and they claimed they could continue their avoidance of normal foods for fifty years — how could I entertain doubts any longer ?» — voz de Ts'ao Chih, citada por Ko Hung de su Resolución de dudas: tenía el proceso divino por charla sin fundamento hasta que vio a su padre poner a prueba a Tso Tz'u y a otros, que estuvieron casi un mes sin almidones sin que cambiaran el color ni la vitalidad.

«He also had Kan Shih place a drug in the mouths of live fish and then cook them in boiling fat. Those without the drug cooked and were edible, but those which had been given the drug played around all day in the boiling fat as though they were in water. He also dusted mul¬ berry leaves with a drug and fed them to silkworms, which were still not dormant in the tenth month. Furthermore he fed chicks and newborn puppies (4.1369) on an age-arresting drug, and they grew no bigger. A white dog was fed on a nostrum for restoring hair color; after a hundred days, all its hair turned black.» — sigue el testimonio de Ts'ao Chih con los cuatro experimentos que dice haber presenciado: peces que juegan en la grasa hirviente, gusanos de seda sin dormir en el décimo mes, pollos y cachorros que no crecen, y un perro blanco que se vuelve negro a los cien días.

«Thus I came to realize that we do not know everything about the things of this world, and we cannot allow mere opinions to decide questions. Personally, my sole regret is that I cannot abandon sensuous pleasures to devote all my heart and mind to a study of the divine process that leads to Fullness of Life.» — cierra el testimonio de Ts'ao Chih con su conclusión y su lamento: no se sabe todo de las cosas de este mundo, y él solo lamenta no poder dejar los placeres sensuales para dedicarse entero al estudio del proceso divino.

«Liu Hsiang [77-6 b.c.] was most erudite. He investigated the subtle and plumbed the extraordinary, and was con¬ versant with the deep and the remote. In his thinking he was very clear regarding truth and falsehood; he made very sure whether a thing existed or not. In the Biographies of Genii compiled by him we find more than seventy individual genii mentioned.» — Ko Hung presenta su testigo letrado: Liu Hsiang, erudito que investigaba lo sutil y verificaba si algo existía o no, y cuyas Biografías de genios mencionan más de setenta.

«If no such activity as theirs existed; why should he invent it ? How can we possibly see with our own eyes matters that occurred in high antiquity ? In all these things we can rely only upon the writings in which they are passed down.» — Ko Hung enuncia su regla de testimonio: para lo ocurrido en la alta antigüedad solo cabe fiarse de los escritos que lo transmiten.

«The ordinary human being covets glory and profit. Ever mindful of renown and advantage, he presumes his own attitude to have been true also for the Ancients and no longer believes that there were once persons who shunned an im¬ perial or royal crown, or disdained the honor of appoint¬ ment as minister. They cannot believe in persons like Ch’ao fu, Hsu Yu, Lao-lai tzu, and Chuang Chou.» — Ko Hung explica la incredulidad por proyección: quien codicia gloria y provecho presume que los Antiguos pensaban igual y ya no cree que hubiera quien despreciara una corona.

«Tsang-k’o there is a stream in which feathers sink. Creation as a whole is not to be judged by one standard; this has been true throughout the ages.» — cierra en la plana siguiente la serie de excepciones con la corriente de Tsang-k'o donde las plumas se hunden, y con la conclusión que sostiene el capítulo: la creación entera no se juzga por un solo patrón.

«Yet, that which they first claimed to be nonexistent later proved to exist. When they had come to know thoroughly the patterns of nature and life, they had their regrets. It is not surprising, therefore, that people inferior to those two do not believe in gods and genii.» — Ko Hung saca la moraleja de los dos Ts'ao: lo que primero declararon inexistente resultó existir, y al conocer a fondo los patrones de la naturaleza y de la vida tuvieron sus arrepentimientos.

«What is recorded in Biographies of Genii certainly took fb place, but when a book does not originate from the Duke of Chou and did not pass through the hands of Confucius, people never trust it. By this reckoning, everything noted by the ancient historians would appear never to have hap» — Ko Hung objeta el criterio de autoridad de sus adversarios: si solo se cree el libro que viene del Duque de Chou o pasó por manos de Confucio, todo lo anotado por los historiadores antiguos parecería no haber ocurrido; el *fb* dentro de la cita es la referencia marginal a la edición china.

«The people of our day do not believe that geniehood can be studied and will not admit that life can be prolonged simply because both the First Emperor of the Ch’in [259210B.C.] and Emperor Wu of the Han [156-87 b.c.] failed in their search for immortality, and because the endeavors of Li Shao-chiin and Luan Ta, magicians at the court of the First Emperor, were ineffective. But this is the same as claim¬ ing that in antiquity there were no rich men like Fan Li and I-tun because Ch’ien Lou and Yuan Hsien were so poor!» — Ko Hung nombra el argumento estrella de sus adversarios y le opone una analogía: del fracaso del Primer Emperador de Ch'in y del emperador Wu de Han no se sigue nada, como tampoco se seguiría de la pobreza de Ch'ien Lou y Yuan Hsien que no hubiera ricos; el impreso parte *259-210 B.C.* a fin de renglón y la extracción por programa lo une en *259210B.C.*.

«Many who press forward never arrive. Some crops are never harvested. Not all merchants show a profit. Not every recourse to arms is successful. So, to a still greater degree, why must all succeed who undertake the difficult path to geniehood ?» — Ko Hung generaliza la objeción: no todo el que avanza llega, no toda cosecha se recoge, no todo mercader gana ni toda guerra se vence, y menos aún ha de lograrlo todo el que emprende la vía difícil.

«Perhaps the two monarchs and their two retainers were unsuccessful de¬ spite their searching because, although they began with diligence, they turned lax toward the end. Or, perhaps they did not find sufficiently enlightened teachers. How can such evidence prove that no genii exist in the world (13.50) ?» — Ko Hung ofrece dos explicaciones del fracaso imperial sin decidir entre ellas: empezaron diligentes y acabaron laxos, o no dieron con maestros suficientemente iluminados.

«When cultivating the best of divine processes in the search for Fullness of Life, the secret lies in willpower, not in riches or high position. If one is not of the right type, high position and great wealth are serious incumbrances.» — Ko Hung enuncia la tesis central del capítulo: el secreto está en la fuerza de voluntad y no en la riqueza ni en la posición alta, que para quien no es del tipo adecuado son estorbos graves.

«The method in studying for geniehood consists of a true desire to 6b attain calm and repose, to free oneself of covetousness, to see and hear internally, and to be entranced and freed of» — Ko Hung define el método del estudio: deseo verdadero de calma y reposo, liberarse de la codicia, ver y oír hacia dentro; la frase termina en la plana siguiente.

«Potent wines trouble the harmony of their vital breaths; beautiful women hack at their very roots. The result is that their sperm is diminished, their thought processes weakened, and their calm and concentration de¬ stroyed.» — Ko Hung enumera los daños concretos del trato imperial: los vinos potentes desordenan la armonía de los alientos vitales y las mujeres hermosas atacan la raíz, con merma del esperma y del pensamiento.

«How can emperors conceal their acuity, ration their breaths (12.mu), undergo long rituals of purification, personally tend the furnace, rise with the dawn and go to sleep late in order to sublime the Eight Minerals (one list being cinnabar, realgar, laminar malachite, sulphur, mica, salt, saltpeter, and orpiment) ?» — Ko Hung pregunta cómo habría de hacer un emperador la obra material: racionar sus alientos, largos rituales de purificación, atender personalmente el horno y levantarse al alba para sublimar los Ocho Minerales, que el impreso lista como cinabrio, rejalgar, malaquita laminar, azufre, mica, sal, salitre y oropimente.

«Methods leading to geniehood require calm, freedom of action, and obliviousness of our physical frames; but in the case of princes the bonging of huge bells and the thunderings of drums with their booming and rumbling upset their ethereal breaths and excite their hearts and minds. Innumer¬ able arts and diversions kill his sperm and plug his ears. He travels fast in light vehicles, fishes the depths, and shoots ja birds on the wing.» — Ko Hung abre la serie de cuatro contrastes entre lo que el método pide y lo que la vida del príncipe impone: calma y olvido del cuerpo frente al estruendo de campanas y tambores; el *ja* es la referencia marginal a la edición china impresa a media plana.

«Methods leading to geniehood call for avoiding the smell of animal flesh and for purification of the intestines by stopping the intake of starches; but in the case of princes, there is cooking and slicing of fat pork and slaughtering of living things of all sorts. The eight precious foods and the hundred mixed dishes are piled before them. Fried, sim¬ mered, and properly spiced, they add elegance to repletion.» — tercer contraste: el método pide evitar el olor de la carne animal y purificar los intestinos dejando los almidones, y la mesa del príncipe cuece y rebana cerdo graso.

«Methods leading to geniehood call for us to extend our love to the very frontiers of the universe and to view others as we do ourselves; but the prince absorbs the weak, attacks the ignorant, capitalizes on disorder, and spreads devastation. He opens new lands and extends frontiers. He destroys man’s shrines. He herds the living and orders them into the valley of death.» — cuarto contraste: el método pide extender el amor hasta las fronteras del universo y ver a los otros como a uno mismo, y el príncipe absorbe al débil, ataca al ignorante y arrea a los vivos al valle de la muerte.

«these two emperors had a hollow reputation for wanting geniehood, but they never experienced the reality of cultivating the divine process.» — Ko Hung sentencia sobre los dos emperadores: tuvieron fama hueca de querer la condición de genio y jamás experimentaron la realidad de cultivar el proceso divino.

«Further, they never found a man possess¬ ing the divine process, who could concoct the genie-drug on their behalf and administer it to them; so it is not sur¬ prising that they did not enjoy Fullness of Life.» — Ko Hung añade la causa material del fracaso imperial: nunca hallaron a nadie con el proceso divino que preparara y administrara el fármaco de los genios.

«There are times when I obtain oral instructions for an im¬ portant divine process or when I meet with an uncommon teacher, but even then I find myself clinging to my old wife and my little children; I still think lovingly of the hill where the fox and hare run in amity. Little by little the day of my demise draws nearer, and insensibly I grow older and weaken. Although knowing that Fullness of Life can be achieved, I am unable to undertake the work» — Ko Hung confiesa el obstáculo propio: aun con instrucciones orales de un proceso importante o un maestro poco común, se aferra a su vieja esposa y a sus hijos pequeños y no emprende la obra.

«So, when we survey the list of those who attained geniehood in antiquity, we find that most of them were poor and in humble circumstances. They were not men of position and power.» — Ko Hung mide la evidencia por el censo: la mayoría de los que alcanzaron la condición de genio en la antigüedad eran pobres y de condición humilde.

«Whatever the master desires is always provided. Emperor Wu of the Han, by welcoming magicians and showing them excessive favor, encouraged such persons to indulge in false claims.» — Ko Hung explica el auge de los impostores por la demanda del poderoso: lo que el señor desea siempre se le provee, y el emperador Wu de Han, al acoger magos con favor excesivo, alentó las falsas pretensiones.

«Emperors and kings, however, bear the weight of the whole world on their shoulders; they regulate the count¬ less details of administration. Their thoughts are harrassed by» — Ko Hung explica por qué el cargo estorba: el monarca lleva el peso del mundo sobre los hombros y regula los incontables detalles de la administración; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente con los miles de esquemas que lo acosan.

«Methods leading to geniehood, on the other hand, depend upon extending love to the things that creep and crawl, so that nothing which breathes may be harmed. In the case of princes there are bursts of anger and mass executions. After a single brandishing of his gilt halberd, after the ax of com¬ mand is handed down for even a brief time, corpses lie» — segundo contraste: el método pide extender el amor a lo que repta y se arrastra sin dañar a nada que respire, y en el príncipe hay estallidos de ira y ejecuciones en masa.

«I am only an ordinary person reduced to poverty. My home is as humble as that of Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju; my body knows the same pangs of hunger as that of the man noticed» — Ko Hung se pinta en el polo opuesto del emperador: casa tan humilde como la de Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju y las mismas punzadas de hambre del hombre del morral.

«When I wish to travel far, I have neither boat nor vehicle at my disposal. When I plan some project, there is nobody to do the manual work. At home there are no silks and satins to delight the senses; out¬ side, I have no opportunity to enjoy travel and sightseeing. Sweet and tasty things do not pass my mouth, nor do deco¬ rative colors pass before my eyes. Perfumes do not reach my nose, and my ears are not struck by music. All sorts of sorrows afflict my heart, and crowds of difficulties infest my home. In such conditions as these there is nothing to become attached to.» — sigue el retrato de su pobreza: ni barco ni vehículo para viajar lejos, ni nadie que haga el trabajo manual, ni sedas, ni perfumes, ni música, y nada a que apegarse.

«But is the dishonesty of one common, petty person sufficient witness to the» — Ko Hung acota el alcance del caso de Luan Ta con una pregunta que la plana siguiente cierra: si la deshonestidad de una persona vulgar basta como testimonio.

«We read as follows in Tung Chung-shu’s Biography of Li Shao-chiin [not extant]: “Li Shao-chiin had a prescription for immortality but, his family being poor, he did not have the means to secure the necessary ingredients. He therefore pre¬ sented himself to the authorities in order to acquire funds. Once the divine process had succeeded, he left.”» — voz de la Biografía de Li Shao-chün de Tung Chung-shu, citada por Ko Hung: Li tenía una receta de inmortalidad y, por pobre, se presentó ante las autoridades para conseguir fondos, y se marchó cuando el proceso divino tuvo éxito.

«In Notes on Activities at the Han Court we read, “At the time when Li Shao-chiin was on the point of leaving, Emperor Wu dreamed that he was ascending Mount Sung with him. When they were halfway up the mountain, an emissary mounted upon a dragon and holding a baton of authority descended from the clouds and said, ‘T’ai-i (a god) requests the presence of Li Shao-chiin.’ When His Majesty awoke he told his attendants about it and suggested that Li Shao-chiin would soon be abandoning him. A few days later, Li com¬ plained of illness and died. A long time later, His Majesty had the coffin opened, and it was found to contain only a gown and hat.”» — voz de las Notas sobre las actividades de la corte Han, citadas por Ko Hung: el emperador sueña que un emisario montado en dragón reclama a Li Shao-chün, este muere días después y el ataúd, abierto mucho más tarde, solo contiene una túnica y un gorro.

«The genii classics say that processors of the highest class raise their bodies into the void and are then designated Heavenly Genii. Those of the second class resort to the famous mountains and are designated Earth Genii. The third class sloughs off the body after death and is designated Corpse-freed Genii.» — voz de los clásicos de los genios que Ko Hung cita: tres clases de processors, los que elevan el cuerpo al vacío y se llaman Genios Celestes, los que se acogen a las montañas famosas y se llaman Genios de la Tierra, y los que se desprenden del cuerpo tras la muerte y se llaman Genios Liberados del Cadáver.

«It is clear that Li Shao-chiin must have been a Corpse-freed. In more recent times (a.d. 23-220) Hsieh Yiian-i took Fei Ch’ang-fang away with him, leaving a bamboo effigy to be buried in his place.» — Ko Hung clasifica a Li Shao-chün entre los liberados del cadáver y añade el caso paralelo del efigie de bambú enterrada en lugar de Fei Ch'ang-fang.

«Formerly, Wang Mang quoted writings attributed to the Three Augusti and the Five Emperors to make his evil schemes palatable, but it would be inadmissible to argue from this that all scholars are usurping thieves.» — Ko Hung abre su serie de falacias por el mal uso: que Wang Mang citara escrituras de los Tres Augustos para hacer tragables sus planes no permite concluir que todos los letrados sean ladrones usurpadores.

«It is inadmissible to curse the sowing done by God-farmer because some choke to death when eating. It is inadmissible to be angry with Firesticker for his fire-drilling because some burn to death. It is in¬ admissible to feel resentment for Yellow Emperor’s inven¬ tion of boats because some drown when they overturn. It is inadmissible to blame Tu K’ang’s and Yi Ti’s wine-making because some intoxicate themselves.» — Ko Hung continúa la serie: no cabe maldecir la siembra porque alguien se atragante, ni el fuego porque alguien se queme, ni los barcos porque alguien se ahogue, ni el vino porque alguien se embriague.

«Therefore, since there are techniques that can make a ghost manifest and also make it possible to see ghosts even when the inborn capacity to see them is lacking, we have the right to infer that all the other things are possible too.» — Ko Hung arma su inferencia: si hay técnicas que hacen manifestarse a un fantasma y que permiten verlo a quien no nació con esa capacidad, cabe inferir que lo demás también es posible.

«Such things can be known only to those capable of discerning truth, who have tried the recipes, secured the evi¬ dence, and thus found that they must exist. Such knowledge cannot be forced.» — Ko Hung fija quién puede saber de estas cosas: solo quien discierne la verdad, ha probado las recetas y ha obtenido la evidencia; ese saber no se fuerza.

«All men, wise or foolish, know that their bodies contain ethereal as well as gross breaths (18.4^3), and that when some of them quit the body, illness ensues; when they all leave him, a man dies.» — Ko Hung enuncia la doctrina del aliento como cosa sabida por todos: el cuerpo contiene alientos etéreos y gruesos, la enfermedad viene cuando algunos lo dejan y la muerte cuando se van todos.

«These breaths are most intimately bound up with us, for they are born when we are, but over a whole lifetime prob¬ ably nobody actually hears or sees them. Would one con¬ clude that they do not exist because they are neither seen nor heard ?» — Ko Hung aplica al aliento el mismo argumento que a los genios: nacen con nosotros y nadie los ve ni los oye en toda una vida, y de eso no se sigue que no existan.

«Ordinary people who have never seen a dragon, lin uni¬ corn, or luan or feng phoenixes say that such things do not exist. They think that the Ancients invented these auspicious signs so that rulers would exert themselves ceaselessly in the hope that these rare auguries would appear.» — Ko Hung consigna la explicación escéptica de los signos auspiciosos: que los Antiguos inventaron dragón, unicornio y fénix para que los gobernantes se esforzaran esperando su aparición.

«Accounts of the manufacture of gold are in the collections treating of gods and genii; Liu An [Prince ofHuai-nan; died 122 b.c.] extracted them to compose his books Huang-pao and Chen-chung. Yet, even though the text exists, the essentials have been kept secret, and the text must be orally expounded as it is read. Only then can gold be made. Since the original names of many of the ingredients have been changed, the text is not to be taken literally.» — Ko Hung declara el régimen de secreto de los textos del oro: aunque el texto exista, lo esencial se guarda y hay que exponerlo oralmente al leerlo, y los nombres de muchos ingredientes están cambiados, de modo que no se lee al pie de la letra.

«Having been in charge of the case of Liu An, Liu Hsiang’s father, Te, secured his writings, but they were not ex¬ pounded to him by a teacher. Thus Liu Hsiang never under¬ stood the art of the divine process. When he happened to catch sight of these writings, he claimed that everything was contained in the written text itself; it is for this reason that he was unsuccessful in making gold.» — Ko Hung explica el fracaso de Liu Hsiang por falta de maestro: heredó los escritos de Liu An sin que nadie se los expusiera y creyó que todo estaba en el texto escrito.

«Some foreign country makes crystal cups that are actually the result of combining five types of ash. At present, in our southern coastal states,7 many have acquired the method and make them, but when they use the word crystal for the sub¬ stance they make, people are quite unwilling to believe them.» — Ko Hung introduce su analogía decisiva: hay país extranjero que hace copas de cristal combinando cinco tipos de ceniza, y en los estados costeros del sur ya muchos conocen el método, pero nadie quiere creerles cuando llaman cristal a lo que fabrican.

«And so, since gold also happens to be found in nature, why should people believe that there is a system for manufacturing it ? The ignorant do not believe that minium and white lead are the products of a transformation in lead, nor do they believe that the mule (called lo or chuhsu) is bom of a donkey and a mare, for they insist that each thing has a unique seed.» — Ko Hung traslada la analogía al oro: si no se cree que el cristal se fabrique por hallarse también en la naturaleza, tampoco se creerá del oro, como tampoco se cree que el minio y el albayalde vengan de una transformación del plomo ni que la mula nazca de asno y yegua; el impreso parte *chu-hsu* a fin de renglón y la extracción por programa lo une en *chuhsu*.

«It is normal for our world that when one has seen little, one marvels much. How very true! Yet, though these matters are as evident as the sky itself, mankind hides beneath an overturned jar. How is it to recognize speech in its highest form ?» — Ko Hung cierra el capítulo segundo con la fórmula que lo resume: quien ha visto poco se maravilla mucho, y aunque estas materias sean tan evidentes como el cielo, la humanidad se esconde bajo una jarra volcada.

«For a man who possesses it looks upon high position as a cauldron of boiling water, upon the seals» — Ko Hung describe la indiferencia del que sí posee el proceso: ve la posición alta como un caldero de agua hirviente; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente con los sellos y cintas del cargo como ropa de luto.

«In the writings treating of gods and genii we find methods for summoning gods and denouncing the ghosts for their misdeeds. They also contain recipes for making people see ghosts. Ordinary people are unanimous in declaring them fictional. Some claim that there are no ghosts and gods in the world, while others claim that, even if they do exist, they can be neither summoned nor punished. Still others say that a man who sees ghosts is a shaman; a woman, a» — Ko Hung expone las posiciones incrédulas sobre los métodos de convocar dioses y denunciar fantasmas: que son ficción, que no hay tales, o que no se los puede convocar ni castigar; la última opinión termina en la plana siguiente, *medium*.

«Interlocutor: The existence of long-lived persons like Old P’eng is comparable to that of the pine and thuya among trees. It is something natural, hardly something attained through study.» — abre el capítulo tercero, Rejoinder to Popular Conceptions, con la objeción que le da título: el Interlocutor sostiene que la longevidad de Old P'eng es natural como la del pino y la tuya, no algo alcanzado por el estudio.

«Ko: Nobody in creation is cleverer than the human being. Possessed of the most accessible techniques, he can make all creation his servant; having attained the deepest, he can en¬ joy Fullness of Life and everlasting vision. Since he knows that the best medicines are potent for extending his years, he takes them in his search for geniehood. Knowing the great age attained by tortoises and cranes, he imitates their calis¬ thenics so as to augment his own life span.» — Ko Hung contesta desde la inteligencia humana: el hombre puede hacer de la creación su servidor, toma las mejores medicinas por saberlas potentes para alargar los años, e imita la calistenia de tortugas y grullas.

«In the case of Old P’eng, however, we are still deal¬ ing with mere men, not with creatures of a different species. It was through attaining the divine process that they enjoyed unique longevity, not through what they were by nature.» — Ko Hung distingue el caso decisivo: Old P'eng era hombre y no criatura de otra especie, de modo que su longevidad vino del proceso divino y no de su naturaleza.

«Man, however, possesses intelligence; if he can practice the same divine process as did Old P’eng; he can achieve the same results.» — Ko Hung cierra el argumento: el árbol no puede elegir imitar al pino ni el animal a la tortuga, pero el hombre tiene inteligencia y, practicando el mismo proceso divino, logra el mismo resultado.

«You claim that there are no genii in the world! Our wise predecessors have recorded almost a thousand individual genii, for all of whom not only their full names but also details of their deeds are given. These records are not imaginary.» — Ko Hung opone al escepticismo un censo: los predecesores sabios registraron cerca de mil genios individuales, con nombre completo y detalle de sus hechos.

«If you think that they were all specially endowed with extraordinary breaths, I would remind you that all their stories speak of learning from teachers and taking medicines. These individuals were not bom with a knowledge of these things.» — Ko Hung niega que los genios nacieran dotados: todas sus historias hablan de aprender de maestros y tomar medicinas.

«If it is thought that the divine process cannot be acquired through study, I would remind you of bodily meta¬ morphoses, sword swallowing, fire eating, disappearing at will, raising clouds and vapors, snake-charming, fish- and turtle-charming, instantaneous liquefaction of various min¬ erals, melting of jade to symp, reduction of gold to a paste, entering water without getting wet, walking on knife blades without being cut — more than 900 acts of thaumaturgy — all effective provided they are carried out according to directions.» — Ko Hung enumera las artes que sí se aprenden, más de novecientos actos de taumaturgia: metamorfosis corporal, tragar espadas, comer fuego, desaparecer a voluntad, licuar minerales al instante, fundir jade en jarabe, reducir el oro a pasta, entrar al agua sin mojarse y andar sobre filos sin cortarse.

«The divine process leading to geniehood is achieved slowly and involves many taboos. It is not to be maintained without superhuman will and great energy.» — Ko Hung acota el precio del método: se alcanza despacio, tiene muchos tabúes y no se sostiene sin voluntad sobrehumana y gran energía.

«On the other hand, the genii classics say: Take the elixir and preserve Unity: With all heaven together end. Revert your sperm, breathe like fetus: Protract longevity peaklessly. These significant words refer to the perfection of the divine process.» — voz de los clásicos de los genios en una cuarteta que Ko Hung cita como cifra del método entero: tomar el elixir y preservar la Unidad, acabar junto con el cielo, revertir el esperma y respirar como feto para alargar la longevidad sin cima.

«Interlocutor: It might be that the longevity attributed to tortoises and cranes has no factual basis at all. Has anyone lived with those creatures from birth to death, so that he could know ?» — el Interlocutor pone en duda la prueba misma: si alguien ha convivido con tortugas y grullas de su nacimiento a su muerte para saberlo.

«We read this in * Yw ts e chi: “ A tortoise a thousand years old is variegated. The two bones above its forehead rise like horns. It understands human speech. It floats on lily pads or lies at the foot of massed yarrow, and a white cloud always coils above it. A crane a thousand years old gives forth a cry at the proper times and can mount into trees, whereas one which has not yet attained a thousand years never perches in treetops. It is pure white in color, except for the crest, which is entirely red.”» — voz de un clásico de los genios citado por Ko Hung, con el asterisco que remite al catálogo del capítulo 19: la tortuga milenaria es abigarrada, tiene dos huesos como cuernos sobre la frente, entiende el habla humana y lleva siempre una nube blanca encima.

«Long-lived creatures, however, being very wise, conceal themselves deeply in secret, remote places and are seldom seen.» — Ko Hung explica la rareza de los avistamientos: las criaturas longevas, por sabias, se esconden hondo en lugares secretos y remotos.

«However, the widely educated man knows the names of everything he meets; there are no principles in nature that can confuse the universally informed man.» — Ko Hung responde a la objeción con el saber libresco: el hombre de amplia educación conoce el nombre de todo lo que encuentra y para el universalmente informado no hay principios de la naturaleza que confundan.

«The chapter on divination in Shih chi (128.301) reads: “When the men living between the Yangtze and the Hua are young, they place their beds on tortoises, and their fami¬ lies do not remove the beds until those boys have died of old age.”» — voz del Shih chi citada por Ko Hung: entre el Yangtsé y el Hua los jóvenes ponen sus camas sobre tortugas, y las familias no las retiran hasta que esos muchachos han muerto de viejos.

«In compiling his Notes on Strange Things that I have Learned, he says that a man of his district by the name of Chang Kuang-ting once fled his place when disaster struck. Having a daughter of four unable to walk or wade streams, whom he could not carry, he planned to abandon her.» — voz de Ch'en Shih en sus Notas sobre cosas extrañas, citada por Ko Hung: un hombre de su distrito huye del desastre y planea abandonar a su hija de cuatro años.

«On noticing a creature in the corner that stretched its neck and swallowed its breath, she tried doing the same thing, and gradually she became less and less hungry. She had continued to practice this every day.» — el núcleo del relato de la niña emparedada: al agotarse la comida vio en un rincón una criatura que estiraba el cuello y tragaba su aliento, hizo lo mismo y fue teniendo cada vez menos hambre.

«Interlocutor: Tortoises can hibernate in the earth and cranes can fly in the air, but man is unable to do either of these things even momentarily. How, then, can man imitate their longevity ?» — el Interlocutor objeta que el hombre no puede hibernar ni volar, y por tanto no puede imitar esa longevidad.

«Therefore, God’s Men merely ask us to study the method by which these animals extend their years through calisthenics and to model ourselves on their eschewing of starches through the consumption of breath, not to copy their hibernation and flying.» — Ko Hung precisa qué se imita y qué no: el método por el que esos animales alargan sus años mediante calistenia y su abstención de almidones por consumo de aliento, no su hibernación ni su vuelo.

«Why should they have created meaningless texts out of nothing to deceive future generations with matters that could certainly not be achieved ?» — Ko Hung argumenta desde el móvil: por qué habrían creado de la nada textos sin sentido los Hombres de Dios de antaño, para engañar a las generaciones futuras con lo que no puede lograrse.

«The hoptoad lives to three thousand, the unicorn to two thousand, the feng-huang horse and the chi-kuang animal to three thousand years. The thousand-year-old bird and the ten-thousand-year-old bird, with human faces and bird bodies, are known; their names correspond to their ages. The tiger and the deer-hare live to a thousand; and at five hundred years their coats turn white.» — Ko Hung reproduce parte del escalafón de edades de esos dos libros: sapo de tres mil años, unicornio de dos mil, aves de cara humana cuyos nombres corresponden a su edad, y tigre y liebre de mil que a los quinientos encanecen.

«When a bear is five hundred years old it can change into a fox. Wolves live to eight hundred, and at five hundred they can assume human shape. Rats live to three hundred, and on completing a hundred they turn white and with the aid of human mediums can foretell events. The one called Chung can tell good and bad luck for a whole year ahead, and what is happening a thousand miles away.» — sigue el escalafón: el oso que a los quinientos se vuelve zorro, los lobos que a esa edad toman forma humana, y las ratas que a los cien se vuelven blancas y, por médium humano, predicen el año entero y lo que ocurre a mil millas.

«Ch’en Shih and the author of Shih chi are not irresponsible 4a story tellers. There are many crawling things and birds in the world, and since the Ancients mention only the tortoise and the crane, it is clear that they alone differ from their whole group.» — Ko Hung defiende la calidad de sus dos testigos y añade un argumento de selección: entre tantos reptiles y aves, los Antiguos mencionan solo tortuga y grulla, señal de que solo ellas difieren de su grupo.

«years, and, given that they can dispense this long with food or drink and still not die, it shows that they are far different from common creatures. Why should we doubt that they can last a thousand years? Isn’t there good reason for the Genii Classics to suggest we imitate the breathing of the tortoise ?» — sigue en la plana siguiente la cuenta del testimonio del Shih chi: esas tortugas pasaron cincuenta o sesenta años sin comer ni beber sin morir, y de ahí que los Clásicos de los Genios propongan imitar su respiración.

«proved to be a large tortoise. At first, on leaving the tomb and eating starches, her stomach hurt and she was nauseated, but after a while she became used to them. This proves that tortoises are in possession of a method leading to immor¬ tality ; it constitutes evidence that when a processor imitates them he can live as long as they do.» — cierra en la plana siguiente el relato de la niña emparedada: la criatura que le enseñó a tragar el aliento era una tortuga grande, y de ahí que las tortugas posean un método que lleva a la inmortalidad, imitable por el processor.

«Accordingly, when weaving a net, Fu-hsi used spiders for his teachers. Shao-hao relied upon the nine quail to deter¬ mine the seasons. Yellow Emperor awaited the cry of the phoenix in order to tune the pitch pipes. Yao observed the ming-chieh plant in order to know the months. The chung-kuei animal knows the past; the kan-cKueh knows the future. The silverfish can tell when water will be scarce; the ephemeron knows where springs lie hidden. A white wolf knew when the Yin dynasty was to flourish; a phoenix bird foresaw the rise of the Chou.» — Ko Hung enumera el saber que los hombres han tomado de los animales y las plantas: la araña para la red, las codornices para las estaciones, el fénix para afinar los tubos, y los animales que conocen el pasado o el porvenir.

«Further, in the Genii Classics there are several hundred items bearing on the divine process for Fullness of Life, which differ in speed and com¬ plexity. Everybody need not model himself precisely on the tortoise and crane.» — Ko Hung mide la variedad del corpus: los Clásicos de los Genios traen varios cientos de puntos sobre el proceso divino, distintos en rapidez y complejidad, y no todos han de modelarse en la tortuga y la grulla.

«Interlocutor: We know of no modern system for enjoying Fullness of Life. Why were the Ancients the only ones to know about this ?» — el Interlocutor plantea la objeción de la época: no se conoce sistema moderno para la Plenitud de Vida, y pregunta por qué solo los Antiguos supieron de esto.

«Remember that mortise and tenon may be coarse work, but there are mysterious, untransmittable touches to the art of the wheelwright, and in the humble art of gathering grass¬ hoppers there is a divinely inspired dexterity even in the hunchback.» — Ko Hung responde con dos oficios: la caja y la espiga son obra tosca, pero el arte del carretero tiene toques misteriosos e intransmisibles, y hasta cazar saltamontes tiene su destreza inspirada.

«People such as Ch’ih-sung tzu and Wang Ch‘iao became genii, but even they did not necessarily fathom how they did it. How then can the man in the street ever expect to understand it?» — Ko Hung concede un límite propio de la tradición: ni siquiera quienes llegaron a genios comprendieron necesariamente cómo lo hicieron.

«Since, however, it is meet to study such questions, the Ancients handed them down in records so that they could be transmitted to the discerning. If anyone understands these arts in his heart and is attracted to them, he may practice them in all faith. But those who entertain doubts about such things are of course not destined for such activity.» — Ko Hung explica para qué se escribió: los Antiguos dejaron registro para transmitirlo a los que discernieran, y quien alberga dudas no está destinado a esa actividad.

«I know in this very present that geniehood is obtainable. I personally can discontinue the use of starches and refrain from eating normal human foods. I aver that mercury can be distilled, and that gold and silver can be manufactured.» — Ko Hung habla en primera persona de lo que dice poder hacer: dejar los almidones y los alimentos humanos normales, destilar mercurio y fabricar oro y plata.

«If the people of our day were to call that which they can conceive existent, and that which they cannot conceive nonexistent, then very little would be transpiring in this world of ours.» — Ko Hung reduce al absurdo el criterio de lo concebible: si solo existiera lo que se puede concebir, en este mundo ocurriría muy poco.

«But as for crabs affecting (the setting of) lacquer or hempseed (oil) spoiling wine, these are matters for which there is no categorical explanation. How can we ever rationally understand the profusion of thousands upon thousands of different things!» — Ko Hung admite el límite de la explicación: hay efectos para los que no hay explicación categórica, y no cabe entender racionalmente la profusión de miles de cosas distintas.

«Suppose you contract a serious illness and need the help of a potent medicine but will not take it without first knowing what (the patrons of medicine) Shen-nung or Ch’i-po had in mind when they used this particular herb to treat this specific illness ! You would justifiably be called foolish.» — Ko Hung cierra con la analogía del enfermo que se niega a tomar el remedio antes de saber qué tenían en mente Shen-nung o Ch'i-po al usar esa hierba.

«Interlocutor: Life and death are predetermined by fate and their duration is normally fixed. Life is not something that any medicine can shorten or lengthen. A finger that has been cut off cannot be joined on again and expected to continue growing. Blood from a wound, though swallowed, is of no benefit. Therefore, it is most inappropriate to approve of taking such nonhuman substances as pine or thuya (seeds) to protract the brief span of life.» — el Interlocutor opone el fatalismo y el argumento de la categoría: vida y muerte están predeterminadas por el destino, el dedo cortado no vuelve a crecer, la sangre tragada no sirve, y es impropio tomar sustancias no humanas para alargar la vida.

«Ko: According to your argument, a thing is beneficial only if it belongs to the same category as that which is treated. If that is so, since they originally belonged to the same body and not to some different species, why cannot the lost finger be put back again, and why may blood that has been shed not be taken as a medicine ? As a matter of fact, I have often seen people graft on a lost finger with “Snake-jaw salve”(?), or use a mulberry sprout to replace a chicken’s or duck’s foot. Benefit from things of a different category, therefore, is not to be denied.» — Ko Hung devuelve el argumento: si solo beneficia lo de la misma categoría, el dedo perdido debería poder reponerse, y él ha visto injertar dedos con ungüento y reemplazar la pata de un ave con un brote de morera.

«When gold and jade are inserted in their nine orifices, corpses do not decay. When salt and brine are absorbed into flesh and marrow, dried meats do not spoil. Therefore, when we take into ourselves things fit to increase the life in our bodies, why should we marvel that they produce Fullness of Life ?» — Ko Hung enuncia la analogía que funda la ingesta de minerales: el oro y el jade en los nueve orificios impiden que el cadáver se pudra y la sal preserva la carne seca, y por eso no ha de extrañar que lo que se toma dentro dé Plenitud de Vida.

«Interlocutor: The recipes for acquiring divinity or geniehood are specious; they are certainly unreliable fabrications of wondermongers. They certainly never came from the hands of Yellow Emperor or Lao Tan, nor were they ever seen by Ch’ih-sung tzu or Wang Ch’iao.» — el Interlocutor niega el origen de las recetas: las tiene por fabricaciones especiosas de vendedores de maravillas, no salidas de manos del Emperador Amarillo ni de Lao Tan.

«According to Han shu (25A. ioai2), when Luan Ta was first presented to Emperor Wu, he was tested by means of his “chessmen”, which automatically fought one another. And Hou Han shu, in turn, records that Wei Shang could disappear at will and Chang K’ai could raise clouds and mists. All of these are records made by first-class chroniclers, and are credible evidence.» — Ko Hung apoya lo anterior en las historias dinásticas: el Han shu registra la prueba de las piezas de ajedrez de Luan Ta y el Hou Han shu, que Wei Shang desaparecía a voluntad y Chang K'ai levantaba nubes.

«Interlocutor: If people could learn how to become gods and genii — suddenly ascending into the clouds, or avoiding common practice and quitting the world — when they no longer perform the ceremony of offering food, won’t the ghosts of their forebears, which are conscious, go hungry ?» — el Interlocutor plantea la objeción ritual: si los hombres se vuelven genios y dejan de ofrecer alimento, los fantasmas conscientes de sus antepasados pasarán hambre.

«Water and soil are not of the same substance as the various plants; yet the latter rely upon them for growth. The grains are not of the same species as living men; yet living men need them in order to stay alive. Fat is not to be classed with fire, nor water with fish, yet when there is no more fat the fire dies, and when there is no more water, fish perish.» — Ko Hung ordena la serie que objeta la regla de la categoría: agua y suelo no son de la sustancia de las plantas, ni el grano de la especie del hombre, ni la grasa del fuego, ni el agua del pez, y sin embargo unos dependen de otros.

«Cut down a tree, and the fungus dries up; mow down the grass, and the dodder perishes. If the river crabs did not re¬ turn to the river, the dx /-molluscs would perish (for they feed upon parasites that infest the crabs); if the mulberry trees were cut down, the silkworms’ grubs would die. By reiteration of examples the point is established.» — sigue la serie con los pares que mueren juntos: el hongo con el árbol, la cuscuta con la hierba, el molusco con el cangrejo del que se alimenta y el gusano de seda con la morera.

«I have frequently seen people obtain water from the moon at night by means of a speculum, and fire from the sun in the morning by use of a burning-mirror. I have seen people conceal themselves to the point of complete dis¬ appearance, or change their appearance so that they no longer seem human. I have seen them knot a kerchief, throw it to the ground, and produce a hopping hare. I have seen them sew together a red belt and thereby produce a» — Ko Hung responde con lo que dice haber visto: sacar agua de la luna de noche con un espejo y fuego del sol por la mañana con otro, desapariciones completas, cambios de figura y un pañuelo anudado que salta como liebre.

«I have seen people make melons and fruit ripen in an instant, or dragons and fish come and go in a basin. All of these things occurred just as it was said they would.» — cierra en la plana siguiente la lista de lo presenciado: melones y frutas que maduran al instante, dragones y peces que van y vienen en un lebrillo, todo ello tal como se había dicho.

«Ko: I remember having been taught that it is the height of filial piety to keep the body intact. How much more then is it filial to acquire the divine process leading to geniehood along with full enjoyment of life and everlasting vision! Would not our being coeval with all nature be far superior to merely returning intact that which we have received whole ?» — Ko Hung contesta la objeción ritual remontando la piedad filial: si mantenerse el cuerpo intacto es su forma más alta, más filial es adquirir el proceso divino y ser coetáneo de la naturaleza entera.

«The most eminent by far of those with the divine process was Lao Tan (Po-yang). He had a son named Tsung, who became a general in Wei and was endowed with a fief, for services rendered, at Tuan-kan. It may be concluded, there¬ fore, that those who study geniehood today can all, quite naturally, have sons and younger brothers who would carry on the family sacrificial rites.» — Ko Hung cierra la objeción ritual con el precedente de Lao Tan, que tuvo un hijo: quien hoy estudia la condición de genio puede igualmente tener hijos y hermanos menores que continúen los ritos de la familia.

«Ko: I learned from my late teacher that some genii mount to heaven and others remain here on earth. What matters is that they have all achieved Fullness of Life; they simply make their abodes wherever they prefer.» — Ko Hung responde con lo aprendido de su difunto maestro: unos genios ascienden al cielo y otros se quedan en la tierra, y lo que importa es que todos alcanzaron la Plenitud de Vida y viven donde prefieren.

«Old P’eng claimed that in heaven there were so many important gods holding offices of high honor that the newer genii must hold the meaner positions. They must per¬ form all sorts of services, and their lot is harder than before. He saw no point in his striving persistently to go to heaven, so he remained among men for eight hundred years and more.» — voz de Old P'eng citada por Ko Hung, con una razón burocrática para quedarse: en el cielo hay tantos dioses importantes en cargos de honor que los genios nuevos ocupan los puestos peores y su suerte es más dura que antes.

«My teacher also said that those who attained geniehood of old would sometimes sprout feathers and wings, and be transformed into flying creatures. Having lost the funda¬ mental characteristics of a human being, they acquired a form proper to a different species. This is like the natural metamorphosis of the sparrow into the clam, or that of the pheasant into the shen bivalve. It is not man’s way.» — voz del maestro de Ko Hung sobre una forma antigua de la transformación: a veces brotaban plumas y alas y el hombre pasaba a criatura voladora, perdiendo las características fundamentales de lo humano, y eso no es la vía del hombre.

«Man’s way is to eat rich foods and wear light, warm clothing; to consort with women and occupy official rank; to remain keen of sight and hearing and strong of physique; to main¬ tain a good complexion and not to decline in old age; to protract one’s years and attain everlasting vision; to stay or go at will. To be immune from cold, heat, wind, and wet; invulnerable to ghosts, gods, and demons; unaffected by weapons and poisons; and never involved in the toils of grief, joy, slander, or praise: these are honorable.» — Ko Hung define la vía del hombre por lo que conserva y no por lo que abandona: comer bien, vestir abrigado, tratar con mujeres y ocupar cargo, mantener vista, oído y físico, alargar los años y ser inmune a frío, calor, fantasmas, armas y venenos.

«To turn one’s back upon wife and children and make one’s abode in the mountains or marshes, uncaringly to reject basic human usage and, clodlike, to become a companion of trees and rocks, is hardly to be encouraged.» — Ko Hung rechaza expresamente la salida ascética: dar la espalda a mujer e hijos, vivir en montes o marismas y volverse compañero de árboles y rocas no es cosa que él aliente.

«Interlocutor: Those engaged in the divine process must first acquire merit. Is it not so ?» — el Interlocutor introduce la cuestión del mérito previo: si quien emprende el proceso divino debe primero adquirirlo.

«Ko: Yes. In Chapter 2 of Yu Mien ching we read, “Doing good stands in first place; eschewing one’s faults comes next. Followers of the divine process feel that saving people in trouble so that they can avoid disaster, and protecting others from illness so that they will not die before their times, are good acts of the highest class. Those wishing to seek genie¬ hood should think of loyalty, filial piety, friendliness, obedience, the human ideal, and trustworthiness as basic. If they do not perform meritorious actions but solely pursue the esoteric techniques, they will never attain Fullness of Life.» — voz del Yu Mien ching citada por Ko Hung: hacer el bien va primero y evitar las faltas después; salvar a la gente del peligro y protegerla de la enfermedad son los actos buenos de la clase más alta, y quien no obra méritos y solo persigue las técnicas esotéricas nunca alcanza la Plenitud de Vida.

«For the man who commits a wrong of great enormity, the Director of Fates will deduct a period of three hundred days (6.469); for lesser wrongs, a reckoning of three days. De¬ ductions vary according to the degree of the transgression. In receiving his destiny each man is assigned a basic lon¬ gevity. If this is large, it is not used up despite many deduc¬ tions; so death arrives slowly. But if the assigned quantity is small and the wrongs are many, the deductions rapidly ex¬ haust it and death arrives early.» — sigue el Yu Mien ching con la contabilidad del Director de los Destinos: trescientos días descontados por una falta enorme y tres por una menor, sobre una longevidad básica asignada al recibir el destino.

«It further says, “No benefit is to be derived from taking geniehood medicine before the full quota of merits has been acquired.” If the medicine is not taken but the good deeds are performed, geniehood may not be acquired, but one can at least avoid the misfortune of sudden death.» — el Yu Mien ching separa las dos mitades: la medicina no aprovecha antes de completar la cuota de méritos, y los méritos sin la medicina no dan la condición de genio pero sí evitan la muerte súbita.

«Personally, I am much inclined to suspect that Old P’eng and others like him were prevented from mounting to heaven because their full measure of merits had not yet been accumulated.» — Ko Hung ofrece su propia sospecha sobre Old P'eng: que no ascendió al cielo porque no había acumulado todavía la medida entera de méritos.

«from the roseate clouds of morning and imbibe the pure essences of heaven and earth. Our drink would be jade juice and gold juice; our food, mushrooms of kingfisher blue and fruit of vermilion red; our dwellings, halls of beautiful stone and rooms of pink gems; our travels, fancy free in Paradise» — Ko Hung describe la vida del genio: esencias puras de cielo y tierra, jugo de jade y de oro por bebida, hongos azul martín y frutos bermejos por comida, salones de piedra hermosa y cuartos de gemas rosadas por morada; el tramo empieza en el renglón anterior, con el rocío caído de las nubes del alba.

«Interlocutor: When those who wish to acquire the divine process have completed all the breathing exercises and followed the diets in all their essentials, with covered ears they will hear things a thousand miles away; with closed eyes they will see what is to come. Sometimes, abandoning a fine team of four, they harness up dragons. Other times, quitting the gods’ country [China], they make their homes in P’eng-lai or Ying-chou» — el Interlocutor pregunta por la divergencia de destinos entre quienes completan los ejercicios de respiración y las dietas: unos oyen a mil millas con los oídos tapados, otros uncen dragones y otros se van a las islas de los genios.

«Still other times, they gradually return to normal living and move free as birds among men, rather than going to heaven and leaving no trace of themselves on earth. Since they all started by preferring the same thing, namely geniehood, why do they react differently afterward ?» — sigue la objeción: otros vuelven poco a poco a la vida normal y se mueven libres entre los hombres, y habiendo preferido todos lo mismo, la pregunta es por qué reaccionan distinto después.

«According to the prescription to be followed when taking reverted cinnabar or Potable Gold only a half dose is taken and the rest put aside if one wishes to remain here in this world.» — Ko Hung da la mecánica de esa elección: del cinabrio revertido o del Oro Potable se toma media dosis y se guarda el resto si se quiere permanecer en este mundo.

«plainly, those who seek Fullness of Life merely do not wish to relinquish the objects of their current desires. Funda¬ mentally, they are not yet overcome with any yearning to mount into the void, nor are they convinced that flying is always superior to being earthbound. If, by some good 8b fortune, they can become immortal and yet go on living at home, why should they seek to mount speedily into heaven ?» — Ko Hung explica sin adorno por qué muchos se quedan: no quieren renunciar a lo que ahora desean, no anhelan montar al vacío y no están convencidos de que volar sea siempre mejor que estar en tierra; la frase arranca en la plana anterior, *To put it*.

«Yu Mien ching says further, “Those wishing to become earth genii must do three hundred consecutive good deeds; ga those wishing to be heavenly genii must acquire twelve hun¬ dred. If, after acquiring 1199, one commits a single bad deed,» — el Yu Mien ching fija las cuotas de mérito: trescientas buenas acciones consecutivas para genio de la tierra y mil doscientas para genio celeste; la frase termina en la plana siguiente, donde una sola mala acción tras mil ciento noventa y nueve las anula todas.

«The volumes I have studied as I examined writings on the nurturing of life and collected recipes for acquiring ever¬ lasting vision must number in the thousands; yet there was not one amongst them that did not insist that reverted cinnabar and Potable Gold were the things of highest im¬ portance. These two, it seems, mark the peak of the divine process leading to geniehood. If taking them does not make one a genie, then genii have never existed.» — abre el capítulo cuarto, Gold and Cinnabar, con el resultado de la lectura de millares de volúmenes: ninguno dejaba de poner el cinabrio revertido y el Oro Potable en primer lugar, y si tomarlos no hace genio, nunca hubo genios.

«At the time when North China was being pillaged and all were fleeing in every possible direction, I was wandering through our country from the valley of the Huai south to Kuang-tung and Kuang-hsi and met several hundred mi¬ grant, worldly processors. Sometimes their reputations were known to me as being higher than the clouds and sun. As a group, however, they resembled each other in the depth and extent of knowledge, in which one was no better than the next.» — Ko Hung fecha su censo de practicantes en la huida del saqueo del norte: trató a varios cientos de processors errantes y los halló todos iguales en hondura y extensión de saber.

«Though each of them owned a few dozen scrolls, they were in no case able fully to expound them; they had merely made copies of them so they could own them.» — Ko Hung mide lo que esos practicantes sabían de sus propios libros: poseían decenas de rollos que no eran capaces de exponer y que solo habían copiado para tenerlos.

«They claimed that it had been composed by Governor Hsi, but I told them that it had been composed by General Wang T’u during the period a.d. 220-265 and that it did not come from the Ancients.» — Ko Hung objeta la atribución que esos processors daban por buena del Tao chi ching: sostiene que lo compuso el general Wang T'u entre 220 y 265 y que no viene de los Antiguos.

«Wang T’u knew nothing whatever about the grand medicines but merely wished to attain geniehood at home by circulating the breaths. Further, by composing this Tao chi and claiming that the divine pro¬ cess in its entirety was present there he was utterly deceiving others.» — Ko Hung explica el motivo del falsificador: Wang T'u no sabía nada de las grandes medicinas y solo quería alcanzar la condición de genio en casa haciendo circular los alientos.

«When I asked these processors about divine cinnabar and Potable Gold and also about methods for evoking the gods of heaven and the spirits of earth as given in *San huang nei wen, not a soul among them knew a thing about them.» — Ko Hung consigna el resultado de su interrogatorio: ninguno de esos practicantes sabía nada del cinabrio divino, del Oro Potable ni de los métodos para evocar a los dioses del cielo y los espíritus de la tierra.

«Some of them had heard something about gold and cinnabar, but they did not believe that such things still existed. In fact they were unanimous in claiming that only the genii of antiquity knew about them. Some of them had sketchy accounts of the prescriptions, but they had not secured the true canons.» — Ko Hung gradúa la ignorancia de sus contemporáneos: unos habían oído del oro y del cinabrio y no creían que aún existieran, otros tenían noticias sueltas de las prescripciones sin haber conseguido los cánones verdaderos.

«In the old days, while Tso Tz’u [a.d. 200] was giving care¬ ful thought to these matters in the T’ien-chu mountains [E. Shantung], a god gave him genii classics detailing both gold and cinnabar.» — Ko Hung fija el origen revelado de su linaje: un dios dio a Tso Tz'u, en las montañas T'ien-chu, clásicos de los genios que detallaban el oro y el cinabrio.

«My teacher, Cheng Yin, was my uncle’s disciple. He received these texts from my uncle, but, being of a poor family, lacked means to purchase the ingredients. I in turn was his pupil, doing the sprinkling and sweeping, for a long time, and in the Ma-chi mountains [NE Kiangsi] I received the scrolls from him under the seal of an oath at an altar, where I also received the secret directions, which may never be written down.» — Ko Hung describe su propia iniciación: discípulo de Cheng Yin, que a su vez lo fue de su tío, hizo mucho tiempo el riego y el barrido y recibió los rollos bajo juramento ante un altar, junto con las instrucciones secretas que nunca pueden escribirse.

«Therefore, while other processors know nothing about them, I have had them for over twenty years, but, my resources not being abundant, I have been unable to prepare them; for this I can feel only deep regret.» — Ko Hung mide su propia deuda: tiene los textos desde hace más de veinte años y la falta de recursos le ha impedido preparar la obra.

«On the other hand, those who have accumulated gold in their coffers and gathered mountains of cash do not know that these methods for attaining immortality exist, and even though they were told about them, not one of them in thousands would believe it.» — Ko Hung vuelve sobre el desajuste entre saber y medios: quienes tienen oro en las arcas ignoran que estos métodos existen y, aun si se les dijera, no lo creería uno entre miles.

«After a highly sugared drink, one realizes how insipid marshmallows are; after seeing the K’un-luns, one feels how 2b paltry the hills are. In the same way, having examined the divine process for preparing gold and cinnabar, a man can no longer look at paltry little prescription books.» — Ko Hung explica con dos comparaciones por qué el que ha visto el proceso del oro y el cinabrio ya no mira los recetarios menores.

«The great medicine, however, being hard to concoct satisfactorily, one is obliged to deal with lesser ones merely to maintain one¬ self. And yet, while the taking of gallons of other medicines can be to some extent beneficial, they can by no means bring one to Fullness of Life.» — Ko Hung acota el lugar de los remedios menores: como la gran medicina es difícil de lograr hay que valerse de los pequeños, que algo benefician pero de ningún modo llevan a la Plenitud de Vida.

«Accordingly, Lao Tan’s oral directions say that you will be troubling yourself for nothing unless you obtain reverted cinnabar or Potable Gold.» — voz de las instrucciones orales de Lao Tan citadas por Ko Hung: quien no obtenga cinabrio revertido u Oro Potable se estará molestando para nada.

«known as the Genie, received the texts from Tso Tz’u. In all, he received T’ai cWing tan ching (4.7*19) in three scrolls, Chiu ting tan ching (Nine-crucibles cinnabars; 4.5*17) in one scroll, and Chin i ching (4.14*13) in one scroll.» — Ko Hung nombra los tres títulos que su tío paterno Ko Hsuan, llamado el Genio, recibió de Tso Tz'u: el T'ai ch'ing tan ching en tres rollos, el Chiu ting tan ching de los cinabrios de los nueve crisoles en uno, y el Chin i ching en uno.

«They derive from Tso Tz’u, who transmitted them to my uncle. The latter transmitted them to Master Cheng, who transmitted them to me.» — Ko Hung traza la cadena entera de la transmisión: los textos vienen de Tso Tz'u, que los pasó a su tío, este al maestro Cheng y este a él.

«Gold and cinnabar preparations are such that the longer they are heated the more marvelous are the changes they undergo. Even after a hundred firings, gold does not melt away, nor does it decay, no matter how long it is buried. By taking these two substances we refine our bodies, so that we neither grow old nor die.» — Ko Hung funda la doctrina del elixir en la conducta física de las dos materias: cuanto más se calientan más maravillosos son sus cambios, el oro no se funde tras cien fuegos ni se corrompe enterrado, y al tomarlos se refina el cuerpo.

«I suggest that this seeking of external substances to fortify ourselves may well be compared with a fire that does not die as long as the fuel maintains it, or with feet smeared with verdigris so they will not decay in water because the strength of the copper serves to protect the underlying flesh.» — Ko Hung compara la busca de sustancias externas con el fuego que no muere mientras hay leña y con los pies untados de cardenillo que no se corrompen en el agua porque el cobre protege la carne.

«On entering the body, however, gold and cinnabar permeate the blood and breath circulatory systems; it is not a case of mere external help, such as verdigris provides.» — Ko Hung marca la diferencia decisiva: al entrar en el cuerpo, el oro y el cinabrio permean los sistemas circulatorios de la sangre y del aliento, y no son mera ayuda externa.

«Therefore I am going to compile a digest on gold and cinnabar preparations as an inducement to future like-minded seekers after truth. May they diligently seek for the divine process and in so doing refrain from following inferior recipes and claiming that those are good» — Ko Hung declara el propósito del capítulo: compilar un compendio sobre las preparaciones de oro y cinabrio para los buscadores venideros, y que no se conformen con recetas inferiores.

«If a man wishes to encounter a revelation of the divine process, he must be aware that he will be emerging from the mire to float on a vast ocean; that he will be turning his back on lightning bugs and torches to face the sun and moon.» — Ko Hung describe el salto de escala que supone la revelación del proceso: salir del fango a un océano vasto, volver la espalda a luciérnagas y antorchas para encarar el sol y la luna.

«There are many minor recipes for edible cinnabar, which vary in effect because the skill with which they are prepared varies. Despite such variations, since the number of cyclical trans¬ formations is insufficient, they are like wine that has been fermented once; it cannot be compared with the pure, clear wine that has been fermented nine times.» — Ko Hung gradúa las recetas por el número de transformaciones cíclicas: las menores son como el vino fermentado una sola vez frente al vino puro fermentado nueve veces.

«It is a fact, however, that the least of the minor cinnabars is far superior to the best of herbs. When roasted, all herbs turn to ashes, but cinnabar produces mercury, which after a number of successive transformations reverts to cinnabar. It is far superior to herbs. That is the reason it can produce Fullness of Life in people.» — Ko Hung da la razón química de la primacía del mineral: las hierbas se vuelven ceniza al tostarse y el cinabrio produce mercurio que, tras sucesivas transformaciones, revierte a cinabrio.

«Some of them do not know that mercury is a deriva¬ tive of cinnabar. When we tell them about it, they will not believe it. They reply that since cinnabar is basically a red substance, how could it ever become a white substance like mercury!» — Ko Hung consigna la objeción de sus contemporáneos contra la reversión: que siendo el cinabrio rojo no puede volverse una sustancia blanca como el mercurio.

«Mindful of educable persons in times to come, God’s Men of antiquity derived detailed prescriptions and methods in the hope that these would enable such persons to escape the misfortune of death; theirs may be called statements of the highest order.» — Ko Hung explica por qué existen las recetas escritas: los Hombres de Dios de la antigüedad las derivaron pensando en los educables por venir, para que escaparan a la desgracia de la muerte.

«If this were true, how would one account for the fact that the nine transformations take place in a certain number of days exactly as the recipes prescribe ?» — Ko Hung ofrece su prueba contra quienes tienen esos escritos por vacíos: que las nueve transformaciones ocurren en el número exacto de días que la receta prescribe.

«Personally, from my youth I have been fond of pre¬ scriptions and recipes and went about on foot, a pack on my back, to make inquiries about them, undaunted by danger or distance. Every bit of strange information delighted me, and it did not worry me to be the butt of slander and ridi¬ cule» — Ko Hung cuenta su método de investigación: desde joven anduvo a pie con el morral al hombro preguntando por recetas, sin arredrarse ante el peligro ni la distancia y sin que le importara ser objeto de burla.

«Writings are transmitted for the sake of those who will understand them; facts take on value in the eyes of the perceptive. When a peasant acquires a ceremonial red bow, he uses it to hunt birds; when a southern barbarian acquires a ceremonial gown, he uses it to bundle up faggots! The ignorant cannot be coerced into wisdom.» — Ko Hung fija el destinatario de todo escrito: se transmite para quien lo entenderá, y al ignorante no se lo puede forzar a la sabiduría.

«On the other hand, the man who has the divine process treasures what he knows as a secret. Since he has nothing to ask of others, why should he make any great efforts to tell them about the divine process ?» — Ko Hung explica la escasez de testimonios por el lado del que sabe: quien tiene el proceso divino guarda su saber como secreto y, como nada pide a los demás, no hace esfuerzos por contárselo.

«It is common for people to argue that if Fullness of Life were possible, the rich and noble of antiquity would have achieved it, the fact that they did not do so is sufficient proof that there is no such process. Such people do not realize that the rich and noble of the past, like those of our own day, all disbelieved, and none sought the process; only their desire for things right under their own noses made them anxious. How could such as they ever have obtained the divine process ?» — Ko Hung responde al argumento de los ricos y nobles de la antigüedad: no lo lograron porque, como los de hoy, no creían y no lo buscaron.

«Even if you cannot believe wholeheartedly that life can be protracted and geniehood attained, what have you to lose by trying it ? The least success would extend your life by two or three hundred years; wouldn’t that be preferable to the premature death experienced by the ordinary man ?» — Ko Hung ofrece una apuesta en lugar de una prueba: aun sin creer de corazón, qué se pierde con intentarlo, si el menor éxito alargaría la vida doscientos o trescientos años.

«There are things which even the sun and moon cannot illumine completely; why should common opinion merit our entire trust ?» — Ko Hung cierra el argumento sobre el ridículo con una pregunta: hay cosas que ni el sol ni la luna alumbran del todo, y por qué habría de merecer entera confianza la opinión común.

«We read in Huang ti chiu ting shen tan ching (Nine-crucible cinnabars) that Yellow Emperor rose into the sky and be¬ came a genie after taking this elixir. It adds that by merely doing the breathing exercises and calisthenics and taking herbal medicines one may extend one’s years but cannot prevent ultimate death.» — voz del clásico de los cinabrios de los nueve crisoles citado por Ko Hung: el Emperador Amarillo ascendió al cielo y se hizo genio tras tomar este elixir, y con solo respiración, calistenia y hierbas se alargan los años pero no se evita la muerte final.

«Taking the divine elixir, however, will produce an interminable longevity and make one coeval with sky and earth; it lets one travel up and down in Paradise, riding clouds or driving dragons.» — sigue el mismo clásico con lo que sí hace el elixir divino: longevidad interminable, ser coetáneo de cielo y tierra, y subir y bajar por el Paraíso en nubes o tirado por dragones.

«Yellow Emperor transmitted this divine process to Hsuan tzu with a warning: “This is a highly essential divine process and must be trans¬ mitted only to those of the highest caliber. Although an improper person offer jewels piled up mountain-high, you are not to divulge it.”» — voz del Emperador Amarillo en ese clásico, fijando la regla de transmisión: solo a los del calibre más alto, y ni por joyas apiladas como montañas se divulga a quien no lo merece.

«He who receives it must throw a golden human statuette (9 oz.) and a golden fish (3 oz.) into an eastward-flowing stream as a pledge and take an oath by smearing his lips with blood of a victim (white chicken).» — el mismo clásico fija el rito de recepción: arrojar una estatuilla humana de oro de nueve onzas y un pez de oro de tres a una corriente que fluya al este, y jurar untándose los labios con sangre de un pollo blanco.

«Let no disbelievers know of your plans, for if they blaspheme the divine medicine, successful preparation will be prevented.» — el mismo clásico añade una condición social: que ningún incrédulo sepa de la obra, porque si blasfeman contra la medicina divina la preparación no llegará a buen término.

«The uninitiated do not mix the divine elixirs, but they have great faith in herbal medicines — although they are subject to decay when buried; to softening when cooked; and to scorching when roasted. Since these substances can¬ not even maintain themselves, how can they give life to others ?» — Ko Hung objeta la preferencia por las hierbas con un argumento de estabilidad: se pudren enterradas, se ablandan cocidas y se chamuscan tostadas, y lo que no se mantiene a sí mismo no puede dar vida a otro.

«The first cinnabar is known as Flowers of Cinnabar. It is begun by preparing some “tin oxide” (a preparation using tin and mercury [TT 884.1.3/?], used to coat the crucibles inside and out after the Six-One lute has been applied [879.1.15/?]). From several dozen pounds each of realgar solution, kalinite solution (TT 929.1 a-b),1 Turkestan salt, lake salt, arsenolite, oyster shells, red bole, soapstone, and white lead, prepare Six-One cement (TT 884.7.5*3), with which to cover both clay crucibles» — abre el catálogo de los nueve cinabrios con el primero, Flores de Cinabrio, y con la materia del sellado: óxido de estaño para recubrir los crisoles y el cemento Seis-Uno hecho de soluciones de rejalgar y alumbre, sales, arsenolita, conchas de ostra, bol rojo, esteatita y albayalde.

«The crucibles are then dried slowly in the sun for ten days (TT 879.1.150). The cinnabar (or elixir) will be ready after being fired for thirty-six days, and if you take it for seven days you will become a genie.» — el primer cinabrio da su calendario: diez días de secado lento al sol, treinta y seis de fuego, y siete días de toma para volverse genio.

«Gold can also be produced by mixing 240 scruples of it with one hundred pounds of mercury and firing it. If the gold forms, we know the medicine is done.» — el texto da la prueba del elixir por proyección: mezclado con cien libras de mercurio y sometido al fuego, si se forma oro la medicina está hecha.

«The second is called Divine Cinnabar or Divine Amulet (15.10a6). Take it for one hundred days and you will be a genie. To cross streams or pass through fire, smear the soles of your feet with it and you will be able to walk on water. After taking only three spatulas of it you will see that the Three Corpses and the Nine Worms in your body (6.4^7^) will disappear, and all your illnesses will be cured.» — el segundo cinabrio: cien días de toma para ser genio, untado en las plantas de los pies permite andar sobre el agua, y con tres espátulas desaparecen los Tres Cadáveres y los Nueve Gusanos del cuerpo.

«The fourth is called Reverted Cinnabar. Take a spatula of it for one hundred days and you will be a genie. Vermilion birds and Phoenixes will soar and hover above you, and fairies will come to your side. If one spatula of it is mixed with one pound of mercury and fired, it will immediately turn into gold. If your coins and goods are smeared with it, they will all return to you the very same day they are traded. If it is used to draw signs above anyone’s eyes, ghosts of all sorts will flee from them.» — el cuarto cinabrio, el Revertido: aves bermejas y fénix sobrevuelan a quien lo toma, una espátula con una libra de mercurio se vuelve oro al instante, y las monedas untadas con él vuelven el mismo día en que se gastan.

«The ninth is called Cold. After taking a spatula of it for one hundred days you are a genie, and fairy children will become your servants. You will fly and levitate without need of wings.» — el noveno cinabrio, el Frío: cien días de toma dan la condición de genio, niños hadas por servidores y vuelo y levitación sin necesidad de alas.

«By acquiring any one of these nine you will become a genie; there is no need to prepare all nine. Which one is pre¬ pared depends entirely on one’s preference.» — Ko Hung acota el uso del catálogo: basta con lograr uno de los nueve y la elección depende enteramente de la preferencia.

«There is also T’ai citing shen tan, a method coming from Primal Lord, who was Lao Tan’s teacher.» — Ko Hung presenta el segundo corpus de elixires, atribuido al Señor Primordial, a quien nombra maestro de Lao Tan.

«The T’ai citing kuan Gen ching was originally in nine fascicles, and we are told that the first three could not be passed down from master to disciple. The second set of three was permanently submerged beneath the Three Pools, since nobody in the world was found worthy to have them transmitted to. The last three constitute this T'ai citing shen tan, in three scrolls marked top, middle, and bottom, respectively.» — Ko Hung cuenta la mutilación del corpus: de los nueve fascículos originales, los tres primeros no pudieron pasar de maestro a discípulo y los tres siguientes quedaron sumergidos para siempre bajo las Tres Albercas por no hallarse nadie digno.

«According to this classic, when a first-class processor is successful, he becomes an official in heaven; a second-class one joins the others on Mount K’un-lun; a third-class one enjoys Fullness of Life in this world.» — voz de ese clásico con su escalafón de resultados: el processor de primera clase se vuelve funcionario en el cielo, el de segunda se suma a los del monte K'un-lun y el de tercera goza la Plenitud de Vida en este mundo.

«Take care not to speak of the divine elixirs with those who give free rein to emotion and lust, and are bound to die in a little while. It will make them mock the divine process and malign God (the True).» — Ko Hung fija la regla de discreción por sus consecuencias: hablar de los elixires con quien da rienda suelta a la emoción y la lujuria los hace burlarse del proceso divino.

«As soon as the divine elixir has been made, not only is Fullness of Life obtained, but even gold can be made.» — Ko Hung enuncia el doble producto de la obra: hecho el elixir divino se obtiene la Plenitud de Vida y además se puede hacer oro.

«The remaining twelve pounds are to be placed in a sound leather pouch, and on a propitious day, at the peak hour of the market in the city, to be dropped silently among the crowd; and the place is to be left without a glance backward.» — el rito del oro fija el destino del sobrante: doce libras en una bolsa de cuero, dejadas caer en silencio entre la multitud en la hora punta del mercado, y el lugar se abandona sin mirar atrás.

«But if the first part of the gold is not used to serve the gods, you will surely incur disaster.» — el texto liga la fabricación del oro a la liturgia: si la primera parte no se emplea en servir a los dioses, el desastre es seguro.

«This classic further says: “ The divine process leading to Fullness of Life Does not depend upon offerings in honor of the ghosts and gods Nor upon calisthenics, bendings, and stretchings. The principal requirement for rising up to becoming a genie is divine cinnabar. Knowing how is not easy, and doing it is harder yet.”» — voz de ese clásico en verso, que subordina todo lo demás al cinabrio: el proceso divino no depende de las ofrendas a fantasmas y dioses ni de la calistenia, y el requisito principal para elevarse a genio es el cinabrio divino.

«Recently, at the end of the Han [a.d. -220], Master Yin Ch’ang-sheng mixed this T'ai-cKing elixir and attained geniehood. He began as a pupil of the Confucianists, and was very gifted. He composed poetry and also a eulogy on the Vai citing tan ching. In the preface to the latter he gives a very clear account of his early studies of the divine process under a teacher and of his forty-odd acquaintances who also attained geniehood.» — Ko Hung da su testimonio más reciente: Yin Ch'ang-sheng mezcló el elixir T'ai-ch'ing a fines de los Han, empezó como alumno de los confucianistas, y en el prefacio de su elogio cuenta sus estudios con un maestro y sus más de cuarenta conocidos que también llegaron a genios.

«If it is used for writing over a doorway, no evil powers will dare approach it; thieves, bandits, tigers, and wolves will be put to flight.» — sigue el octavo cinabrio: escrito sobre una puerta impide acercarse a todo poder maligno y pone en fuga a ladrones, bandidos, tigres y lobos.

«transmit the alchemical classics to the wrong sort of person, you are sure to suffer bad luck yourself. If, however, you find a true believer, the finished medicine may be shared with him. But the recipe itself is not lightly to be passed on to him.» — Ko Hung distingue entregar la medicina de entregar la receta: transmitir los clásicos alquímicos a quien no debe trae mala suerte al que transmite, y con un creyente verdadero se comparte la medicina terminada pero no a la ligera la receta misma.

«you become a genie. When you hold a piece of it slightly larger than a jujube seed in your hand, every sort of ghost will flee.» — sigue en la plana siguiente el octavo cinabrio, el Fijo: hace genio el mismo día en que se toma, y un trozo apenas mayor que un hueso de azufaifa en la mano ahuyenta a todo fantasma.

«to harmonize yin and yang, and to give orders to ghosts, gods, wind, and rain. He drives nine dragons and twelve white tigers. All the genii in the world are his subordinates, and yet he claims to result from a study of the divine process and the taking of cinnabar. If even he did not achieve his status automatically, how much more must ordinary mortals make these efforts!» — Ko Hung describe al Señor Primordial y saca de él un argumento a fortiori: armoniza yin y yang, manda a fantasmas, dioses, viento y lluvia, conduce nueve dragones y doce tigres blancos, y aun así dice deber su estado al estudio del proceso divino y a la toma del cinabrio.

«An elixir of the first cyclical transformation culminates in geniehood after being taken for three years; of the second, in two years; of the third, in one year; of the fourth, in half a year; of the fifth, in one hundred days; of the sixth, in forty days; of the seventh, in thirty days; of the eighth, in ten days; and of the ninth, in three days.» — el texto tabula la escala que ordena todo el capítulo: el elixir de la primera transformación cíclica culmina en la condición de genio a los tres años de tomarlo, y el de la novena a los tres días.

«Cyclical mutations one through nine are thus differ¬ entiated by the varying speeds of their effectiveness. If these transformations are few, the medicine will be found weak, it will have to be taken for a longer time, and geniehood will be attained slowly. If, however, it is transformed through many cycles, the medicine will be strong, it will be taken for fewer days, and geniehood will be attained quickly.» — Ko Hung enuncia el principio de la tabla: pocas transformaciones dan medicina débil, que se toma más tiempo y actúa despacio, y muchas dan medicina fuerte, que se toma pocos días y actúa rápido.

«Place the elixir which has been cycled nine times in a re¬ action vessel and expose it to the sun after the summer solstice. When the container becomes hot, introduce a gb pound of cinnabar beneath the lid, and even while you are watching, with the full power of the sun shining upon it, the whole content will suddenly glow and sparkle intensely with all the colors of divine light. It will immediately turn into reverted elixir. If a spatula of it is taken, one will straightway rise to heaven in broad daylight.» — la operación solar del elixir de nueve ciclos: expuesto al sol después del solsticio de verano y con una libra de cinabrio bajo la tapa, el contenido resplandece con todos los colores de la luz divina y se vuelve elixir revertido.

«There is also the Ninefold Radiance Elixir, which uses a method similar but not quite like that of the Nine-cycle Elixir. Various ingredients are mixed and fired separately with each of the five minerals, cinnabar, realgar, arsenolite, laminar malachite, and magnetite. Each mineral is put through five cycles and assumes five hues, so that altogether twenty-five hues result.» — el Elixir del Resplandor Nónuple se ordena por color: cinco minerales, cada uno pasado por cinco ciclos y tomando cinco matices, dan veinticinco en total.

«If you wish to raise a body that has not been dead for fully three days, bathe the corpse with a solution of one spatula of blue elixir, open its mouth, and insert another spatula full; it will revive immediately.» — uso del elixir azul del Resplandor Nónuple: bañar con él un cuerpo que no lleve tres días muerto y meterle otra espátula en la boca lo revive al instante.

«If you wish to summon the Traveling Canteen,2 smear your left hand with a solution of black elixir; whatever you ask for will be at your beck and call, and everything you mention will arrive without effort. You will be able to sum¬ mon any thing or any creature in the world.» — uso del elixir negro: untada con él la mano izquierda, se convoca la Cantina Viajera y todo lo que se pida acude sin esfuerzo.

«Hsien-men tzu’s method mixes three quarts of wine with a pound of cinnabar and exposes it to the sun for forty days. After it has been taken for one day the Three Worms and all illnesses are immediately purged from the patient. If taken for three years, it will confer geniehood and one is sure to be served by two fairies, who can be employed to summon the 11a Traveling Canteen.» — el método de Hsien-men tzu: tres cuartos de vino con una libra de cinabrio expuestos al sol cuarenta días, que a un día de toma purgan los Tres Gusanos y a tres años dan la condición de genio con dos hadas al servicio.

«When it is mixed with Vermilion Herb, you can travel through the void as soon as you take it. Vermilion Herb resembles small jujube plants and is three or four feet long. Its branches and leaves are red, whereas the stalks look like coral. It grows best at the foot of high cliffs in the famous mountains, and when it is cut its sap flows like blood.» — descripción de la Hierba Bermeja: ramas y hojas rojas, tallos como coral, tres o cuatro pies de alto al pie de los acantilados de las montañas famosas, y savia que al cortarla mana como sangre.

«When jade, one of the Eight Minerals, or gold or silver is thrown into it, they can im¬ mediately be formed into soft pills, or after a longer time, turn liquid. After being so treated, the gold is called “gold jam”; jade is called “jade wine.” All of these are able to produce life in all its fullness.» — el efecto de esa hierba sobre los metales: jade, oro o plata arrojados en ella se dejan formar en píldoras blandas o se licuan, y entonces el oro se llama mermelada de oro y el jade, vino de jade.

«Master Shih’s elixir was made by feeding unfledged birds on cinnabar mixed with beef When they were grown and their feathers had come out red, he killed them and dried them in the shade for one hundred days. After that he crushed them, feathers and all, and took a spatula of the powder every day for one hundred days; by so doing he 12a attained a longevity of five hundred years.» — el elixir del Maestro Shih, muestra de las recetas animales del catálogo: pájaros sin plumar alimentados con cinabrio y carne de res, secados a la sombra cien días y molidos con plumas y todo, dieron a quien los tomó quinientos años.

«To make Ts’ui Wen-tzu’s elixir place cinnabar in the stomach of a duck and steam it. When taken, it prolongs life; and if taken for a period of time, immortality results.» — el elixir de Ts'ui Wen-tzu, una de las recetas más breves del catálogo: cinabrio dentro del estómago de un pato, al vapor.

«Next comes Wu ling tan ching (Classic of the Five Super¬ natural Elixirs) in one chapter, which provides five methods. It employs cinnabar, realgar, orpiment, sulphur, malachite, arsenolite, magnetite, Turkestan salt, and brown hematite. In addition, Six-One lute, a two-part sealed reaction vessel, and religious services and libations are used to compound them, and they require 36 days for completion. Five-Emperor amulet designs, written in elixir of various hues are also employed to prevent death. Nevertheless, these elixirs are inferior to T'ai cliing elixir and to the Nine-crucibles cinnabars previously mentioned.» — Ko Hung sitúa el Clásico de los Cinco Elixires Sobrenaturales en su escalafón: emplea nueve minerales, mortero Seis-Uno, vaso sellado de dos partes y servicios religiosos, tarda treinta y seis días, y con todo es inferior al elixir T'ai ch'ing y a los cinabrios de los nueve crisoles.

«There is also a Min-shan tan fa, found in a cave by Chang Kai-t’a as he was giving careful thought to such matters on Mount Min. This method forges yellow copper alloy» — el método Min-shan, hallado en una cueva por Chang Kai-t'a mientras meditaba en el monte Min: forja una aleación de cobre amarillo, y la frase sigue en la plana siguiente.

«This same text also teaches us to place this elixir in a copper mirror coated with realgar, cover it with mercury, and expose it to the sun for twenty days, after which it is uncovered and treated. When taken in the form of pills the size of grams, washed down with the first water drawn from the well at dawn, for a hundred days, it makes the blind see, and by itself cures those who are ill. It will also turn white hair black and regrow lost teeth.» — el mismo texto Min-shan da su segunda operación: elixir en espejo de cobre untado de rejalgar, cubierto de mercurio y expuesto al sol veinte días, que en píldoras con el primer agua del pozo al alba devuelve la vista al ciego, ennegrece el pelo blanco y hace volver los dientes.

«In T’ai-i’s elixir for Summoning Gross and Ethereal Breaths the five minerals [cinnabar, realgar, arsenolite, mala¬ chite, and magnetite] are used and sealed with Six-One lute as in the Nine-crucible cinnabars (4.5*1—-). It is particularly effective for raising those who have died of a stroke. In cases where the corpse has been dead less than four days, force open the corpse’s mouth and insert a pill of this elixir and one of sulphur, washing them down its gullet with water. The corpse will immediately come to life.» — el elixir de T'ai-i para convocar los alientos gruesos y etéreos, muestra de las recetas resucitadoras del catálogo: se fuerza la boca del cadáver muerto hace menos de cuatro días y se le hace tragar una píldora del elixir y otra de azufre.

«In every case the resurrected remark that they have seen a messenger with a baton of authority summoning them.» — el testimonio que el texto adjunta a esa receta: en todos los casos los resucitados dicen haber visto a un mensajero con bastón de autoridad que los convocaba.

«Ch’i-li’s elixir. First sublime the five minerals and jade dust. Combine with cinnabar and mercury (or mercury pre¬ pared from cinnabar) in a large copper vessel and cook for a hundred days. Take when it appears in a great variety of color, and immortality will ensue. Combine a hundred spatulas of this compound with one hundred pounds of lead, and heat, and it will turn into silver. Combined and fired with realgar solution for a hundred days, it becomes gold. If the gold is too hard, cook with lard. If it is too soft, cook with white plums.» — el elixir de Ch'i-li, muestra de las recetas que producen metal además de vida: cien espátulas con cien libras de plomo dan plata, y con solución de rejalgar durante cien días, oro, que se corrige con manteca si sale duro y con ciruelas blancas si sale blando.

«There are several dozen additional recipes, but I cannot give a complete account of them.» — Ko Hung cierra el catálogo de recetas declarando que quedan varias docenas más de las que no puede dar cuenta completa.

«It was by taking Potable Gold that T’ai-i became a genie; it is in no way inferior to the Nine-crucibles cinnabars. To compound it, use one pound of gold by the old scales (15010). Use also mercury (? or selenite, or vinegar and rasp¬ berries), realgar, Turkestan salt (?or glauberite), sulphur (?), magnetite solution (?), Epsom salts, and cinnabar.» — Ko Hung pasa al Oro Potable, que iguala a los cinabrios de los nueve crisoles, y lista su materia: una libra de oro por la balanza antigua más mercurio, rejalgar, sal, azufre, solución de magnetita, sal de Epsom y cinabrio.

«The book devoted to this pre¬ paration says, “When potable gold enters a man’s mouth, his whole body takes on a golden hue. When Lao Tan got it from Primal Lord, the latter said, ‘ This divine process is very important. It appears but once every hundred years. Let it be kept in a stone chamber. Those who prepare it shall purify themselves for one hundred days, and abstain from contacts» — voz del libro del Oro Potable citado por Ko Hung, con la regla que el Señor Primordial dio a Lao Tan: quien lo toma se vuelve dorado de cuerpo entero, el proceso aparece una vez cada cien años, se guarda en cámara de piedra y quien lo prepara se purifica cien días.

«If you do not wish to leave the world as a celestial genie just yet but would prefer to be a land or water genie, merely fast for one hundred days. All who wish to mount to heaven must first dispense with starches for a year, and then take this preparation. By taking one half¬ ounce you will enjoy Fullness of Life and become immortal.» — el mismo libro ofrece la alternativa terrena: quien no quiera irse aún como genio celeste y prefiera ser genio de tierra o de agua ayuna cien días, y quien quiera ascender debe antes pasar un año sin almidones.

«You will be able to have a wife and family and hold official position. All your wishes will come true. If later you wish to ascend to heaven, you need only fast, take another ounce, and then soar away as a genie.”» — el libro del Oro Potable deja abierta la vida civil: se puede tener mujer y familia y ocupar cargo, y solo después, si se quiere ascender, basta ayunar, tomar otra onza y remontar.

«A recipe for making “black amber sesame” from Potable Gold is to combine Potable Gold with mercury and cook for thirty days. Remove, and fill a clay bowl with it. Seal with Six-One lute, place in a raging fire, and cook for sixty double-hours, by which time it all turns to elixir. Take a quantity of this the size of a gram and you will immediately become a genie.» — receta derivada del Oro Potable: cocido con mercurio treinta días, sellado con mortero Seis-Uno y puesto sesenta horas dobles al fuego vivo, todo se vuelve elixir.

«If daggers and swords are smeared with it, they will ward off all other weapons within ten thousand miles. If plates and bowls are made of vermilion gold and used for drinking and eating, they will produce Fullness of Life.» — usos del oro bermejo obtenido de esa receta: dagas y espadas untadas con él repelen cualquier arma a diez mil millas, y los platos hechos con él dan Plenitud de Vida a quien come en ellos.

«When taught this Chin i ching (Potable Gold Classic) one must throw an eight-ounce gold statuette of a man into an eastward-flowing stream. Only after taking an oath and drinking the blood of a sacrificial victim is one given the oral directions.» — el rito de recepción del Clásico del Oro Potable: arrojar a una corriente que fluya al este una estatuilla de oro de ocho onzas, jurar y beber la sangre de una víctima, y solo entonces recibir las instrucciones orales.

«The medicine you make may be given to ordinary people who have great faith in it, but the writings are under no circumstances to be transmitted lightly, for both parties would be sure to suffer harm from such a transaction. The gods of heaven keep far closer watch on human beings than people realize.» — Ko Hung repite la asimetría entre medicina y texto y le da un vigilante: la medicina puede darse al creyente común, los escritos no se transmiten a la ligera, y los dioses del cielo vigilan a los hombres más de cerca de lo que se cree.

«The Nine-crucible cinnabars are by far the best methods for making genie medicine, but the ingredients used in their preparation are extremely varied. When goods flow freely from all parts of the empire, they can all be bought in the markets (TT 884.1.207 or 10.668 enjoin us not to haggle!), but when the provinces are cut off from each other such things are unobtainable. Also, the fire must be kept going for several dozen days and nights, and one must watch over» — Ko Hung compara las dos vías por su costo práctico: los cinabrios de los nueve crisoles son los mejores métodos pero piden ingredientes variadísimos, que solo se consiguen en los mercados cuando las mercancías circulan por el imperio, y decenas de días y noches de fuego.

«When concocting Potable Gold, it is only the gold that is hard to obtain. A pound of gold by the old scales» — Ko Hung reduce la dificultad del Oro Potable a una sola: conseguir el oro; la frase de la libra por la balanza antigua sigue en el mismo renglón.

«The various ingredients employed in this recipe are relatively easy to obtain. Further there is no fire to tend. The mixture is merely placed in a solvent vinegar bath for a sufficient number of days to prepare it.» — Ko Hung resume la ventaja del Oro Potable: los demás ingredientes son fáciles de obtener y no hay fuego que atender, porque basta un baño de vinagre disolvente por los días necesarios.

«There are also methods for nibbling gold. These may be inferior to Potable Gold, but they are vastly superior to other medicines.» — Ko Hung ordena los métodos de mordisquear oro por debajo del Oro Potable y muy por encima de las demás medicinas.

«Since the preparation of Potable Gold and the Nine-crucible cinnabars requires money as well as exile on a famous mountain, very few can undertake it. Further, only one person in a million possesses these classics at any given time. Therefore, practically none of the writings on the 16a divine process expound gold and elixirs.» — Ko Hung explica la rareza de la literatura del elixir por dos escaseces: la obra pide dinero y destierro en una montaña famosa, y solo una persona entre un millón posee estos clásicos.

«The principal prohibition is that no profane unbelievers are to be given an opportunity to criticize or malign the work, for that would be sure to cause failure.» — Ko Hung enuncia la prohibición principal de la obra: que ningún incrédulo profano tenga ocasión de criticar o denigrar el trabajo.

«Lord Cheng, my teacher, said that the reason for this is that the prepara¬ tion of these important medicines always required concomi¬ tant religious ceremonies which would cause T’ai-i, Primal Lord, Lord Lao, and Heaven-fairy to come and supervise the preparation.» — voz de Cheng Yin, maestro de Ko Hung, con la razón de esa prohibición: la preparación de las medicinas importantes pide ceremonias que hacen venir a T'ai-i, al Señor Primordial, al Señor Lao y a la Hada del Cielo a supervisarla.

«One must go up a famous mountain, undergo rites of purification for a hundred days, eat none of the five pungent flavors (onion, garlic, leek, absinthe, mustard) nor fresh fish, and not associate with profane persons. Only then may one undertake to prepare the great medicine. Only when it is ready may the fasting and other measures for ritual purity be discontinued; performing them at the beginning is not enough.» — el régimen de pureza que la obra exige: subir a una montaña famosa, cien días de purificación, nada de los cinco sabores picantes ni de pescado fresco, ningún trato con profanos, y no interrumpir el ayuno hasta que la medicina esté lista.

«Lord Cheng said that Lord Tso had told him that Chin i shen tan could not be prepared on the little, ordinary moun¬ tains, these do not have their own gods to govern them. In such places one finds only tree and stone spirits, creatures a thousand years old, and vampires. All these are evil breaths, and are not intent upon good fortune for men.» — voz de Cheng Yin transmitiendo a Tso Tz'u: el Chin i shen tan no puede prepararse en montañas pequeñas y ordinarias, que no tienen dioses propios que las gobiernen, sino solo espíritus de árbol y piedra, criaturas milenarias y vampiros.

«Whenever doctors today are preparing some bene¬ ficial medicine or salve, they never want any fowl, dogs, children, or married women to watch them, for if their precincts are violated the preparations will prove ineffective. Further, dyers dislike having those with the evil eye observe them at work, for it makes them fail to secure the perfect color.» — Ko Hung justifica el aislamiento de la obra por analogía con dos oficios: los médicos no quieren que los miren aves, perros, niños ni mujeres casadas, y los tintoreros rehúyen el mal de ojo.

«If, however, it is impossible to go to these mountains, the larger islands along the coast, e.g., Tung-weng, Tan, or Chu-yii in Kuei-chi; Hsin-chu, T’ai-kuang, and Yu in Hsu are next best. The famous mountains in North China cannot now be reached, but the following famous mountains south of the Yangtze may be used: Huo in Chin-an, Ch’ang and T’ai-po in Tungyang, and Ssu-wang, larger and smaller T’ien-t’ai, Kai-chu, and Kua-ts’ang; all of these are in Kuei-chi.» — Ko Hung consigna la geografía política de su día dentro de la receta: las montañas famosas del norte de China ya no se pueden alcanzar, de modo que quedan las islas grandes de la costa y los montes al sur del Yangtsé; el impreso parte *Tung-yang* a fin de renglón y la extracción por programa lo une en *Tungyang*.

«Personally, I have the honor to be both the son and the grandson of high ministers of state. My talents may not have been sufficient for governing the state or managing affairs, but many, driven by love of man or industry, and surely not much wiser than I, have risen to the Milky Way with a flap of their wings, their radiance a sunrise lighting up the clouds. I have broken, therefore, all contact with my native village and quit the glories of our present world, because I felt obliged to go afar and ascend a famous mountain to finish my philosophical essays, and afterward to prepare the divine medicine with a view to enjoying Fullness of Life.» — Ko Hung explica su propia salida del mundo: hijo y nieto de altos ministros, rompió todo vínculo con su aldea natal para subir a una montaña famosa, terminar sus ensayos filosóficos y preparar después la medicina divina.

«Meanwhile, I write what is in my heart in order to in¬ form those of the future who may share my intention and preferences. My staunch, like-minded friends of the future will, I am sure, reject the same things that I have rejected.» — Ko Hung declara para quién escribe: los del futuro que compartan su intención y sus preferencias, y que rechazarán lo mismo que él rechazó.

«The Lesser Divine elixir (cf. 11.16010). Take three pounds of real cinnabar, six pounds of white honey, stir together, expose to the sun, and cook until it can be shaped into pills. Every morning take ten of these pills about the size of a hempseed. In less than a year, whitened hair will become black, lost teeth will regrow, and the skin of your whole body be moist and rejuvenated. Those who take it will not age, and old men will regain their youths, enjoy Fullness of Life, and become immortal.» — el elixir Divino Menor, muestra de las recetas simples del final del capítulo: tres libras de cinabrio real y seis de miel blanca, al sol y cocidas hasta poder hacer píldoras, diez cada mañana.

«Take for one thousand days, and the Governor of Fates will strike your name from the Book of Death; you will last as long as all nature, and the sun and moon will al¬ ways shine on you. You can change shape continuously. You will cast no shadow in the sun, for you will radiate your own light.» — el efecto último del elixir Menor a los mil días: el Gobernador de los Destinos borra el nombre del Libro de la Muerte, se dura tanto como la naturaleza entera, se cambia de forma sin cesar y no se proyecta sombra al sol porque se irradia luz propia; el volumen reimprime esta receta palabra por palabra en el capítulo 11, y se ancla en la primera aparición.

«If those who take these two substances can dwell in a cave on a famous mountain, they will levitate to become celestial genii within one year. If they take them while living among other men, they will become earth genii.» — la receta menor de mordisquear oro reparte los destinos por el lugar: quien la toma en una cueva de montaña famosa levita a genio celeste en un año, y quien la toma viviendo entre los hombres se hace genio de la tierra; el volumen reimprime esta receta palabra por palabra en el capítulo 11, y se ancla en la primera aparición.

«How can my intelligence be superior when, God (the Subtle and Marvelous) being hard to know, the vast majority of people are in doubt and confusion regarding God ? I happen to have a specialty — like the crane that knows when it is midnight and then trumpets (Mo Ti 19.1004) or the swallow that recognizes the days wu and chi1 and does no nest-build¬ ing on those days since they are equated with the agent earth (Shuo wen 528802) — but that is no guarantee that I know anything else. Among specialists, there are also some who know purely from the evidence that Fullness of Life is achievable, and that genii are not a special species.» — abre el capítulo quinto, The Ultimate System, con una modestia de método: Ko Hung dice tener una especialidad como la grulla que sabe cuándo es medianoche, sin que eso garantice que sepa nada más, y sitúa a los especialistas que saben por evidencia que los genios no son una especie aparte.

«pounding of genie-producing medicines: Mounts Hua, T’ai, Huo, Heng, Sung, Shao-shih, Ch’ang, T’ai-po, Chungnan, Nii-chi, Ti-fei, Wang-wu, Pao-tu, An-ch’iu, Ch’ien, Ch’ing-ch’eng, O-mei, Jui, Yiin-t’ai, Lo-fu, Yang-chia, Huang-chin, Pieh-tsu, the larger and the smaller T’ien-t’ai, Ssu-wang, Kai-chu, and Kua-ts’ung. These are all mountains which have gods of their own. Sometimes earth genii are to ija be found there too. Magic fungi and herbs grow here. They are good places in which to sit out war and catastrophe, not merely to prepare medicines.» — voz de los clásicos de los genios con el catálogo de montañas aptas para componer la medicina, todas con dioses propios, donde a veces hay genios de la tierra y crecen hongos y hierbas mágicas, y que sirven además para pasar la guerra y la catástrofe; la frase arranca en la plana anterior; el impreso parte *Chung-nan* a fin de renglón y la extracción por programa lo une en *Chungnan*.

«marvelousness of God, however, is not to be told ex¬ haustively through anything written, and nothing even approximating God can be expounded.» — el capítulo quinto acota de entrada lo que puede decirse: la maravillosidad de Dios no se cuenta por entero en nada escrito y ni siquiera cabe exponer algo que se le aproxime.

«What breathing human being, however, does not rejoice in life and fear death ? Glory and power seduce their minds; white faces and jade-like flesh bewilder their eyes; clear and liquid strains of music confuse their ears; love, hate, profits, and losses agitate their inner gods; reputations and citations bind their very bodies. These are all things that come naturally, unsummoned; they take form without any study on our own part.» — Ko Hung nombra las fuerzas que atan al hombre y las declara espontáneas: gloria y poder seducen la mente, la música confunde el oído, y amor, odio, ganancia y pérdida agitan a los dioses interiores, todo ello sin estudio alguno.

«It is through perfect freedom that the empiric comes into existence; form requires the inner gods in order to be. Then the empiric becomes the palace of perfect freedom, and bodies become the abodes of the inner gods.» — Ko Hung enuncia la relación entre lo vacío y lo empírico: por la libertad perfecta llega a existir lo empírico y la forma necesita a los dioses interiores para ser, de modo que el cuerpo es la morada de esos dioses.

«Therefore, to adopt a comparison with a dike, remember that when the dike crumbles, water is no longer retained. Take for com¬ parison a torch, and remember that once the torch has been destroyed, fire no longer dwells within it. Similarly, when a body is overworked, its inner gods are scattered; when the breaths are exhausted, life itself ends.» — Ko Hung da las dos imágenes que sostienen su fisiología: rota la presa el agua no se retiene y destruida la antorcha el fuego ya no habita en ella, y así el cuerpo excedido dispersa a sus dioses interiores.

«They repress the eye’s desire to see; banish the beauties that weaken vision. They plug the ear’s very thought of sound; put afar the music which only confuses hearing. They cleanse the dark mirror of the mind (T io), maintain a feminine approach, and embrace Unity (18.103).» — Ko Hung describe la disciplina sensorial del que nutre la vida: reprimir el deseo de ver, tapar el pensamiento mismo del sonido, limpiar el espejo oscuro de la mente, mantener un modo femenino y abrazar la Unidad.

«Listening in reverse, they hear most clearly; looking inward, they see free of blemishes.» — Ko Hung invierte la dirección de los sentidos: escuchando al revés se oye con más claridad y mirando hacia dentro se ve sin mácula.

«They chew and inhale breath to bathe their inner gods in Paradise. They disregard astrology (the five planets) and concentrate on preserving within themselves the nine gods.» — abre el pasaje en verso del capítulo quinto, que es la descripción más detallada de la práctica interior del libro: mascar e inhalar aliento para bañar a los dioses interiores, dejar de lado la astrología de los cinco planetas y concentrarse en preservar dentro a los nueve dioses.

«They affix a lock to the sperm in the lower abdomen (Gateway of Life); keep their eyes on the pole of the universe. Drawing the light of sun, moon, and dipper to within their foreheads (Hall of Enlightenment), they enter trances in order to confine their bodies.» — sigue el pasaje en verso con la operación sobre la simiente y la luz: echar llave al esperma en el bajo vientre, que el impreso llama Puerta de la Vida, y atraer la luz del sol, la luna y el Carro al interior de la frente, que llama Sala de la Iluminación.

«They maintain immutable the transparency natural to the centers within their heads, chests, and abdomens, and conduct their saliva to the lungs, heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys.» — sigue el verso con los tres centros y el recorrido de la saliva: mantener inmutable la transparencia natural de cabeza, pecho y vientre, y conducir la saliva a pulmones, corazón, bazo, hígado y riñones.

«As they tend the fire below the bubbling crucible, multicolored birds are inspired to look up toward them and chirp (Chen kao 8.iid8). When they pluck the best products from the brew, a unicorn sounds its note.» — el verso nombra un crisol dentro de la práctica interior: atendido el fuego bajo el crisol que borbotea, las aves multicolores alzan la vista y trinan, y al recoger lo mejor del caldo suena la nota del unicornio.

«Then, cherishing both sun and moon in their hearts, they conceal the gathered light within their own heads.» — el verso cierra el movimiento de la luz: guardado el sol y la luna en el corazón, la luz reunida se oculta dentro de la propia cabeza.

«Their inner spirits under firm control, their bones become filled, but their whole frames remain light.» — el verso cierra con el resultado corporal: dominados los espíritus interiores, los huesos se llenan y el cuerpo entero queda ligero.

«Those frightened by such teachings are not believers; believers do nothing about them or, if they do, they do not persist to the end. Those who are successful are very rare and conceal themselves; those we see about us everywhere are the many who failed.» — Ko Hung explica el sesgo de lo observable: los que triunfan son rarísimos y se ocultan, y los que se ven por todas partes son los muchos que fracasaron.

«It is only the latter that the world sees, not the former; hence the false conclusion: There is no divine process in the world leading to geniehood.» — Ko Hung nombra la conclusión falsa que ese sesgo produce: que no hay en el mundo proceso divino que lleve a la condición de genio.

«The sword Lung-ch’uan was always sharp because it had never cut anything; ordinary axes are quickly dulled by daily use.» — abre la serie de analogías del capítulo quinto sobre lo que se conserva por no gastarse: la espada Lung-ch'uan siempre afilada por no haber cortado nada, frente al hacha común que el uso diario mella pronto.

«Muddied earth quickly loses its shape, but when fashioned into tiles it can last as long as all nature. Oak decays easily, but when it has been roasted into charcoal it will last for thousands upon thousands of years.» — sigue la serie con dos casos de materia transformada que dura: el barro que hecho teja dura tanto como la naturaleza entera, y el roble que hecho carbón dura miles y miles de años.

«All things are one in origin, but varying qualities bring them differing functions.» — Ko Hung cierra la serie con su principio: todas las cosas son una en su origen y las cualidades distintas les dan funciones distintas.

«The minor elixirs for recalling a man’s ethereal breaths, the pills for countering the three Messenger-corpses, and lesser medicines made from the Five Brilliances and the Eight Minerals (2.6b) will sometimes melt hard ice instantly or keep one afloat in water. They can intercept ghosts and gods, lay tigers and leopards, and disperse accumulations in the digestive system and our organs. They dislodge the two lackeys of illness from the heart region and the diaphragm (Tso, Ch’eng 10.5); they raise those who have just died; return frightened ethereal breaths to the body they had quit. All these are common, everyday medicines.» — Ko Hung enumera lo que los elixires menores ya hacen: fundir el hielo duro al instante, mantener a flote, interceptar fantasmas y dioses, sujetar tigres y leopardos, desalojar del corazón y el diafragma a los dos lacayos de la enfermedad y levantar a los recién muertos.

«And, if they can still restore the dead to life, why should the superior medi¬ cines not be able to make the living immortal ?» — Ko Hung remata con su argumento a fortiori: si las medicinas comunes devuelven la vida a los muertos, por qué no habrían las superiores de hacer inmortales a los vivos.

«These same writings add that a certain Wu P’u received of Hua T’o “The Sport of Five Animals” [tiger, deer, bear, monkey, and birds] to replace calisthenics, and still lived for more than a hundred years.» — Ko Hung consigna el Juego de los Cinco Animales que Wu P'u recibió de Hua T'o en lugar de la calistenia, con el que vivió más de cien años.

«Man’s death ensues from losses, old age, illnesses, poisons, miasmas, and chills. Today, men do calisthenics and breath- 4a ing exercises, revert their sperm to repair the brain, follow dietary rules, regulate their activity and rest, take medicines, give thought to their inner gods to maintain their own in¬ tegrity, undergo prohibitions, wear amulets and seals from their belts, and keep at a distance all who might harm their lives.» — Ko Hung enumera las seis causas de la muerte y, frente a ellas, los remedios: calistenia y respiración, revertir el esperma para reparar el cerebro, reglas de dieta, medicinas, atención a los dioses interiores, prohibiciones, amuletos y sellos al cinto.

«In matters of life and death, the crowd prefers to ask for good luck, divide the stalks of milfoil, or inquire about demons. Un¬ willing to believe in treatment by excellent physicians, they turn to the mumbo jumbo of shamans.» — Ko Hung consigna la conducta que censura en la mayoría: ante la vida y la muerte piden buena suerte, parten los tallos de milenrama o preguntan por demonios, y desconfiando de los buenos médicos acuden a los chamanes.

«In old times, Chang Liang, the Marquis of Liu, was a deviser of extraordinary schemes. None of his contempo¬ raries could equal him in sagacity. There was nothing shallow about him, and yet he affirmed that immortality could be achieved.» — Ko Hung presenta su testigo de más autoridad política: Chang Liang, marqués de Liu, a quien nadie igualaba en sagacidad, sostuvo que la inmortalidad podía lograrse.

«K’ung An-kuo’s Pi chi reads, “Chang Liang secured Huang-shih kung’s recipe for immortality (for his writing was not restricted to military strategy) . . . He originally had the Four Graybeards for his teachers, that is Master Lu-li, Youngest Brother Ch’i-li, and the others, all of whom were genii. From them he got divine prescriptions, and although he was forced by Empress Lii to eat and drink he later resumed the practice of the divine process leading to geniehood and secretly did attain im¬ mortality. The people of his day, ignorant of this, merely said that he had died.”» — voz del Pi chi de K'ung An-kuo citada por Ko Hung: Chang Liang consiguió la receta de inmortalidad de Huang-shih kung, tuvo por maestros a los Cuatro Canosos, y aunque la emperatriz Lü lo obligó a comer, retomó después el proceso y alcanzó en secreto la inmortalidad.

«A prime minister under the Han, Chang Ts’ang, happen¬ ing to learn a minor recipe, lived to 180 by sucking his wives’ milk. This may be the lowest form of the divine pro¬ cess, but Chang Ts’ang attained three times the average life span by following it.» — Ko Hung consigna un caso en el peldaño más bajo de la escala: Chang Ts'ang vivió ciento ochenta años mamando la leche de sus esposas, lo que llama la forma más baja del proceso divino y con todo triplica la vida media.

«The taking of medicines may be the first requirement for enjoying Fullness of Life, but the concomitant practice of breath circulation greatly enhances speedy attainment of the goal. Even if medicines are not attainable and only breath circulation is practiced, a few hundred years will be attained provided the scheme is carried out fully, but one must also know the art of sexual intercourse to achieve such extra years. If ignorance of the sexual art causes frequent losses of sperm to occur, it will be difficult to have sufficient energy to circulate the breaths.» — Ko Hung ordena las tres prácticas y las hace depender entre sí: la medicina es el primer requisito, la circulación del aliento acelera el logro y sin el arte sexual las pérdidas de esperma dejan sin energía para circular los alientos.

«Man exists in the midst of breath, and breath is within man himself. From heaven and earth on to all creation there is nothing that does not require breath to stay alive. The man who knows how to circulate his breath maintains his own person and also banishes evils that would attack him. The crowd, however, makes daily use of breath without under¬ standing these things.» — Ko Hung enuncia la doctrina del aliento: el hombre está en medio del aliento y el aliento está dentro del hombre, nada vive sin él, y la mayoría lo usa a diario sin entender esto.

«Among the people of Wu-Yueh there is current a method for casting spells that is very effective; it consists merely of rendering breath more abundant A He who employs it can go even where there is plague and sleep with the sick without becoming infected. His companions, to the number of several dozen, can also be rendered im¬ mune. This is an example of the effectiveness of breath against natural disasters.» — Ko Hung consigna un método de conjuro corriente entre la gente de Wu-Yueh que consiste solo en hacer más abundante el aliento: quien lo usa puede dormir con los enfermos en una plaga sin contagiarse, y volver inmunes a varias docenas de compañeros.

«Bleeding from knife wounds can be stopped by breath; it can be made to halt the moment it appears. Such charms can also repair bones and sinews, and can be used against bare blades so that one can walk on them unscathed or remain unpierced when they are jabbed at us. If bitten by a snake or viper, one can be cured immediately by using a breath charm.» — Ko Hung enumera los usos médicos y marciales del conjuro por aliento: detener la sangre de una herida, reparar huesos y tendones, caminar sobre filos desnudos sin daño y curar la mordedura de serpiente.

«I have heard that spells can be put on the edges of weapons and on the poisons of insects. However, 6b no spells can be placed on things without an edge or without poisons. They can place a spell on our weapons, but they certainly cannot put a spell on things without an edge.”» — voz del general Ho, que razona el límite del conjuro: se puede hechizar el filo de un arma y el veneno de un insecto, pero no lo que no tiene filo ni veneno.

«Then he prepared many bare staves of strong wood and, selecting five thousand exceptionally strong and excellent soldiers as a vanguard, armed them with the staves alone. Since, confident in their exorcists, the bandits had taken no defensive measures whatever, the government troops at¬ tacked them with the bare staves and inflicted a severe defeat, for the exorcists could no longer operate, and some thousands were slain.» — Ko Hung cierra el caso: el general armó a cinco mil soldados solo con varas desnudas de madera fuerte y los bandidos, confiados en sus exorcistas, no tomaron ninguna medida defensiva.

«Chung-chang T’ung was a man of great capacity. He composed the CWang yen in 24 chapters, in which he dis¬ cusses the possibility of dispelling hunger and illness by circu¬ lating breath. In his words, “At first I did not believe this, but once I had practiced it I found it to be true.» — voz de Chung-chang T'ung citada por Ko Hung de su Ch'ang yen: no creía que la circulación del aliento pudiera disipar hambre y enfermedad hasta que la practicó y la halló verdadera.

«Extremely simple though the recipe for nurturing one’s very life is, yet I had not been able to pursue it. Is this not because my heart and mind were turned toward wordly matters and I was keenly intent upon the normal human pursuits?» — sigue Chung-chang T'ung con su propio diagnóstico: la receta para nutrir la vida es sencillísima y aun así no pudo seguirla, porque su corazón y su mente estaban vueltos a los asuntos del mundo.

«If, however, that master’s possession of a prescription for immortality was in any way similar to the rule for circulating breath which I have learned, his death is not a definite indication that he did not know a divine process. It only means that he was unable to quit worldly affairs in order to carry it out. Even though he may have known the divine process, it was of no benefit to him. But this does not mean that he had no method.» — Chung-chang T'ung objeta la inferencia corriente: que un maestro haya muerto no indica que no conociera un proceso divino, solo que no pudo dejar los asuntos mundanos para llevarlo a cabo.

«At Mi in Ho-nan there lived a certain Shang-ch’eng who had studied a divine process for a long time and finally took leave of his family. His first steps were only slightly elevated, but then he rose into the clouds and was never seen again. This is what is known as lifting one’s own body, becoming light and buoyant, and rising to heaven in broad daylight. He was a genie of the highest type.» — Chung-chang T'ung cuenta su caso presencial: Shang-ch'eng se despidió de su familia, sus primeros pasos apenas se elevaron y luego subió a las nubes para no ser visto más.

«times they can be seen going to and fro, while at other times only their noise or voices are heard. When, however, exorcizers use breath against them, all their activity ceases (8.30). This shows that breath can be used against ghosts and gods.» — Ko Hung extiende el uso del aliento a la defensa contra demonios y espíritus de montaña: a veces se los ve ir y venir y a veces solo se los oye, y cuando los exorcistas usan el aliento contra ellos toda su actividad cesa.

«Not too long ago, people such as Tso Tz’u and Chao Ping charmed streams by means of breath, so that the water receded as much as ten or twenty feet. Further, they lighted a fire on a thatched hut to cook their food, but the hut did not burn. They drove a spike into a post for seven or eight inches, then, when they blew upon it with their breath, the nail darted out.» — Ko Hung lista lo que dice haber hecho con el aliento gente cercana en el tiempo: hacer retroceder un arroyo diez o veinte pies, cocinar sobre una choza de paja sin que ardiera, y sacar de un poste soplando un clavo hundido siete u ocho pulgadas.

«Anciently, the state of Wu sent General Ho Ch’i to punish bandits who were infesting the mountains. Among these bandits there was an exorcizer who saw to it that when the» — Ko Hung narra el caso militar del exorcista entre los bandidos de la montaña; lo que este lograba se cuenta en la plana siguiente.

«battle was about to be joined the swords of the government troops could not be drawn, and the arrows which they shot returned to their source and were ineffective.» — sigue en la plana siguiente lo que el exorcista lograba: que no se pudieran desenvainar las espadas de las tropas del gobierno y que las flechas volvieran a su origen sin efecto.

«So long as vision can be applied, though it be on dark and obscure places or on tiny and barren things, it is felt that it is not difficult to see. However, in the case of things which are unattainable, though it be the brilliance of sun and moon and magnificent heaven, or the heights of Mounts Sung, T’ai, Kan or Yiin, people still find it impossible to ex¬ amine them!» — Ko Hung mide el alcance de la vista con dos extremos: lo oscuro y diminuto se ve sin dificultad mientras quepa mirarlo, y lo inalcanzable, aunque sea el brillo del sol y la luna, resulta imposible de examinar.

«They charmed boiling water with breath and threw some one hundred coins into it; then they had someone pull them out with his bare hands without scalding them.» — sigue la lista de conjuros por aliento: cien monedas echadas al agua hirviente y sacadas con la mano desnuda sin escaldarse.

«been revealed in secret texts from the famous mountains or in genii classics handed down by the gods. Removed from the impediments and dust of our human world, these texts contain no shackles; mounting the greatest heights, they carry us to the empyrean itself (The reading of such texts brings nothing but elation.) Metal and stone cannot equal ib them in hardness; they enjoy longer lives than do turtles and cranes.» — Ko Hung dice de dónde viene el saber de los Santos de Dios: textos secretos de las montañas famosas y clásicos de los genios transmitidos por los dioses, más duros que el metal y la piedra y de vida más larga que la de tortugas y grullas.

«They know how to cherish life, but they are ignorant of the divine process that nurtures it. They know enough to fear death, but they will not believe that there are methods that can produce immortality. They know the many ill¬ nesses that result from excesses of eating and drinking, but they are unable to moderate the fats and sweets entering their mouths. They know that overwork and covetousness pro¬ duce desiccation, but they are ignorant of methods to curb their desires.» — Ko Hung ordena en cuatro pares la incoherencia que atribuye a la mayoría: saben querer la vida e ignoran el proceso que la nutre, temen la muerte y no creen en métodos de inmortalidad, conocen los males del exceso y no moderan la boca.

«Your clothes are not sufficient to cover your hide, and your general resources are not enough to last from one day to the next, yet you talk mightily of arts that only a 2a millionaire like Fan Li could practice; you associate yourself with schemes appropriate to a wealthy man like I-tun. It is only logical that you bring criticism upon yourself. You are sickly, yet claim to have the essence of the arts of Doctors Ho and Ch’in Yiieh-jen. You have frequently run away, but claim to understand thoroughly the calculations of the strategists Sun Wu and Wu Ch’i. If people do not believe you, it is because you do not show any effects of your own claims.» — el Interlocutor remata el ataque personal: con ropa que no le cubre y sin recursos para el día siguiente, habla de artes que solo un millonario podría practicar, y si no se le cree es porque no muestra efecto alguno de lo que afirma.

«Ko: Floating in its well, the tiny grub declares there is no such expanse in the world as the four seas; twisting within a kernel, the worm believes that the six extremities of the uni¬ verse are restricted to his one fruit. If you were to tell these insects about the boundlessness of great expanses of water or the vastness of the universe, they would find your words meaningless and utterly incredible.» — Ko Hung responde con la larva del pozo y el gusano del hueso, para quienes el mundo se acaba en su recinto y a quienes hablar de mares o del universo les resultaría increíble.

«People of the world have faith only in their own opinions and rely upon their own shortsighted views. They claim that nothing differs from what they personally have experi¬ enced. They accept all the everyday things, but are amazed at the unusual ones. They prick their ears and point fingers at everything they do not understand. This attitude has been around for a long time; there is nothing new about it.» — Ko Hung cierra el tramo con el diagnóstico que repite a lo largo del libro: se cree solo en la propia opinión, se acepta lo cotidiano y se pasma uno ante lo insólito.

«Another person: Having frequently listened to what you had to say, I cannot doubt the existence of genii. Never¬ theless, I personally feel that I simply could never become one. Are there any other significant divine processes that could be pursued more simply ?» — entra otro interlocutor, que concede la existencia de los genios y pregunta por procesos divinos más simples, porque él siente que nunca podría llegar a serlo.

«Ko: Any pursuit of the divine process begins in the shal¬ lows before attaining the depths; facility is acquired only after difficulties. If your will is firmly formed, you can reach any shore; if you are hesitant, nothing is achieved.» — Ko Hung ordena la vía por grados: empieza en lo somero antes de alcanzar lo hondo y la facilidad llega tras las dificultades; con la voluntad firme se llega a cualquier orilla y con vacilación no se logra nada.

«Therefore, unless effective secret action is accumulated ahead of time there can be no in¬ fluencing of the gods; without a meeting of sincere hearts and minds there can be no winning of a teacher’s friendship. Unless there is hard preparatory work there can be no question of the Grand Attempt.» — Ko Hung pone tres condiciones previas: sin acción secreta eficaz acumulada de antemano no se influye en los dioses, sin encuentro de corazones sinceros no se gana la amistad de un maestro, y sin trabajo preparatorio duro no hay Gran Intento.

«The Nine-crucible cinnabars and the Potable Gold are by far the chief of the divine pro¬ cesses leading to geniehood, but they are so elaborate and the expense is so heavy it has not been possible to carry them through to the end. There is the greatest urgency that sperm be valued and breath preserved.» — Ko Hung admite el límite práctico de lo que él mismo pone más alto: los cinabrios de los nueve crisoles y el Oro Potable son los procesos principales pero tan complejos y caros que no ha podido llevarlos a término, y por eso urge valorar el esperma y preservar el aliento.

«Ko: Before acquiring those of the highest importance a man has no choice but to become widely acquainted with the lesser ones (TT 884.5.la—)• It might be said that one must rely upon the whole mass of recipes jointly to produce Fullness of Life.» — Ko Hung enuncia la regla de amplitud del capítulo: antes de conseguir los procesos de más importancia hay que conocer ampliamente los menores, y es la masa entera de recetas la que produce en conjunto la Plenitud de Vida.

«Or to compare it with some lesser undertaking — it is like the Cartwright’s work, where neither the shafts nor the rims nor the axles nor the hub-locks may be missing.» — Ko Hung compara la práctica con el trabajo del carretero, donde no pueden faltar ni las varas ni las llantas ni los ejes ni los pasadores del cubo.

«The recipes we follow stimulate the gods within our bodies so that a prolongation of life may be acquired more quickly, and externally they exorcize evils so that no misfortunes interfere.» — Ko Hung declara la doble función de las recetas: por dentro estimulan a los dioses del cuerpo para acelerar la prolongación de la vida, y por fuera exorcizan males para que no interfieran las desgracias.

«In everything pertaining to the nurturing of life one must learn much and make the essentials one’s own; look widely and know how to select. There can be no reliance upon one particular specialty, for there is always the danger that bread¬ winners will emphasize their personal specialties.» — Ko Hung fija el método de estudio y su riesgo: aprender mucho y apropiarse lo esencial, mirar ancho y saber elegir, sin fiarse de una especialidad porque quien vive de ella la sobrevalora.

«That is why those who know recipes for sexual intercourse say that only these recipes can lead to geniehood. Those who know breathing procedures claim that only circulation of the breaths can prolong our years. Those knowing methods for bending and stretching say that only calisthenics can exorcize old age. Those knowing herbal prescriptions say that only through the nibbling of medicines can one be free from exhaustion.» — Ko Hung enumera a los cuatro especialistas y su pretensión: los del arte sexual, los de la respiración, los de la calistenia y los de las hierbas dicen cada uno que solo su recurso lleva a la meta.

«Selection of the right teacher is more important than hard study. If the teacher is not widely schooled, he will not teach his subject exhaustively» — Ko Hung pone al maestro por encima del esfuerzo: elegir al maestro adecuado importa más que estudiar duro, porque el que no tiene amplia escuela no enseña su materia a fondo.

«They placed charmed water outside in a courtyard and it did not freeze, even though the weather turned very cold. They could cast a spell on the cooking of a whole district so that nothing got done. They charmed dogs, pre¬ venting them from barking.» — cierra la lista de conjuros por aliento: agua conjurada que no se congela aunque el tiempo enfríe mucho, la cocina de un distrito entero paralizada y los perros impedidos de ladrar.

«Interlocutor: Your own person bears none of the linea¬ ments of superiority, nor do strange hairs cover your frame. You have not reached the age of either An-ch’i or Old P’eng. Your eyes have never set upon a god or genie, nor have your ears enjoyed a unique hearing of strange tales. How do you know that Fullness of Life is achievable or that there is any evidence of life being nurtured ?» — el Interlocutor ataca por la persona y no por la doctrina: Ko Hung no tiene rasgos de superioridad ni pelos extraños, no ha llegado a la edad de An-ch'i ni de Old P'eng, y nunca ha visto un dios ni un genio ni oído un relato extraño.

«under your eyes and standing at your very side, you would never suspect it even if you consulted the lots. But once his course was completed, he would do his walking in the blue yonder and sojourn on Purple Summit. Then, unless you were attuned to such things, you would neither see nor hear him. You must be an earless fellow!» — Ko Hung devuelve el argumento de la falta de testigos: habría un genio en la propia casa, al lado, y el Interlocutor no lo sospecharía ni consultando la suerte; cumplido su curso, caminaría por el azul y quien no esté sintonizado no lo vería ni lo oiría.

«to such specializations. People with shallow experience who happen to know one particular thing well will immediately declare it a panacea.» — Ko Hung nombra la causa que atribuye a los fracasos en el estudio del proceso divino, y que la plana anterior enuncia: las especializaciones, porque quien conoce bien una sola cosa la declara de inmediato panacea.

«Ko: Taboos are most urgent for avoiding harm and losses. Inner Commands of the Book of Changes, Ch'ih-sung tzu s Classic, and The Life-dealing Amulets of the Ho-fu-chi are unanimous in saying that the gods of heaven and earth who are in charge of misdeeds make deductions from people’s three-day reckonings (3.8 b) according to the degree of their wrongdoing. As these reckonings decrease, a man becomes poorer and falls ill; frequently he suffers anxiety. When no more are left, he dies. Since there are hundreds of things that may give rise to deductions, I cannot give a complete account.» — Ko Hung expone la contabilidad de los tabúes con tres clásicos de acuerdo: los dioses encargados de las faltas descuentan de los cómputos de tres días según la gravedad, y a medida que menguan el hombre empobrece, enferma y al fin muere.

«It is also said that there are Three Corpses in our bodies, which, though not corporeal, actually are of a type with our inner, ethereal breaths, the powers, the ghosts, and the gods. They want us to die prematurely.» — Ko Hung consigna a los Tres Cadáveres: no son corpóreos pero son del tipo de los alientos etéreos interiores, de los poderes, los fantasmas y los dioses, y quieren que muramos antes de tiempo.

«Therefore, every fifty-seventh day of the sixty-day cycle they mount to heaven and person¬ ally report our misdeeds to the Director of Fates. Further, during the night of the last day of the month (601) the hearth god also ascends to heaven and makes an oral report of a man’s wrongs. For the more important misdeeds a whole period of three hundred days is deducted. For the minor ones they deduct one reckoning, a reckoning being» — Ko Hung da el calendario de la denuncia: cada quincuagésimo séptimo día del ciclo de sesenta los Tres Cadáveres suben al cielo a reportar nuestras faltas al Director de los Destinos, y la última noche del mes lo hace también el dios del hogar.

«Personally, I have not yet been able to determine whether this is really so or not, but that is because the ways of heaven are obscure, and ghosts and gods are hard to understand.» — Ko Hung se abstiene expresamente sobre lo que acaba de transmitir: no ha podido determinar si es realmente así, porque los caminos del cielo son oscuros y fantasmas y dioses, difíciles de entender.

«We know that there are spirits in mountains, rivers, plants, trees, wells, hearths, water holes, and also pools. Even within the bodies of us human beings there are gods.» — Ko Hung enumera dónde hay espíritus: montañas, ríos, plantas, árboles, pozos, hogares, aguadas y albercas, y también dentro de los cuerpos humanos.

«Therefore, since heaven and earth are the biggest things in creation, it is logical that they should also have spirits. And if they do have gods, it is also logical that they reward good and punish evil. Yet, given their physical size and the looseness of their organi¬ zation, they simply must not be expected to respond mech¬ anically.» — Ko Hung razona por tamaño y acota el resultado: si cielo y tierra son lo más grande de la creación es lógico que tengan espíritus que premien y castiguen, pero por su tamaño y la holgura de su organización no cabe esperar que respondan mecánicamente.

«When there is only evil intention but no overt act, only one reckoning is deducted, but if another suffers as the result of your wrongdoing, a whole period is deducted. In all cases where suicide is com¬ mitted before the allotment is exhausted, misfortune will befall the sons and grandsons.» — Ko Hung gradúa la pena por el daño y no por la voluntad: la intención sin acto descuenta un cómputo y el acto que hace sufrir a otro un periodo entero, y el suicidio antes de agotar la porción hace caer la desgracia sobre hijos y nietos.

«Therefore, the Taoists say that whenever a person has been wrongfully slain, there will follow mutual slayings with weapons; wealth acquired through improper acts will create resentments. It is like satisfying hunger with putrid corned meats or slaking thirst with poisoned wine; death ensues despite your momentary satiation.» — voz de los taoístas citada por Ko Hung: la muerte injusta trae matanzas mutuas y la riqueza mal habida engendra resentimientos, como saciar el hambre con carne podrida o la sed con vino envenenado.

«If one violates none of the prohibitions, one’s years are sure to be protracted, one’s longevity increased, and one’s study of the divine process quickly concluded. Heaven is high, but its hearing reaches low, and every creature is under its observation.» — Ko Hung enuncia la promesa que cierra el capítulo de los tabúes: sin violar ninguna prohibición los años se alargan y el estudio del proceso divino concluye pronto, porque el cielo es alto pero su oído llega abajo.

«However, goodness being difficult and evil easy, the unthinking among us hold that heaven and earth cannot distinguish good from evil because of the misfortunes suffered by such persons as Hsiang T’o1 and Jan Keng.» — Ko Hung consigna la objeción que la desgracia de los justos plantea a su contabilidad: los irreflexivos concluyen que cielo y tierra no distinguen el bien del mal.

«They do not realize that one with a good reputation is not neces¬ sarily deserving of it internally; that the man praiseworthy for one thing need not be absolved of guilt for the very opposite.» — Ko Hung contesta esa objeción sin resolver los casos: la buena fama no prueba mérito interior, y quien merece elogio por una cosa no queda absuelto de culpa por la contraria.

«Ko: Always gather Six-kuei superior earth on a friendly day, and after mixing it with a hundred leaves of fragrant plants paint a square foot of your door with it. No bandits will then come.» — muestra de las recetas defensivas del capítulo, en respuesta a la pregunta por los bandidos: tierra Seis-kuei recogida en día propicio y mezclada con cien hojas de plantas fragantes, con que se pinta un pie cuadrado de la puerta.

«In an emergency, place yourself in a nucleus (life-site) ; then there will be nothing to fear. There is a nucleus to the world, a province, a prefecture, a subprefecture, a town, a neighborhood, a house, and even a room.» — Ko Hung enuncia la doctrina del núcleo o sitio de vida: lo hay en el mundo, en una provincia, una prefectura, una subprefectura, un pueblo, un barrio, una casa y hasta un cuarto.

«Interlocutor: I have been taught that when carrying out the divine process in search of life one should know the two mountains, but I have never been clear as to where they are yb located. I should like you to enlighten me and allay my doubts.» — el Interlocutor pregunta por las dos montañas que quien busca la vida debe conocer, sin haber sabido nunca dónde están.

«Ko: They exist, but they are neither Mount Hua and Mount Huo, nor Mount Sung and Mount Tai.» — Ko Hung afirma que las dos montañas existen y niega que sean ninguna de las montañas famosas.

«T*ai-yuan s mountain, hard to know but easy to seek. It is neither in heaven nor on earth; it is not sunk under water, nor does it float.» — abre el poema de la primera montaña, que no está en ningún lugar del mundo: ni en el cielo ni en la tierra, ni hundida bajo el agua ni flotando.

«There is an administrative force of one hundred twenty, well coordinated. Since it is situated on a line with east and west, there are black growths by the thousands. Particularly, the peach grows there, all the fruit exceptional. There are rocks of gold and jade, and springs of new wine flowing» — sigue el poema: una fuerza administrativa de ciento veinte bien coordinada, millares de brotes negros por estar situada en línea con el este y el oeste, el durazno, y rocas de oro y jade.

«Accordingly, when we examine the moral injunctions of the various teachings, we find all of them agreeing that those desiring Fullness of Life must strive to accumulate goodness, win merit, be kind and affectionate to others, practice the Golden Rule, love even the creeping things, rejoice in the good fortune of others and commiserate with their suffer¬ ings, help those in distress, aid the poor,» — Ko Hung reúne lo que todas las enseñanzas coinciden en pedir a quien quiere la Plenitud de Vida: acumular bondad, ganar mérito, ser bondadoso con los demás, practicar la Regla de Oro, amar hasta lo que repta y alegrarse de la fortuna ajena.

«harm no living thing, utter no curses, look upon the successes and failures of others as their own, not be proud, not vaunt themselves, not envy their betters, and conceal no evil intentions with flattery. In this way they become men of exalted character and receive good fortune from heaven. Their undertakings are sure to be successful, and they can seek geniehood with hope of success.» — sigue la lista moral: no dañar a ser vivo, no maldecir, tener por propios los éxitos y fracasos ajenos, no envanecerse, no envidiar al superior y no ocultar mala intención con halagos.

«These are the rules governing atonement for wrongdoings of the past: if there have been wrongful slayings on your part, thought must be given to rescuing those deserving death in order to absolve one’s own fault; if the property of others has been wrongfully seized, thought must be given to donations for the poor and needy; if others have been inculpated in your wrongs, thought must be given to recommending those of high caliber for office. All these propitiatory actions being diametric opposites of the wrongs» — Ko Hung da la regla de expiación por oposición exacta: quien mató injustamente piense en salvar a los condenados, quien tomó lo ajeno en donar a los pobres, y quien inculpó a otros en recomendar a los capaces para el cargo.

«It is exceedingly steep and long-lasting; rocky and rough-pathed. Pleasant and wholesome; our inner gods and thoughts like it there.» — sigue el poema de la montaña de T'ai-yuan con los rasgos que la delatan como cuerpo: escarpada y duradera, rocosa y de senderos ásperos, grata y sana, y del gusto de los dioses interiores y del pensamiento.

«If you can find it, you will join the company of Wang Ch’iao and Ch’ih-sung tzu. This is one of them.» — cierra el poema de la primera montaña con su promesa: quien la halle se juntará con Wang Ch'iao y Ch'ih-sung tzu.

«CWang-ku s mountain, filled with fragrances and looming ever larger and larger. The breath of God blows in breeze after breeze there; exudates of jade continuously fall in flakes. Golden pools and crimson rooms in its crevices. Any ignorant person accidentally straying there will surely die. The officer in possession of the divine process who climbs it will not weaken. Having gathered and taken knotgrass (n.2ai), he acquires ability to fly heavenward.» — poema de la segunda montaña: fragancias que crecen, el aliento de Dios soplando en brisas, exudados de jade que caen en copos, albercas doradas y cuartos carmesí en sus grietas, muerte segura para el ignorante que se extravíe ahí y vuelo para el oficial que posee el proceso divino.

«This is the second of them. Give careful thought to them, for they are the places which the Ancients of high caliber kept secret.» — Ko Hung cierra el pasaje de las dos montañas encargando que se piensen con cuidado, porque son los lugares que los Antiguos de alto calibre guardaron en secreto.

«Interlocutor: I should like to learn the recipe of God’s Men for protecting one’s person and refining one’s well-being. Ko: Your question probes to the very depths. Here are the oral directions I received from my late teacher:» — el Interlocutor pide la receta de los Hombres de Dios para proteger la persona y refinar el bienestar, y Ko Hung introduce las instrucciones orales que recibió de su difunto maestro.

«At the foot of Shih-ch’ing (Beginnings-Azure) are the moon and sun. Like two halves, they mount jointly to become one. An emission from the Jade Pool (mouth) enters the Golden Room (lungs) [cf. 8.267]. Large as an arbalest’s pellet, yellow as an orange; Within it has an excellent taste, sweet as honey.» — abre el poema de las instrucciones orales, con los glosados entre paréntesis que pone el traductor: luna y sol al pie de Shih-ch'ing se juntan como dos mitades, y una emisión de la Alberca de Jade entra en el Cuarto de Oro.

«The pure, white breath becomes thoroughly sublimated. Proceeding to the Somber Gateway (kidneys), it bends and twists thrice. The Cinnabar Field of the center portion of the body sparkles as never before. When the emission comes to a halt at the Gateway to Life (belly), the physique will not perish. Profound is this marvel, and hard to call in question.» — sigue el poema de las instrucciones orales con el recorrido interno: el aliento blanco y puro se sublima del todo, tuerce tres veces al llegar a la Puerta Sombría, hace destellar el Campo de Cinabrio del centro del cuerpo y detiene la emisión en la Puerta de la Vida.

«Interlocutor: I have been taught that he who can fully carry out the correct sexual procedures can travel alone and sum¬ mon gods and genii. Further, he can shift disaster from him¬ self and absolve his misdeeds; turn misfortune into good; rise high if in office; double his profits if in business. Is it true ?» — el Interlocutor recita la lista de poderes que se atribuyen a los procedimientos sexuales correctos: viajar solo, convocar dioses y genios, apartar el desastre, absolver las faltas, subir en el cargo y duplicar las ganancias.

«Ko: This is all deceptive, exaggerated talk found in the writings of mediums and shamans; it derives from the en¬ largements and colorings of dilettantes. It utterly belies the facts.» — Ko Hung rechaza esa lista y le pone origen: charla engañosa y exagerada de los escritos de médiums y chamanes, agrandada y coloreada por diletantes.

«The best of the sexual recipes can cure the lesser illnesses, and those of a lower quality can prevent us from becoming empty; but that is all. There are very natural limits to what such recipes can accomplish. How could they ever be ex¬ pected to confer the ability to summon gods and genii and to dispel misfortune or bring good ?» — Ko Hung fija el alcance real que concede a las recetas sexuales: las mejores curan enfermedades menores y las peores evitan el vaciamiento, y ahí acaba su poder.

«It is inadmissible that man should sit and bring illness and anxieties upon himself by not engaging in sexual intercourse. But then again, if he wishes to indulge his lusts and cannot moderate his dispersals, he hacks away at his very life.» — Ko Hung marca los dos extremos que rechaza: ni abstenerse hasta enfermarse de ansiedad ni dar rienda suelta a la lujuria sin moderar las emisiones.

«Those knowing how to operate the sexual recipes can check ejaculation, thereby repairing the brain; revert their sperm to the Vermilion Intestine (?for small or large). They can gather saliva into the Pool of Gold (? gall bladder); conduct the three southern and the five northern breaths to their Flowered Rafters (?lungs). They can thus cause a man, even in old age, to have an excellent complexion, and terminate the full number of his allotted years.» — Ko Hung describe la operación que sí atribuye a esas recetas: contener la eyaculación para reparar el cerebro, revertir el esperma, reunir la saliva en la Alberca de Oro y conducir los alientos del sur y del norte a las Vigas Floreadas.

«The crowd, however, learning that Yellow Emperor mounted to heaven after having a harem of 1200, proceeds to claim that this was the sole reason he attained Fullness of Life.» — Ko Hung consigna la lectura popular que objeta: que el Emperador Amarillo ascendió al cielo por haber tenido un harén de mil doscientas.

«The Ancients, therefore, fearing that people might treat existence itself lightly or arbitrarily, purposely lauded these arts beyond complete credibility.» — Ko Hung explica por qué la tradición exagera: los Antiguos, temiendo que se tratara la existencia a la ligera, alabaron a propósito estas artes más allá de lo creíble.

«Sexual intercourse may be compared with water and fire, either of which can slay man or bring him life, depending solely upon his ability to deal with them. On the whole, if the important rules are known, the benefits will be proportionate to the number of one’s successive copulations. If, however, the procedure is employed in ignorance, sudden death could ensue after only one or two copulations.» — Ko Hung compara el trato sexual con el agua y el fuego, que matan o dan vida según la destreza: sabidas las reglas importantes el beneficio crece con las cópulas, e ignoradas puede sobrevenir muerte súbita tras una o dos.

«Interlocutor: The August Vault, being divinity in its highest form, should be just in the fates it metes out. Yet if such ordinary persons as Wang Ch’iao and Ch’ih-sung tzu achieved immortality, why did the Duke of Chou and Con¬ fucius fail to receive the favor of lasting vision ?» — abre el capítulo séptimo, Objections Countered, con la objeción por la justicia divina: si personas ordinarias como Wang Ch'iao y Ch'ih-sung tzu alcanzaron la inmortalidad, por qué el Duque de Chou y Confucio no recibieron el favor de la visión duradera.

«Ko: Whether one’s predestined life is long or short is a matter of chance: On receiving breath and taking form in the womb we all belong to a star or celestial asterism. God (T’ien-Tao) acts in perfect freedom, and in every case some¬ thing natural occurs. There is no question of close or distant relationships; no subjectivity to the event.» — Ko Hung responde negando providencia: la duración de la vida predestinada es cosa de azar, al recibir aliento y tomar forma en el vientre cada quien pertenece a una estrella, y no hay relaciones cercanas ni lejanas ni subjetividad en el suceso.

«When a man’s destiny comes under a star of life, he is sure to like the divine process leading to geniehood, and when he seeks it he is sure to be successful. But when the fated life comes under a star of death, that individual will not believe in this process and will not train himself in it. What a man likes depends upon his endowment, and heaven can do no shifting, changing, granting, nor canceling.» — Ko Hung hace del gusto mismo por el proceso un dato del destino: quien nace bajo estrella de vida gusta del proceso divino y triunfa al buscarlo, y quien nace bajo estrella de muerte no cree en él, sin que el cielo pueda mover ni cancelar nada.

«heaven on a dragon only after having successfully sublimed the Nine-crucibles cinnabars on the shores of Tripod Lake at the foot of the Ching mountains. Yellow Emperor could naturally have a harem of 1200, but his success was not due to that sole fact.» — Ko Hung objeta la lectura popular del Emperador Amarillo: ascendió en dragón después de sublimar con éxito los cinabrios de los nueve crisoles a orillas del lago del Trípode, y el harén de mil doscientas no fue la causa.

«All this may be compared with the smelting of ores and casting of metals, or with earthenware formed on the wheel and fired in the kiln.» — Ko Hung ilustra ese azar con la fundición de menas y la alfarería formada en el torno y cocida en el horno.

«the quality of the copper or iron utensils, as well as that of the earthenwares, depends upon chance. There is no sense in blaming the furnace or the kiln.» — sigue en la plana siguiente la comparación: tratadas todas igual para darles forma, la calidad de las piezas de cobre, de hierro y de barro depende del azar, y no tiene sentido culpar al horno.

«Interlocutor: Confucius has said that everything finally dies (12.7), but Lao Tan (?T 59) claims that divinity and geniehood can be acquired through study. The words of the sage Confucius are credible and supported by evidence; but the declaration of the Taoist is exaggerated and hard to apply.» — el Interlocutor enfrenta las dos autoridades: Confucio dice que todo muere y Lao Tan que la divinidad y la condición de genio se adquieren por el estudio, y da por creíble al primero y por exagerado al segundo.

«God is the source of all differences; but Confucian doctrine is the stream of piety. Long before the three Augusti, God reigned; beginning at the time of the emperors and kings, the scholars have been instructing.» — Ko Hung ordena las dos enseñanzas por antigüedad: Dios reinaba mucho antes de los tres Augustos y la instrucción de los letrados empieza con los emperadores y reyes.

«Why, then, value only Confucius, and treat Lao Tan lightly? This is like enjoying the flowers on the twigs and failing to recognize the trunk from which they spring. How is it any different from valuing a bright pearl but despising the watery depths; or liking Pien Ho’s circular jade but hating the Ching mountains ? A person who does this is ignorant of the fact that the depths are the source of the bright pearl, and that it was the Ching mountains which produced that circular jade.» — Ko Hung objeta el privilegio de una sola autoridad con tres imágenes: gozar las flores de las ramas sin reconocer el tronco, valorar la perla y despreciar la hondura del agua, amar el jade circular y odiar las montañas que lo produjeron.

«It must be noticed that the things done to nourish life are but the fragments of Taoism, just as ritual and music are the things of least importance in Confucianism.» — Ko Hung sitúa su propia materia en la escala de su escuela: lo que se hace para nutrir la vida es solo fragmento del taoísmo, como el rito y la música son lo menos importante del confucianismo.

«While there is, of course, a temporal sequence between Confucianism and Taoism, Confucius is not to re¬ ceive all the confidence, and Lao Tan is not to be followed to the exclusion of Confucius (12.608).» — Ko Hung se niega a elegir entre las dos: hay entre ellas una secuencia temporal, pero ni Confucio recibe toda la confianza ni se sigue a Lao Tan con exclusión de Confucio.

«Interlocutor: If Confucius spoke face to face with Lao Tan, why did he fail to study God with him ?» — el Interlocutor pregunta lo obvio: si Confucio habló cara a cara con Lao Tan, por qué no estudió a Dios con él.

«Confucius may be a sage in worldly matters, but he was not competent to plunge into and find quiet in God (the Mystery and Silence) and thus protect himself with perfect freedom of action.» — Ko Hung contesta acotando la competencia de Confucio: sabio en los asuntos del mundo, no era capaz de sumergirse y hallar quietud en Dios.

«That is the reason Lao Tan warned him (SC 63.164): “Things of the highest value are stored deep and seem nonexistent; Great Man teems with the natural life and looks unintelligent. Give up your pride and covetousness, your airs and wanton will. They are of no benefit to your person.”» — voz de Lao Tan advirtiendo a Confucio, citada por Ko Hung de las Memorias: lo de más valor se guarda hondo y parece no existir, el Gran Hombre rebosa de vida natural y parece falto de inteligencia, y el orgullo y la codicia no aprovechan a la persona.

«Interlocutor: Of Confucianism and Taoism, which is the more difficult ? Ko: Confucianism is difficulty in the midst of facility; Taoism is facility in the midst of difficulties.» — Ko Hung contesta con una fórmula cruzada que ordena el resto del capítulo: el confucianismo es dificultad en medio de la facilidad y el taoísmo, facilidad en medio de las dificultades.

«But Taoism also has its attractive side: no visits of congratulation or condolence, and no critical glances and looks at one’s abode; no troubling of the internal gods with the Seven Classics and never a concern for the calendar; no bother about the advancings of asterisms and no enslavement to a craft or to letters; all annoyances lifted, and an inner har¬ mony that grows of itself; perfect freedom of action and thought, no fear, no grief.» — Ko Hung lista lo fácil del taoísmo por lo que ahorra: ni visitas de felicitación o pésame, ni dioses interiores atareados con los Siete Clásicos, ni cuidado del calendario, ni esclavitud de un oficio o de las letras.

«Everything done in Confucianism is modeled upon prece¬ dents. Leaving and staying have their set rules; speech and silence depend upon the hour. If a teacher is desired, he can be found in practically any house; if it is a matter of written material, there are plenty of commentaries to resolve the doubts. This is what is easy in Confucianism.» — Ko Hung dice qué es fácil en el confucianismo: todo se modela sobre precedentes, irse y quedarse tienen reglas fijas, hay maestro en casi cualquier casa y comentarios de sobra para resolver las dudas.

«But to put it honestly, Confucianism is difficult because of its multiplicities, while Taoism is easy with its conciseness. Being afraid of difficulties, I evade them and pursue what is easy. The critics of my choice come in droves; none do I find sympathetic with my decision. How¬ ever, as for those who will come to share my purpose in the future, I will not at this time predict that they will be but few.» — Ko Hung resume la comparación y declara su elección sin adornarla: el confucianismo es difícil por su multiplicidad y el taoísmo fácil por su concisión, y él, por miedo a las dificultades, evita unas y persigue lo fácil.

«Interlocutor: I have surveyed the exalted persons enjoying high renown and the eminent Confucianists of vast learning, and naturally found that most of them had made an ex¬ haustive study of life in all its ramifications and had thoroughly studied the empiric and the nonempiric. No¬ where, however, did I fmd any of them saying that our years could be protracted or that geniehood could be obtained. I cannot believe that you, whose brightness does not equal that of the sun and moon, and whose intelligence is not superior to that of thousands of others, place reliance in a divine process leading to Fullness of Life.» — el Interlocutor argumenta por autoridad y por censo: los confucianistas eminentes estudiaron a fondo la vida y lo empírico y lo no empírico, y ninguno dijo nunca que los años pudieran alargarse.

«To adopt only the narrow point of view as though peering through a tube and shut off everything that hearing and sight do not attain — how does that differ from using eight feet of rope to draw from a depth of eight hun¬ dred feet and, without realizing that the implement is too short, to claim that there is no water in the well ?» — Ko Hung cierra con la imagen de la cuerda corta: usar ocho pies de cuerda para sacar agua de ochocientos y, sin advertir que el instrumento es corto, declarar que el pozo no tiene agua.

«Ko: Confucius is a sage in the eyes of the scholars, but Lao Tan is a sage for those who have attained God. The teach¬ ings of the Confucian scholars, being empiric and easy to grasp, are honored by the great majority; but the idea of God, being abstruse and hard to understand, is compre¬ hended by a few only.» — Ko Hung reparte las dos santidades sin arbitrar entre ellas: Confucio es sabio a ojos de los letrados y Lao Tan lo es para quienes han alcanzado a Dios, porque la doctrina confuciana es empírica y fácil de asir y la idea de Dios es abstrusa y la comprenden pocos.

«Thus Con¬ fucianism is valued for the improvements it brings about in habits and customs, and not only for its bowings and wheelings; Taoism is honored because it transforms conduct without uttering a word, and not just for the sole matter of» — Ko Hung dice por qué vale cada escuela: el confucianismo por las mejoras que trae a hábitos y costumbres y no solo por sus reverencias, y el taoísmo porque transforma la conducta sin decir palabra.

«Further, admitting to a knowl¬ edge of fish and birds but to no acquaintance with dragons, he compared Lao Tan to a dragon (Chuang 14.61; SC 63.16); this was probably a way of expressing his own humility and not a meaningless statement.» — Ko Hung consigna que el propio Confucio comparó a Lao Tan con un dragón, admitiendo conocer peces y aves pero no dragones, y lo lee como expresión de humildad y no como frase sin sentido.

«The diffi¬ culties of Taoism are these: abandonment of social inter¬ course and renouncing wife and family; rejection of fame and loss of income; removal of brilliances from one’s sight and suppression of the tinkling marks of office from one’s ears; the silence and retirement where one’s sole profession is preservation of one’s own integrity; not to be depressed by criticism nor elated by praise; to look upon honors with¬ out desiring them and to dwell humbly without shame.» — Ko Hung lista lo difícil del taoísmo: dejar el trato social, renunciar a mujer y familia, rechazar la fama, perder el ingreso, quitar los brillos de la vista y el tintineo del cargo del oído, y no deprimirse por la crítica ni exaltarse por el elogio.

«We should not undertake to rectify those of our genera¬ tion who do not believe there are genii in heaven and earth. All these have a talent for governing the masses and the art of efficient administration.» — Ko Hung se niega a corregir a los de su generación que no creen en los genios, y les reconoce su talento: el de gobernar a las masas y el arte de la administración eficiente.

«When the con¬ fusions of all are under discussion, they say, “We are able of ourselves to resolve the doubts felt by the masses. We can feel things before the omens of them occur. This means that we enjoy complete sympathy with the affairs of all creation. 6a We reach into everything hidden or obscure. When we say that genii do not exist, then they certainly do not.” Such has long been their obduracy.» — Ko Hung pone en boca de sus adversarios el argumento que los cierra: dicen resolver por sí mismos las dudas de las masas y sentir las cosas antes de que ocurran sus presagios, y de ahí que si dicen que los genios no existen, entonces ciertamente no existen.

«Whenever I notice the ignorant, stolid disbelief of ordinary Confucianists regarding matters of the highest importance, I am always sorry that with so much intelligence they bind themselves in prejudice and burden themselves with petty things.» — Ko Hung dice qué lamenta en los confucianistas comunes: que con tanta inteligencia se aten en el prejuicio y se carguen de cosas pequeñas.

«I do not claim that they are utterly in profoundest ignorance, but simply that they cannot distinguish between» — Ko Hung mide con precisión el reproche a los confucianistas comunes: no los llama ignorantes del todo, sino incapaces de distinguir, dice la plana siguiente, entre frijoles y trigo.

«Beauty and ugliness are accepted categories, but, given the differences introduced by emotion, no two pairs of eyes see them in the same light. The elegant and the depraved are natural categories, but, given the differences introduced by likes and dislikes, no two pairs of ears hear music in the same way. There is substance to the categories of true and false, but, given the varieties in preferences, no two hearts and minds counsel in the same way.» — Ko Hung ordena en tres pares la variabilidad del juicio: belleza y fealdad son categorías aceptadas y ningún par de ojos las ve igual, lo elegante y lo depravado son naturales y ningún par de oídos oye la música igual, y lo verdadero y lo falso tienen sustancia y ningún par de corazones aconseja igual.

«Despite the marvelousness of this matter, no logical procedure yet exists for achieving our desire to have all men believe.» — Ko Hung concede el límite de su propio argumento: por maravillosa que sea la materia, no existe todavía procedimiento lógico que logre que todos los hombres crean.

«If I do not remain silent, it is simply because I hope it may prove possible to attract not only those with whom one may talk of the highest things but also those capable of only the lowest.» — Ko Hung dice por qué escribe aun sabiendo eso: espera atraer no solo a los que pueden hablar de lo más alto, sino también a los capaces solo de lo más bajo.

«There are places where facts and logic are not con¬ gruent, where persuasiveness is ineffective. There is no sale for our ceremonial hats among the southern barbarians, and our red shoes find no use among the uncivilized who go barefooted. How can we compel acceptance ?» — Ko Hung acota el poder de la persuasión con dos ejemplos de mercado: no hay venta de sombreros ceremoniales entre los bárbaros del sur ni uso para los zapatos rojos entre los que andan descalzos.

«Remember that someone saw a piece of jade and, point¬ ing to it, called it a stone. This does not mean that the jade was false, but the facts could not be ascertained before Pien Ho (the jeweler) arrived. There was also the man who saw a dragon and called it a snake. This does not mean that the dragon was not divine, but the difference could not be established until Ts’ai Mo passed that way.» — Ko Hung ilustra con dos casos que la falta de reconocimiento no altera la cosa: quien llamó piedra al jade no hizo falso el jade, y quien llamó serpiente al dragón no lo hizo menos divino.

«When others feel certain that there are no genii in the world, and I alone, feeling that they really do exist, were to argue with them, the longer we argued, the more firmly they would persist in their denial. In this way the confusion would be prolonged to no avail and there would be no way out of the impasse. Quite naturally, then, we must acknowl¬ edge the situation to be that of the gimmal, which could be separated only by an act of violence.» — Ko Hung cierra el capítulo séptimo declarando estéril la discusión: cuanto más se argumenta, más firme se vuelve la negativa, y la situación es la del anillo gemelo que solo se separa por un acto de violencia.

«Interlocutor: Of the many things constituting human life, search for geniehood is the most difficult. Unless we abandon it, our affairs will be thrown utterly awry. How can we destroy all arts and letters, the duties evoked by sorrow and joy, and the hierarchal relationships of the good society ?» — abre el capítulo octavo, Resolving Hesitations, con la objeción social: buscar la condición de genio es lo más difícil de la vida humana, y no abandonarlo desbarata los asuntos, las artes y las letras y las relaciones jerárquicas de la buena sociedad.

«Ko: In all essentials, God is no trouble because there is so little we can do. The only thing to be feared is that there be no will to God and no sincere belief. There is no reason to fear that the human order will be abandoned.» — Ko Hung contesta que no hay tal amenaza: en lo esencial Dios no da trabajo porque poco puede hacerse, y lo único temible es que falten la voluntad y la creencia sincera.

«What ob¬ jection can there be to concomitant cultivation by the fully endowed, as we inwardly treasure the divine process for nurturing life, and outwardly work with our generation? By regulating our own bodies, they will long remain active, and by providing order for the state, the state will enjoy a veritable millennium.» — Ko Hung propone la vía doble: cultivar por dentro el proceso divino que nutre la vida y trabajar por fuera con la propia generación, de modo que el cuerpo siga activo y el Estado goce de un milenio.

«Let the Six Classics be taught to the common run of gentlemen, but the recipes transmitted only to our inti¬ mates. When the latter wish to remain on earth a while, let them serve their generation as they temporarily halt their work with the recipes. When they wish to ascend, let them mount lightly into the empyrean. These would be the gentlemen of the highest class.» — Ko Hung reparte las dos enseñanzas por destinatario: los Seis Clásicos para los caballeros comunes y las recetas solo para los íntimos, que sirven a su generación mientras quieren quedarse y ascienden cuando quieren.

«Why, then, must the divine process be carried on in the mountains and forests, and achieved only after completely abandoning wordly affairs ?» — Ko Hung pregunta expresamente por qué habría de hacerse el proceso divino solo en montes y bosques, tras abandonar del todo los asuntos del mundo.

«If you wish to seek divinity or geniehood, you need only acquire the quintessence, which consists in treasuring your sperm, circulating your breaths, and taking one crucial medicine. That is all! There are not a multitude of things to do.» — Ko Hung cifra el método entero en tres cosas: atesorar el esperma, circular los alientos y tomar una medicina crucial.

«In these three pursuits, however, one must distinguish between the profound and the shallow. You cannot learn all about them promptly unless you meet with a learned teacher and work very, very hard.» — Ko Hung acota de inmediato esa simplicidad: en los tres hay que distinguir lo profundo de lo somero, y no se aprenden pronto sin maestro instruido y trabajo muy duro.

«When first learning to circulate the breaths, one inhales through the nose and closes up that breath. After holding it quietly for 120 heartbeats it is expelled in tiny quantities through the mouth. During the exhalations and inhalations one should not hear the sound of one’s own breathing, and one should always exhale less than one inhales. A goose feather held before the nose and mouth during the exhala¬ tions should not move. After some practice the number of heartbeats may be increased very gradually to one thousand before the breath is released. Once this is achieved, the aged will become one day younger each day.» — Ko Hung da la técnica medida: inhalar por la nariz, retener ciento veinte latidos y exhalar en cantidades diminutas por la boca, sin oír el propio aliento, sin mover una pluma de ganso ante la cara, y subir muy gradualmente hasta mil latidos.

«The circulating of the breaths must be done at an hour when breath is alive, not when it is dead. It is a reference to this when we read, “The genii take the six breaths.” In one whole day and night there are twelve [double] hours. The six hours from midnight to noon are the hours when breath is alive; from noon to midnight it is dead. No benefit is derived from practicing the circulating when breath is dead.» — Ko Hung fija el horario de la práctica: las seis horas dobles de medianoche a mediodía son las del aliento vivo y de mediodía a medianoche está muerto, y practicar entonces no aprovecha.

«To use exhalations adroitly, hsu at water, and it will flow backward several yards for you; hsu at fire, and it will go out; hsu at tigers or wolves, and they will crouch down motionless; hsu at snakes, and they will coil up motionless (5.56).» — Ko Hung enseña el uso de la exhalación, que el impreso deja en su forma china: hsü al agua y retrocede varias yardas, hsü al fuego y se apaga, hsü a tigres y lobos y se agazapan, hsü a las serpientes y se enroscan inmóviles.

«Anciently, Yellow Emperor bore the hard burden of empire, but this did not prevent his elevation to geniehood at Ting-hu (6.866). Old P’eng was a grand officer for eight hundred years, after which he went west to the Gobi. Lao Tan was a state re¬ corder; Ning-feng chief of the potteries. Fang Hui was a village official;» — Ko Hung enumera a los antiguos que siguieron en el cargo público tras alcanzar el proceso divino: el Emperador Amarillo cargó con el imperio y aun así se elevó a genio en Ting-hu, Old P'eng fue gran oficial ochocientos años, Lao Tan registrador de Estado y Ning-feng jefe de las alfarerías.

«There are persons whose hearts and minds find security in solitude and quiet; who have a natural dislike for noise; who take joy in relaxed living; for whom the glories of office would be grief. They wear rope belts, dress in rags, eat herbs, and work the ploughshare.» — Ko Hung concede la otra vía como temperamento: hay quien halla seguridad en la soledad y el silencio, tiene aversión natural al ruido y para quien las glorias del cargo serían duelo, y viste harapos, come hierbas y labra.

«They decline gifts worth a thousand in gold; they disdain the honors of being state minister. And thus they ever continue without any specific projects. How much more, then, would such people be unwilling to slave for their generation were they to be informed of this divine process leading to divinity or geniehood! Each then to his own will! All are not to be described under one classification.» — Ko Hung cierra ese retrato sin unificarlo: rechazan regalos de mil en oro y desdeñan el honor de ser ministros, y a cada quien su voluntad, porque no todos se describen bajo una sola clasificación.

«Many things may be dubbed circulation of the breaths, but there are only a few methods for doing it correctly. Other things may be dubbed good sexual practice, but its true recipe involves almost a hundred or more different activities. Something may be dubbed a medicine to be taken, but there are roughly a thousand such» — Ko Hung mide la dispersión de cada una de las tres prácticas: muchas cosas se llaman circulación de los alientos y pocos métodos la hacen bien, la buena práctica sexual tiene casi cien actividades distintas, y las medicinas rondan el millar de prescripciones.

«In teaching these things one always begins with the super¬ ficial; only then, if the student’s will does not lag and he shows that he can work hard, does one tell him the signifi¬ cant parts.» — Ko Hung describe la pedagogía de la transmisión: se empieza siempre por lo superficial y solo si la voluntad del alumno no decae y muestra que puede trabajar duro se le dicen las partes significativas.

«Fan Li be¬ came the leader of the state of Yueh and then floated away to sea. The lutist Kao held a post under King K’ang of Sung. Ch’ang-sheng forced himself into a humble job. Duke Chuang stored his capacity in a small office. It is evident, therefore, that many of the Ancients continued to work at public office after attaining the divine process; they practiced it in the shadows of the court, presumably because they had an excess of energy.» — Ko Hung cierra la lista de los que siguieron en el cargo y saca su conclusión: muchos de los Antiguos continuaron en el oficio público después de alcanzar el proceso divino, y lo practicaban a la sombra de la corte por tener energía de sobra.

«The most important part of it is simply to breathe like a fetus.» — Ko Hung nombra el núcleo de la circulación del aliento: respirar como un feto.

«For the circulation of the breaths it is essential that the processor refrain from overeating. When fresh vegetables, and fatty and fresh meats are consumed, the breaths, becoming strengthened, are hard to preserve.» — Ko Hung fija los tabúes de la circulación del aliento: no comer de más, porque las verduras frescas y las carnes grasas fortalecen los alientos y los vuelven difíciles de preservar.

«My ancestral uncle, Ko Hsiian, merely because he was able to hoard his breaths and breathe like a fetus, would stay on the bottom of a deep pool for almost a whole day whenever he was thoroughly intoxicated and it was a hot summer’s day.» — Ko Hung da su testimonio familiar de la respiración fetal: su tío ancestral Ko Hsuan se quedaba casi un día entero en el fondo de una poza honda cuando estaba del todo ebrio en un día caluroso.

«On the methods of correct sexual intercourse at least ten authors have written (HS 30.3307—■). Some claim they show how to replenish losses, cure illnesses, gather more yin or increase the yang, or increase the years and protract lon¬ gevity. The essential here lies solely in reverting the sperm to repair the brain.» — Ko Hung censa la literatura sexual y la reduce a una sola cosa: al menos diez autores han escrito de ello y lo esencial está solo en revertir el esperma para reparar el cerebro.

«God’s Men have transmitted this method orally without any writing. Though one were to take all the famous medicines, without a knowledge of this essential it would be impossible to attain Fullness of Life.» — Ko Hung declara oral y no escrita la transmisión de ese punto, y lo hace condición de todo lo demás: sin conocerlo, ni tomando todas las medicinas famosas se alcanza la Plenitud de Vida.

«Man may not, however, give up sexual intercourse entirely, for other¬ wise he would contract melancholia through inactivity, and die prematurely through the many illnesses resulting from depression and celibacy. On the other hand, overindulgence diminishes one’s life, and it is only by harmonizing the two extremes that damage will be avoided.» — Ko Hung fija los dos daños simétricos: la abstinencia total trae melancolía y muerte prematura, el exceso mengua la vida, y solo armonizando los dos extremos se evita el perjuicio.

«Unless the oral directions are available, not one man in ten thousand will fail to kill himself by attempting to undertake this art.» — Ko Hung mide el riesgo de la práctica sin instrucción oral: no habrá uno en diez mil que no se mate al intentar ese arte.

«I must admit that I have not yet personally gotten all the directions involved in the art. Sometimes, narrow-minded processors try to observe solely the recipes regarding sexual intercourse in order to control the gods and genii without utilizing the great medicines of gold and cinnabar. This is the height of folly!» — Ko Hung admite su propio límite y censura una desviación: no ha obtenido todavía todas las instrucciones del arte, y tiene por el colmo de la locura que unos processors quieran gobernar a dioses y genios solo con las recetas sexuales, sin las grandes medicinas de oro y cinabrio.

«Only a few Taoist writings come from Yellow Emperor and Lao Tan themselves; most are enlargements upon the personal knowledge and experience of later curiosity-seekers, and their bundles and scrolls have accumulated like a mountain.» — Ko Hung juzga el volumen de la literatura de su propia escuela: pocos escritos taoístas vienen del Emperador Amarillo y de Lao Tan, y la mayoría son ampliaciones de curiosos posteriores, acumuladas como una montaña.

«No matter how extensively one may wish to study this material, it is advisable to choose carefully the best and concentrate one’s attention on them. It is not worthwhile to unravel the less important Taoist writings.» — Ko Hung da su regla de lectura para esa masa: elegir con cuidado lo mejor y concentrar en ello la atención, porque no vale la pena desenredar los escritos taoístas menores.

«Those with little learning sometimes cannot distinguish between the shallow and the profound authors. As soon as any book is called Taoist they proceed to copy it and fill their cases and baskets with them. But to give all of one’s heart and mind to the searching out of their contents is like looking in a swallow’s nest for the egg of the phoenix» — Ko Hung describe al lector sin criterio: en cuanto un libro se llama taoísta lo copia y llena con ellos sus cajas y cestas, y buscar en su contenido es como buscar el huevo del fénix en el nido de una golondrina.

«And then everyone sizes up the situation by saying, “The fact that these people worked so diligently at the divine process without achieving geniehood signifies, naturally, that there is no method leading to immortality.” They do not realize that those people were seeking immortality like a man who gazes upon the river wishing for fish but using no net. It does not mean that there are no fish in the river.» — Ko Hung desarma la inferencia del fracaso ajeno con una imagen: quienes trabajaron sin lograrlo buscaban la inmortalidad como quien mira el río deseando peces pero sin usar red.

«The Five Thousand Words (Tao te ching) may actually come from Lao Tan, but it is only a general discussion and a rough outline of our topic. Its contents in no way allow a complete exposition of the matter from beginning to end that could be employed as support for our pursuit (10.203).» — Ko Hung acota el alcance del Tao te ching dentro de su propia tradición: puede venir realmente de Lao Tan, pero es solo discusión general y esbozo del tema, sin exposición completa que sirva de apoyo a la búsqueda.

«Merely to recite this classic blindly without securing the essential pro¬ cess would be to undergo useless toil. How much worse in the case of texts inferior to Tao te ching!» — Ko Hung niega valor a la recitación: repetir el clásico a ciegas sin asegurar el proceso esencial es fatiga inútil, y tanto más con los textos inferiores a él.

«Such persons as Hsin Chin (Wen tzu), Chuang Chou, and Governor of the Pass, Yin Hsi, prepared writings that may well be based upon Yellow Emperor and Lao Tan, but they expound the modeling of ourselves upon God (Mystery and Uncom¬ mittedness) only in general terms and are very far from speaking exhaustively. They may equate death and life and say there is no difference between them, treat existence as toil and death as repose, but they are an uncalculable distance away from the problems of divinity and geniehood.» — Ko Hung sitúa a Chuang Chou y a los otros filósofos taoístas a distancia incalculable de su propio asunto: exponen en términos generales el modelarse en Dios, igualan muerte y vida y tratan la existencia como fatiga y la muerte como reposo.

«Their metaphors and similes can be garnered as rubble to fill unexpected deficiencies. Isn’t it a pity, though, that the eloquent rogues and base scoundrels of these latter days should be allowed refuge in Lao Tan and Chuang Chou ?» — Ko Hung les concede un uso subordinado y añade una queja: sus metáforas sirven de escombro para rellenar carencias, y es lástima que los bribones elocuentes de estos últimos días se refugien en Lao Tan y Chuang Chou.

«In the course of a thousand years there will sometimes be persons unaffected by favors and honors; unmoved from their goals by promises of riches. They will not stoop or deign to wash their hats in the Ts’ang-lang (M 4A9). They will look upon a fragrant forest as a high terrace, a cave high in the cliffs as a fine house, blue irises as a rope bed, and green leaves as curtains (A. 4^6). For them, rags will replace imperial robes, and herbs fulfill the role of exquisite cuisine.» — Ko Hung contesta por la rareza del tipo: en mil años habrá a veces quien no se mueva por favores ni honores, tenga por alta terraza un bosque fragante, por casa una cueva en el acantilado y por cortinas las hojas verdes.

«Throughout the whole uni¬ verse there are very few such at any given moment, yet you fear that the sovereign will have no ministers! Don’t you think you’re excessively worried ?» — Ko Hung remata la objeción política con una cuenta: en todo el universo hay poquísimos así en cada momento, y aun así se teme que el soberano se quede sin ministros.

«Because these men showed by their sincerity that they were not disdainful of their generation, nor were they slighting their sovereign; they merely were different in their preferences, for even an ordinary person is resolute of will.» — Ko Hung explica por qué no se condenó a los que dejaron el cargo: mostraron con su sinceridad que no desdeñaban a su generación ni menospreciaban a su soberano, solo diferían en sus preferencias.

«He knows that the hearts of men cannot be identical, and that an innate quality is required for public or private living. He neither constrains nor forbids in order to exalt the glories of a particular service.» — Ko Hung describe al soberano que entiende los principios rectos: sabe que los corazones de los hombres no pueden ser idénticos, y no fuerza ni prohíbe para exaltar las glorias de un servicio particular.

«Interlocutor: If the divine process leading to geniehood can really be had by seeking, why is there no mention of it in the Five Classics ? Why have the Duke of Chou and Confucius said nothing about it ? Why didn’t the sages become genii ? Why do not those with the highest wisdom enjoy Fullness of Existence (Ana. 16.9) ? If neither the Duke of Chou nor Confucius knew anything about it, they cannot be con¬ sidered sages. If they knew about it but did not study it, then there can be no divine process leading to geniehood.» — el Interlocutor plantea el dilema del silencio de los clásicos: si el Duque de Chou y Confucio no sabían del proceso divino no son sabios, y si lo sabían y no lo estudiaron es que no existe.

«There is no limit to what is not con¬ tained in the Five Classics, and there are a great many things about which the Duke of Chou and Confucius say nothing.» — Ko Hung contesta por el argumento del silencio: no tiene límite lo que los Cinco Clásicos no contienen, y son muchísimas las cosas de las que el Duque de Chou y Confucio no dicen nada.

«struction along these lines from my teacher Cheng Yin, and I record them here as information for future believers in the divine process. It is not personal opinion that I am chatting.» — Ko Hung firma la procedencia de lo que enseña sobre el arte sexual: recibió instrucción de su maestro Cheng Yin y la consigna para los creyentes futuros del proceso divino, no como opinión personal.

«for geniehood are unwilling to enter office. If everyone pursued the divine process, who would remain to help with political affairs ?» — sigue en la plana siguiente la objeción política: si todos persiguieran el proceso divino, quién quedaría para ayudar en los asuntos políticos.

«Heaven and earth are the biggest things in creation. The Changes, composed jointly by nine sages (cf. SS 32.13612), is sufficient to embrace completely yin and yang (the physical universe), but nothing more.» — Ko Hung acota el alcance del clásico mayor de los letrados: el Changes, compuesto por nueve sabios, basta para abarcar yin y yang, es decir el universo físico, y nada más.

«Complete accounts of these things have been handed down only by Shaman Hsien, Kan Te, Shih Shen, Hai Chung, Ch’i Meng, and The Seven Luminaries.» — Ko Hung nombra a los seis autores que sí dan cuenta completa de esas materias, todos fuera del canon confuciano.

«If we cannot understand such supremely large things as heaven and earth which we see on lifting our eyes, what are we going to do about “the mystery within the mystery” (T 1) or “the pinnacle of marvels within the marvelous” ?» — Ko Hung remata su argumento del silencio: si no se entienden cosas tan grandes como el cielo y la tierra que se ven al alzar los ojos, qué se hará con el misterio dentro del misterio.

«If there are certain things that the sages could not do, we should not be surprised that they did not attain geniehood; but that does not mean that they were not sages.» — Ko Hung salva a los sabios sin concederles la materia: que no alcanzaran la condición de genio no significa que no fueran sabios.

«They had bodies, but they did not treat them as their own private possessions; they were alive, but they did not make plans regarding life. Since their survival or death depended upon the long or short life that heaven or fate had conferred, how can we be surprised that they did not study geniehood ?» — Ko Hung explica la indiferencia de los sabios: tenían cuerpo y no lo trataban como posesión privada, estaban vivos y no hacían planes sobre la vida.

«God embraces both heaven and earth but has no particular¬ izing designation (T 25). When we discuss this lack, com¬ parison with shadows and echoes provide criteria, but the multiplicity of created things forces a preference for no designation at all.» — abre el capítulo noveno, What We Mean by God, con la tesis de la innombrabilidad: Dios abarca cielo y tierra y no tiene designación particularizante.

«Good fortune, however, will come a man’s way without his asking, and misfortunes will depart without any exorcizing, if he can remain quiet and indifferent; unblemished and unmoved; nurture his heart and mind on freedom from desire; feed his inner gods on the pure; brush and wash away emotional considerations and confine them in rectitude; banish all difficult thought; let fall the bonds harmful to God (the True); disdain the evils of joy and anger; and extinguish all buddings of love and hate.» — Ko Hung fija la única condición que reconoce para la buena fortuna: permanecer quieto e indiferente, nutrir el corazón en la ausencia de deseo, alimentar a los dioses interiores con lo puro y extinguir los brotes de amor y odio.

«Because life is situated within man; it has no attachments to externals; and it is in the here and now that God exists, with no attending upon a there.» — Ko Hung enuncia la razón de esa condición: la vida está situada dentro del hombre y no tiene apego a lo externo, y Dios existe en el aquí y el ahora.

«How can the gods of heaven and earth provide help ? What amends can be made to his troubles by cooking sacrificial victims that exhaust the herds?» — Ko Hung niega eficacia al sacrificio: las ansiedades se las trae el propio cuerpo, y de nada sirve cocer víctimas que agoten los rebaños.

«Good fortune is not to be invited by an excess of politeness, and misfortune cannot be exorcized by a plethora of sacrifices. If life could be protracted by repeated prayers and illness dispelled by expensive sacrifices, the rich could be certain to enjoy Full¬ ness of Life and the noble could be free from illness.» — Ko Hung da su prueba contra la eficacia del rito: si la vida se alargara con oraciones repetidas y la enfermedad se disipara con sacrificios caros, los ricos tendrían asegurada la Plenitud de Vida y los nobles no enfermarían.

«But gods do not delight in wrong-doers, and ghosts do not enjoy the sacrifices of the dissolute.» — Ko Hung invierte la lógica del sacrificio: los dioses no se complacen en los malhechores y los fantasmas no gozan con los sacrificios de los disolutos.

«For the extraordinary principle ob¬ served by ghosts and gods includes also rectitude, and there is no chance that they will bend or yield.» — Ko Hung atribuye rectitud a los dioses y de ahí deriva su incorruptibilidad: el principio extraordinario que observan incluye la rectitud y no hay posibilidad de que cedan.

«King Ling of Ch’u personally played the shaman and in no way spared his sacrificial victims, but he could not pre¬ vent chastisement by the armies of Wu.» — Ko Hung abre su lista de soberanos devotos que no se salvaron: el rey Ling de Ch'u hizo él mismo de chamán y no escatimó víctimas, y no pudo evitar el castigo de los ejércitos de Wu.

«It is in the natural order of things that illustrious excellence is found fragrant, that the non¬ worrier lives long, that the man who uses his treasure carefully should not die prematurely, and that excessive grief consumes longevity. Externals can do nothing about these things.» — Ko Hung enuncia la regla que sustituye al rito: es del orden natural que el no preocupado viva largo y que el duelo excesivo consuma la longevidad, y lo externo nada puede hacer al respecto.

«Incompetent to exercise the healing arts and un¬ able to turn from their great delusions, common people neglect the help that medicines can bring, and devote them¬ selves solely to the deceptions of prayers and sacrifices.» — Ko Hung describe la conducta que censura en el enfermo común: descuidar la ayuda que las medicinas pueden dar y entregarse solo a los engaños de oraciones y sacrificios.

«Shamans and medicine men expound madly on maleficent influences, but the dangers and crises of illnesses are just the things they know nothing about. If they do, they insist on unlimited expenditures.» — Ko Hung acusa a chamanes y curanderos de ignorar justamente lo que importa: peroran sobre influencias maléficas y no saben nada de los peligros y las crisis de las enfermedades.

«Then, if the patient happens to feel any better, they claim that this has been a gift from the gods; if he dies, it is claimed that his ghost was not pardoned.» — Ko Hung expone la infalsabilidad del procedimiento: si el enfermo mejora se atribuye a un don de los dioses y si muere se dice que su fantasma no fue perdonado.

«In the past, persons like Chang Chio, Liu Ken, Wang Hsin, and Li Shen sometimes claimed to be a thousand years old, attributing their age to some insignificant recipe.» — Ko Hung nombra a los impostores que denuncia: decían tener mil años y lo atribuían a alguna receta insignificante.

«They made no effort actually to protract years or augment longevity, nor did they do anything to diminish calamities or cure illness.» — Ko Hung fija el criterio con que los juzga: no hicieron esfuerzo alguno por alargar los años ni por disminuir calamidades o curar enfermedades.

«Today, when we ask those who study this classic about the size of the sky, the breadth of the four seas, the extent of the universe in miles, where up and down end, who is doing the pushing or pulling when things revolve, the speeds of the sun and moon, on what the nine paths of the moon are mounted, the durations of dark¬ ness and light,» — Ko Hung pone a prueba a los especialistas del Changes con un cuestionario astronómico: tamaño del cielo, anchura de los cuatro mares, extensión del universo en millas, dónde acaban el arriba y el abajo, quién empuja cuando las cosas giran y velocidades del sol y la luna.

«when we ask the specialists in The Changes about these things they cannot answer us. And when after that we turn to the specialists in The Annals (all four parts), The Poems, The Writings of Old, and The Three Rites, we again receive no answer. They say that there is no mention of these things in the standard classics.» — Ko Hung consigna el resultado de ese cuestionario: los especialistas en el Changes no saben responder, y tampoco los de los Anales, los Poemas, los Escritos Antiguos y los Tres Ritos, que dicen que de eso no se habla en los clásicos canónicos.

«And there are many things which the Duke of Chou and Confucius could not do: people to our south can insert a stick through their ears so that it protrudes from each ear;» — Ko Hung enumera hazañas que el Duque de Chou y Confucio no sabían hacer, empezando por la gente del sur que se pasa un palo de oreja a oreja.

«God is the sound in sounds, the echo in echoes, the shape in shapes, the shadow in shadows. The quiet in the square comes from God, as does the move¬ ment in the circle.» — Ko Hung da la fórmula que cifra el capítulo: Dios es el sonido en los sonidos, el eco en los ecos, la forma en las formas y la sombra en las sombras, y de él vienen la quietud del cuadrado y el movimiento del círculo.

«The particularizing designation of “God” is in it¬ self belying; how much more is this the case when, with thousands of diminutions, hundreds of divisions, myriads of» — Ko Hung vuelve la crítica contra su propio término: la designación particularizante de Dios ya es de suyo un desmentido, y tanto más al multiplicarla en divisiones y análisis.

«Ti-wu Liin suppressed the demonists, yet he lived to an old age in honor. Sung Chun abolished the sacrifices to the mountain, but good luck attended him to the end. Wen Tang destroyed the temple of the river god, but he himself» — Ko Hung ofrece la lista simétrica de su argumento: quienes suprimieron a los demonistas, abolieron los sacrificios a la montaña y destruyeron el templo del dios del río vivieron con fortuna hasta el final.

«Evil ceremonies and wanton practices are forbidden by the rites and our laws, but it is utterly impossible to en¬ lighten the crowd. The only thing rulers can do is to make the laws more strict. Let all violations, petty or major, be punished by death. Let those who will not stop enlisting the 4a prayers of shamans be punished mercilessly and exposed in the markets and along the roads. Then in a short time all this malpractice will surely cease.» — Ko Hung propone castigo legal contra esas prácticas: ya prohibidas por los ritos y las leyes, pide que toda violación se castigue con la muerte y que a quien siga contratando oraciones de chamanes se lo exponga sin clemencia en mercados y caminos.

«Kung-sun Pan (M 4A.1) soared with a wooden kite, Li-lou spotted a hair or a spike of grain from a hundred yards away; Meng Pen (2.laid) and Wu Huo had backs strong enough to lift thousands of pounds; Ch’in Yueh-jen successfully used his acupuncture needles when Crown Prince Su was thought dead; Shu Hai took strides of several thousand yards; an ax was brandished at» — sigue la lista de hazañas fuera del alcance de los sabios: volar con una cometa de madera, ver un cabello o una espiga a cien yardas, tener espaldas para levantar miles de libras, revivir con agujas a un príncipe tenido por muerto y dar zancadas de miles de yardas.

«Those in charge of our people hesitate to forbid the popular practices because they suspect that the gods exist. When a calamity occurs, oAicialdom may take it very much to heart, but it sees it without compre¬ hension.» — Ko Hung explica por qué la autoridad no prohíbe esas prácticas: sospecha que los dioses existen, y cuando ocurre una calamidad la toma a pecho sin comprenderla.

«I myself have seen many knowledgeable persons pay no attention whatever to gods and make no sacrifices all their lives, and still they enjoyed long lives as well as high renown and position with an abundance of sons and grandsons and riches and honors.» — Ko Hung ofrece su propia observación como contraprueba: ha visto a muchos entendidos no hacer caso alguno de los dioses ni sacrificar en toda su vida y aun así vivir largo, con renombre, cargo, hijos, nietos y riquezas.

«Even I pay no attention to these matters, merely offering sacrifice to my ancestors at each of the four seasons. In the course of the thousands upon thousands of miles I have traveled on land and water there were certainly more than a hundred temples along the roadside, but in both going and coming I did not visit a single one of them, yet I suffered no serious breakdowns in either vehicles or horses. In crossing streams I never had untoward experiences with the wind and waves.» — Ko Hung declara su propia práctica religiosa y el argumento que saca de ella: solo sacrifica a sus antepasados en las cuatro estaciones, pasó junto a más de cien templos de camino sin entrar en ninguno, y no sufrió averías ni malos pasos.

«All this strengthened my conviction that ghosts and gods have no power.» — Ko Hung enuncia sin rodeos la conclusión que saca de su propia experiencia: que fantasmas y dioses no tienen poder.

«If asked when this doctrine arose, my reply would be that during the period a.d. 222-252 there was a certain Li Ah living in a cave in western China who never ate normal foods. He had been around for generations and was known as Sir Eight Hundred.» — Ko Hung fecha y sitúa el origen de la doctrina de los Li: un tal Li Ah que vivía en una cueva del oeste de China, no comía alimentos normales y era llamado Señor Ochocientos.

«Later a man named Li K’uan came to south China but spoke with the accent of western China. He knew how to treat illnesses with holy water that produced many cures. Then the rumor spread both far and near that he was no other than Li Ah, so they called him Li The Eight Hundred, but in reality he was not Li Ah.» — Ko Hung denuncia la sustitución de personas en el origen del movimiento: Li K'uan curaba con agua bendita y corrió el rumor de que era Li Ah, y no lo era.

«but even those who were admitted to his presence for the most esoteric instruc¬ tion got nothing more than holy water and san-pu amulets, calisthenics, and daily and monthly breathing exercises. There were none of the things really necessary to the proper ordering of our bodies: rules for immortality such as the taking of divine medicines and the protracting of the years to one’s full life span. The swallowing of one’s own breaths while eschewing the usual starches may continue, for almost a hundred days, but it cannot be tolerated for longer periods. This proves how very shallow his recipes were.» — Ko Hung mide la doctrina de Li K'uan por lo que entregaba a sus discípulos: agua bendita, amuletos san-pu, calistenia y ejercicios respiratorios, sin nada de lo necesario para ordenar el cuerpo.

«I am personally acquainted with many who visited Li K’uan, and they are unanimous in saying that he was weak with old age and emaciated, so that he panted for his breath whether moving about or sitting. His eyes were troubling him, and his hearing was bad; he had lost his teeth, and his hair was white. Little by little his mind began to deteriorate, so that he often did not recognize his own sons and grand¬ sons. He was no different from the ordinary run of men.» — Ko Hung presenta el testimonio físico contra Li K'uan: quienes lo visitaron lo hallaron débil y demacrado, con la vista y el oído mermados, sin dientes, canoso y con la mente en deterioro.

«His followers, however, repeatedly claimed that he had become metamorphosed into a genie who had found release as a corpse and that his was not a true death.» — Ko Hung consigna la defensa de los seguidores de Li K'uan tras su muerte en la peste: que se había metamorfoseado en genio liberado como cadáver y que aquella no era una muerte verdadera.

«I have taken the trouble to discuss Li K’uan at length because his pupils are maintaining his tradition, their teach¬ ings filling the land south of the Yangtze.» — Ko Hung declara por qué se detiene tanto en el caso: los discípulos de Li K'uan mantienen su tradición y sus enseñanzas llenan la tierra al sur del Yangtsé.

«There was once in the prefecture of Ju-nan [Honan-Anhui border] a man who set up a net in a field to catch deer, and then left, thinking to catch one without any further effort. A peddler of salted fish, chancing to pass that way, placed one of his fish in the net and departed. When the owner of the net returned, he was amazed to see the salted fish in the net, and, taking it for a god, did not dare bring it home.» — abre la serie de cuatro cuentos con que Ko Hung explica cómo nace un culto: un pescado salado que un buhonero deja en la red de un cazador de ciervos, y que el dueño toma por un dios.

«When his village heard what had transpired, all joined in erecting a shelter and a shrine called Lord Fish’s. After much worshipping had occurred there, the shrine came to have columns lacquered red with capitals shaped like water plants, and the beating of the bell never ceased. Whenever any sick person got better, it was said that the god had done it. All passersby offered sacrifices at the shrine.» — sigue el cuento del pescado: la aldea levanta un santuario llamado del Señor Pez, con columnas lacadas de rojo, campana incesante y sacrificios de todo el que pasa.

«Chang Chu of Nan-tun [E. C. Honan] was sowing his summer crop, and being bothered by a plum tree that was in the way, he decided to take it home with him. He dug it up and, since he was not leaving immediately, put it with some mud around its roots in the hollow of a mulberry tree. Then he forgot to take it away with him. Later, he became engaged in duties far from home and had to leave the neighborhood, but a fellow villager noticed that a mulberry tree was suddenly sprouting a plum tree, and concluded it was divine.» — segundo cuento del mismo tipo: un ciruelo que Chang Chu deja olvidado en el hueco de una morera y que un vecino toma por divino al ver que la morera brota ciruelos.

«On seeing all this he exclaimed, “This is only the plum tree I placed here long ago. There’s no god!” Then he cut it down, and all the activity ceased.» — cierra el cuento del ciruelo: al volver, Chang Chu declara que es solo el árbol que él puso ahí, lo tala y cesa la actividad.

«Rumor then took hold and it became bruited about that everyone with a headache who rubs the statue’s head and everyone with a bellyache who rubs its belly and simultaneously does the same to himself becomes cured. From a thousand miles around people then came to be cured. At first it was chickens and dried meats they brought, but later buffalos and sheep as well. A tent was erected for the services and the sound of music never ceased. It went on like this for several years when suddenly one day that woman who had forgotten her biscuits heard of the doings. When she explained what had happened, people stopped going to» — cierra el cuento de las galletas: corre la voz de que frotar la cabeza o el vientre de la estatua cura, acuden desde mil millas con pollos, carne seca, búfalos y ovejas, y todo termina cuando la mujer se entera y explica lo que pasó.

«The masses are prone to perspicacity in minor facts, but to stupidity in the major ones. On learning about the rules for protracting years and enjoying Fullness of Life, they unanimously dub the claims spurious, yet they delight in be¬ lieving in the base and groundless, the ghosts and marvels that make people beat drums, dance, pray, and offer sacri¬ fices.» — Ko Hung resume el diagnóstico de esos cuatro cuentos: la mayoría es perspicaz en lo menor y estúpida en lo mayor, tiene por espurias las reglas de la Plenitud de Vida y goza creyendo en lo bajo y sin fundamento.

«Ko: People of this type either have hidden qualities and good deeds that have attracted good fortune, or they have received a fundamentally long allotment of life, which makes it difficult for them to age and lets them approach death slowly. Or else they may be just lucky. Not meeting 8b with disaster may be compared with the fate of birds and animals passed over by hunting parties, or of the grasses and» — Ko Hung explica a los longevos que no saben nada del proceso divino por tres causas: cualidades ocultas y buenas obras que atrajeron fortuna, una porción de vida fundamentalmente larga, o simple suerte.

«Alone essential for the protection of our persons and the banishing of harm are the adherence to the prohibitions that protect our bodies and the wearing of the amulets and swords inscribed with heaven-writing. Sacrifices and prayers are of no help.» — Ko Hung enuncia lo único que tiene por eficaz para protegerse: las prohibiciones que guardan el cuerpo y los amuletos y espadas inscritos con escritura del cielo, y no los sacrificios ni las oraciones.

«It is possible to dispel a certain amount of evil and moderate bad luck by contemplating and holding fast to God (the Mystery, the One), by holding something brilliant in the mouth, or drawing a circle about one’s person, but these things will not protract our lives nor cure constitutional ill¬ ness.» — Ko Hung gradúa lo que esas prácticas menores sí pueden: disipar algo de mal y moderar la mala suerte contemplando a Dios, teniendo algo brillante en la boca o trazando un círculo alrededor, pero no alargar la vida ni curar la enfermedad de constitución.

«Interlocutor: Which has the priority, Confucianism or Taoism ? Ko: Taoism is the very trunk of Confucianism, but Con¬ fucianism is only a branch of Taoism.» — abre el capítulo décimo, Clarifying the Basic, con la pregunta por la prioridad de las dos escuelas y la respuesta que ordena el capítulo: el taoísmo es el tronco mismo del confucianismo y el confucianismo solo una rama del taoísmo.

«My uncle felt that the arts of the prognosticators (Yin-Yang School) had so many taboos that they frightened people, whereas Confucianism, although encyclopedic, did not contain all the essentials, and caused much hard work with but few results. He felt that Mohism was hard to follow because it was so parsimonious; one should not practice it exclusively. He felt that the Legalists were too strict and lacking in graciousness; it harmed or destroyed the human ideal and propriety.» — voz del tío de Ko Hung, citada por él, con el juicio sobre las escuelas: los pronosticadores asustan con tabúes, el confucianismo es enciclopédico y sin lo esencial, el mohismo es difícil por parco y los legalistas son estrictos y sin gracia.

«Taoism includes all the good found in Confucianism and Mohism, embraces the essentials of the Logicians and Legalists, moves with the seasons, and adapts to all creation. Its directions are concise and its variations clear; its duties are few, but results abound.» — sigue el juicio del tío: el taoísmo incluye todo lo bueno del confucianismo y del mohismo, abarca lo esencial de lógicos y legalistas, se mueve con las estaciones, y tiene direcciones concisas, deberes pocos y resultados abundantes.

«Chinese use of the word Tao [God, etc.] is not restricted to the nurturing of life. The Changes (HYI, indexed ed., 49, Shuo 2) reads: “The terms yin and yang denote Process as establishing heaven; the terms soft and hard, as establishing earth; the terms human ideal and propriety, as establishing man.”» — Ko Hung acota el uso chino de la palabra Tao contra una lectura estrecha: no se restringe a nutrir la vida, y cita el Changes, donde yin y yang, blando y duro, e ideal humano y propiedad son el Proceso que establece cielo, tierra y hombre.

«It is merely that Taoism holds firmly to the trunk (the basic), while Confucianism governs the branches (petty details).» — Ko Hung repite la fórmula del tronco y las ramas con los glosados del traductor: el taoísmo se aferra al tronco, que es lo básico, y el confucianismo gobierna las ramas, que son los detalles menudos.

«God is the power that fashions all individuals, forming the two symbols (the whole and the broken lines), enwombing all creation, and brewing all the rules and norms.» — Ko Hung define a Dios como potencia formadora: modela a todos los individuos, forma los dos símbolos, engendra la creación entera y fragua todas las reglas y normas.

«In his day, however, Li K’uan was adjudged old, so he did become old; he was seen dead, so he did die.» — Ko Hung aplica a Li K'uan la regla que él mismo había dado: se lo tuvo por viejo y lo fue, se lo vio muerto y murió.

«If it is claimed that according to the rule for geniehood he should have attained release as a corpse, why did he not simply remain among men for a century or two, maintaining his present age without growing old, after which he could have departed? This does not mean that there is no divine process in the world leading to geniehood, but only that Li K’uan was not the right type of individual.» — Ko Hung objeta la defensa de los discípulos con una pregunta de calendario: si le tocaba la liberación por el cadáver, por qué no permaneció entre los hombres un siglo o dos sin envejecer antes de partir.

«Seven or eight years later the fishmonger again came that way and, on passing the shrine, stopped and asked the» — cierra el cuento del pescado: el buhonero vuelve siete u ocho años después, se detiene ante el santuario y pregunta por su razón.

«When they told him the whole story, he remarked, “That was only my fish. What was there miraculous about it?” Thereupon, all the furor died down.» — el buhonero oye la historia, declara que era solo su pescado y pregunta qué tenía de milagroso, y con eso se apaga todo el furor.

«While a Mr. Ma was prefect of Hsing-ku [W. Kueichou], an old friend took refuge with him for help.» — abre el cuarto cuento, el único con fraude deliberado: un prefecto a quien un viejo amigo acude en busca de ayuda.

«It probably indicates that the world is being governed according to God if the proper thing is done without prior discussion, trust prevails without formal agreement, there is firmness without bonds, success without planning, zeal with¬ out rewards, obedience without punishments, acquiring without seeking, ceasing without prohibition, the sovereign is not found too heavy-handed, one leads without frighten¬ ing, attitudes change before a cry is raised, and habits are reformed before the orders are issued.» — Ko Hung da los signos del gobierno según Dios, todos por ausencia: lo debido sin discusión previa, confianza sin acuerdo formal, firmeza sin ataduras, celo sin premios, obediencia sin castigos y reforma de costumbres antes de dar las órdenes.

«The clearer the laws, the more numerous the thieves. The more numerous the treaties, the more frequent the revolts.» — Ko Hung enuncia la ley inversa de la decadencia: cuanto más claras las leyes, más numerosos los ladrones, y cuantos más tratados, más frecuentes las revueltas.

«With illness and plague arising, witch doctors are held in high esteem. God and natural living being in a decline, Confucianism and Mohism are elevated. From a consideration of these facts you can decide for yourself whether Confucianism or Taoism has priority.» — Ko Hung cierra el argumento sobre la prioridad de las dos escuelas ligándolas a la decadencia: al surgir enfermedad y peste se estiman los hechiceros, y al decaer Dios y la vida natural se elevan el confucianismo y el mohismo.

«Interlocutor: Formerly, Ch’ih-sung tzu, Wang Ch’iao, Ch’in Kao, Lao Tan (8.161), Old P’eng, Wu-ch’eng tzu, and Yu-hua tzu were all God’s Men, and they all held official positions in their day, with no urge to stray afar. Beginning with the era following them, however, all the gentlemen involved with God rushed to break with everyday life and lived as hermits. Why?» — el Interlocutor plantea la cuestión histórica del capítulo: los antiguos Hombres de Dios tenían cargos y no se alejaban, y los posteriores rompieron con la vida cotidiana y se hicieron ermitaños.

«Branding gods and genii as false, some said that such doctrines confused the masses; others, that it engendered revolt in the crowd. The result was that gentle¬ men of the highest type were ashamed to dwell within such a society.» — Ko Hung nombra las dos acusaciones que produjeron el retiro: que la doctrina confunde a las masas y que engendra revuelta, hasta que los caballeros del tipo más alto se avergonzaron de vivir en tal sociedad.

«When the watery deep is exhausted and the pools have lost their water, the horned dragon can no longer find a place to swim. Where nests are destroyed and eggs stolen, the phoenix cannot perch. Where there is idle (chu) talk at home, the darting green gulls (ch’u) do not descend (Lieh 2.17). Where the grass is cut in the spring, mushrooms do not flourish.» — Ko Hung ilustra el retiro con cuatro imágenes de hábitat destruido: el dragón cornudo sin poza donde nadar, el fénix sin nido donde posarse, las gaviotas que no bajan donde hay charla ociosa y los hongos que no prosperan donde se siega la hierba.

«God does not exist solely in the forests, but those wishing to cultivate God are obliged to enter mountains and forests because they must get far away from the fats and biles of society and enjoy the purity of these secluded places.» — Ko Hung acota su propia doctrina del retiro: Dios no existe solo en los bosques, y quien quiere cultivarlo se ve obligado a entrar en montes y bosques para alejarse de las grasas y las bilis de la sociedad.

«Similarly, those preparing the grand remedies of gold and cinnabar, or refining the sublimed essences of the Eight Minerals, must rigidly avoid the stupid and their chatter. Normally at the sight or hearing of the worldly the spirits would not descend, and the medicines producing geniehood would fail to form. This is no minor prohibition.» — Ko Hung repite la exigencia de aislamiento para la obra material: quien prepara los grandes remedios de oro y cinabrio o refina las esencias sublimadas de los Ocho Minerales debe evitar rígidamente a los estúpidos y su charla.

«It is sometimes said that gentlemen of the highest type achieve the divine process in the army (cf. 18.462); those of the intermediate type achieve it at the capital; but the lowest type must acquire it in the mountains and forests.» — Ko Hung consigna un escalafón que reparte la práctica por lugar: los caballeros del tipo más alto alcanzan el proceso divino en el ejército, los del intermedio en la capital y los del más bajo en montes y bosques.

«Interlocutor: You have certainly made it clear that Taoism is the source and trunk, and that Confucianism constitutes the branches and the stream. Today, then, what are the remaining differences between them ?» — el Interlocutor concede la tesis del tronco y la rama y pregunta qué diferencias quedan hoy entre las dos escuelas.

«Ko: Instruction regarding mounting and descending steps and bowing low and looking up; the three thousand cere¬ monials governing gyration; the arts of defense, offense, advance, and retreat; the regulations that make light of the person but stress propriety; matters of joy, grief, rituals, and music; plans for regulating the world and helping the people — these are the preoccupations of the Confucianists.» — Ko Hung enumera lo que ocupa a los confucianistas: la instrucción del subir y bajar escalones, los tres mil ceremoniales del giro, las artes de la defensa y el ataque y los planes para regular el mundo.

«The business of the Taoists, on the other hand, consists of these: to reject specialization in worldly matters; to wash away all trickeries; to forget wealth and neglect honors; to block repression and encourage free expression; not to be concerned about the loss of everything; not to glory in suc¬ cess; not to be saddened by denigration; and to take no delight in praise.» — Ko Hung enumera lo que ocupa a los taoístas, todo por sustracción: rechazar la especialización en asuntos del mundo, lavar las trampas, olvidar la riqueza, no afligirse por la pérdida ni gloriarse del éxito, no entristecerse por la difamación ni deleitarse en el elogio.

«Confucianists offer sacrifice to pray for good fortune; Taoists walk in rectitude to exorcize evil. Confucianists dote on the advantage of power; Taoists treasure freedom from covetousness. Confucianists thirst after the advantages of renown; Taoists embrace God (the One) to improve themselves individually. Confucianists teach written rules for mutual grinding; Taoists practice the teaching of prohibitions that banish worldly interests.» — Ko Hung ordena en cuatro pares la oposición de las dos escuelas: los confucianistas sacrifican para pedir fortuna y los taoístas andan en rectitud para exorcizar el mal; aquellos ansían las ventajas del renombre y estos abrazan a Dios para mejorarse.

«These are the reasons Taoism is lord over all the other schools of thought; the original progenitor of the human ideal and propriety. So much for the question of the differences between it and Confucianism. There can be no interchanging of head and tail; the one is exalted, the other soiled.» — Ko Hung cierra la comparación sin posibilidad de intercambio: el taoísmo es señor de todas las demás escuelas y progenitor original del ideal humano y la propiedad, y no cabe intercambiar cabeza y cola.

«Interlocutor: Confucianism is synonymous with the teach¬ ings of Duke of Chou and Confucius. Its scriptures are the Six Classics; these may be said to be a means for keeping order in the world and preserving orthodoxy and a guide¬ line for action that will establish a person. Their use is of long standing and the tasks they impose are honorable. Their doings are significant, and their language is beautiful. They constitute an undeviating system for governing a state or household.» — el Interlocutor defiende el confucianismo por su utilidad pública: sus escrituras son los Seis Clásicos, sirven para el orden del mundo y la ortodoxia, y forman un sistema sin desviaciones para gobernar un Estado o una casa.

«On the other hand, Taoists provide no scheme for teaching ceremony; they have no regard for the general arrangement of social relationships and duties. They associ¬ ate with foxes and sloths in the bush and marshes; their companions are the monkeys and apes in the forests and on the slopes of mountains.» — el Interlocutor describe a los taoístas por lo que les falta y por su compañía: sin esquema para enseñar la ceremonia, sin respeto por las relaciones sociales, y con zorros, perezosos, monos y simios por compañeros.

«Yellow Emperor and Lao Tan took God as fundamental to the creation of things and valued natural living as a means of enjoying Fullness of Life.» — Ko Hung enuncia lo que sus dos fundadores pusieron por base: Dios como fundamento de la creación de las cosas y la vida natural como medio de gozar la Plenitud de Vida.

«Furthermore, much is not written down; an altar is mounted, blood is drunk, and oral directions are transmitted.» — Ko Hung describe el régimen de transmisión de esos textos: mucho no se escribe, se sube a un altar, se bebe sangre y las instrucciones se pasan oralmente.

«The meaning of these texts and communications is profound and comes from afar. Even though a man were to acquire the writings, he would not understand either head or tail of them without the help of a teacher.» — Ko Hung fija el límite del texto sin maestro: aunque alguien consiguiera los escritos, no entendería ni su cabeza ni su cola sin la ayuda de un maestro.

«In Shen-nung’s Classic (cf. 14^6) we read: “Medicines of the highest type put the human body at ease and protract life so that people ascend and become gods in heaven, soar up and down in the air, and have all the spirits at their service. Their bodies grow feathers and wings, and the Traveling Canteen comes whenever they wish.”» — abre el capítulo undécimo, The Genie's Pharmacopoeia, con la voz del Clásico de Shen-nung: las medicinas del tipo más alto aligeran el cuerpo y alargan la vida, hasta que la gente asciende y se vuelve dios en el cielo, le brotan plumas y alas y tiene a los espíritus a su servicio.

«Medium-grade medicines nurture life. Lowgrade medicines banish illness and prevent poisonous insects from attacking and savage beasts from harming us. They immobilize bad vapors, and put evil influence to flight.» — el Clásico de Shen-nung reparte los otros dos grados: las medicinas medias nutren la vida y las bajas destierran la enfermedad, impiden que los insectos venenosos ataquen e inmovilizan los vapores malos; el impreso parte *Low-grade* a fin de renglón y la extracción por programa lo une en *Lowgrade*.

«When our persons are ruled and the state is governed according to God, the planets maintain their courses and yin and yang their balance, the four seasons have their character¬ istic temperatures, and the winds and rains do not turn disastrous.» — Ko Hung describe lo que ocurre cuando persona y Estado se gobiernan según Dios: los planetas guardan sus cursos, yin y yang su equilibrio, las estaciones sus temperaturas propias y los vientos y las lluvias no se vuelven desastrosos.

«When everything sparkles, how¬ ever, and there is light from on high, the crops mature, plagues do not spread, disasters do not arise, moats and ramparts need not be prepared, and there is no resort to arms.» — sigue la descripción del buen gobierno: los cultivos maduran, las plagas no se extienden, los desastres no surgen, no hace falta preparar fosos ni murallas y no se recurre a las armas.

«in those days believed in God studied God assiduously, while the nonbelievers maintained silence. Slander of God never passed their lips; there were no sadistic hearts in the breasts of those days. That is the only reason God’s Men moved sedately among the people in those days and did not hasten to mount into the empyrean.» — Ko Hung explica el retiro posterior por el clima de opinión: en la antigüedad quien creía estudiaba con ahínco y quien no callaba, sin calumnia ni corazones sádicos, y por eso los Hombres de Dios se movían despacio entre la gente.

«At the top of the genie’s pharmacopoeia stands cinnabar. Second comes gold; third, silver; fourth, excrescences; fifth, the jades; sixth, mica; seventh, pearls; eighth, realgar; ninth, brown hematite; tenth, conglomerated brown hema¬ tite; eleventh, quartz; twelfth, rock crystal; thirteenth, geodes; fourteenth, sulphur; fifteenth, wild honey; and sixteenth, laminar malachite.» — el capítulo undécimo abre con el escalafón entero de la farmacopea del genio, encabezado por el cinabrio y seguido del oro, la plata, las excrecencias, los jades, la mica, las perlas y el rejalgar.

«There are five types of excrescences: rock, wood, herb, flesh, and the tiny, and each of them has almost a hundred species.» — Ko Hung ordena las excrecencias en cinco tipos, de roca, madera, hierba, carne y diminutas, cada uno con cerca de cien especies.

«always approaching from the east using Yii’s Pace (i6a) and with your vital breaths well re¬ tained. When you gather a rock that resembles a mushroom, grind it with a pestle for 36,000 blows, and take three inch-square spoonfuls per day.» — el modo prescrito de recolección: acercarse desde el este con el Paso de Yü y el aliento vital retenido, y moler el hallazgo con treinta y seis mil golpes de mano de mortero.

«There is an in¬ scription in tadpole writing on Rock House, reading “ Anyone taking one peck of this rock-honey will live for ten thousand years.”» — muestra de las excrecencias de roca: la miel de piedra de la Casa de Piedra, con su inscripción en escritura de renacuajo que promete diez mil años a quien tome un peck.

«A thousand-year-old dead tree will have a root under it resembling a seated man seven inches tall. When this is cut, blood will ooze forth; if the soles of your feet are smeared with this, you will be able to walk on streams without sinking. If your nose is smeared with it, a stream will open a passage for you so that you can stay at the bottom. If your whole body is smeared, you will be invisible; to become visible again, merely wipe it off. This blood can also cure illnesses.» — muestra de las excrecencias de madera: la raíz bajo un árbol muerto milenario, con forma de hombre sentado, que al cortarla mana sangre con la que se camina sobre las aguas, se respira en el fondo o se vuelve uno invisible.

«The self-shaking variety of herb excrescence moves of itself even when there is no wind. Its stem is the size of a finger and red as cinnabar. Its leaves normally resemble Amaranthus. At its roots there is a large mass the size of a quart measure with twelve smaller globules the size of chicken eggs completely surrounding the main root like the twelve signs of the zodiac. Extending from these for a distance of about ten feet there are thin filaments like white hairs, all connecting with one another. It grows along the deep ravines of high mountains, where the surrounding areas have no other vegetation.» — muestra de las excrecencias de hierba: la variedad que se mueve sola aun sin viento, con tallo rojo como cinabrio y doce glóbulos que rodean la raíz principal como los doce signos del zodiaco.

«The ten-thousand-year-old hoptoad is said to have horns on its head, while under its chin there is a double-tiered figure 8 written in red. It must be captured at noon on the fifth day of the fifth moon and dried in the shade for a hundred days. A line drawn on the ground with its left root will become a running stream. When its left foreleg is carried on the person, it will ward off all types of weapons. If an enemy shoots at you, the bow and arrow will both turn against the archer.» — muestra de las excrecencias de carne: el sapo de diez mil años, con cuernos y un ocho doble escrito en rojo bajo la barbilla, que se captura al mediodía del quinto día de la quinta luna.

«If in the mountains you should come across a little man seven or eight inches tall riding in a palanquin or on a horse, it will be a flesh excrescence. By seizing and taking it you will immediately become a genie.» — muestra extrema del catálogo: el hombrecito de siete u ocho pulgadas que se encuentra en las montañas montado en palanquín o a caballo es una excrecencia de carne, y tomarlo hace genio de inmediato.

«Entrance into the famous mountains in search of ex¬ crescences and herbs must be either during the third or ninth moons (17.1011), these being the months when the moun¬ tains are open and produce the divine medicines.» — Ko Hung fija el calendario de la recolección: solo la tercera y la novena lunas, que son los meses en que las montañas están abiertas y producen las medicinas divinas.

«The ordinary processors, however, are not particularly intelligent. In them, character is low and high quality slight. They do not know the art of entering mountains. One may have pictures, but if the shapes are not known it is utterly impossible to find the excrescences. All mountains, whether large or small, contain ghosts and gods which withhold these things from people, so it would be possible to be walking right over them without seeing them.» — Ko Hung explica por qué los practicantes comunes no encuentran nada: no saben el arte de entrar en las montañas, y aunque tengan las láminas no reconocen las formas.

«There are five sorts of mica, between which people cannot usually distinguish. The only method is to examine them against the sun for color and look carefully at them like a diviner.» — Ko Hung da el método de distinguir las cinco micas: examinarlas al sol por su color y mirarlas con cuidado como un adivino, porque a la sombra los colores no se disciernen.

«If taken for one year, it will banish all illnesses. If taken for three years, it will restore youth to an old man. If taken steadily for five years, it will make possible the employment of ghosts and gods, entering fire without being burned, entering water without getting wet, walking on thorns without being hurt, and acquaintance with genii.» — la escala de efectos de la mica por años de toma: al año destierra todas las enfermedades, a los tres devuelve la juventud al viejo y a los cinco permite emplear a fantasmas y dioses y entrar en el fuego sin quemarse.

«Other things decay when buried and burn when placed in fire, but when the micas are placed in a raging fire they do not burn at all even after a prolonged time, and they do not decay after long burial. Therefore they can confer Full¬ ness of Life.» — Ko Hung aplica a la mica el mismo argumento de estabilidad que al oro: no arde en fuego vivo ni se corrompe enterrada, y por eso puede conferir la Plenitud de Vida.

«It is also said that if you take mica for ten years a cloud will always hover above you; this is quite natural, for by taking the mother (mu of yun-mu, literally cloud mother, the common term for mica) one attracts her son.» — Ko Hung consigna una razón de nombre y no de materia: se dice que a los diez años de tomar mica una nube ronda siempre sobre uno, y es natural, porque al tomar a la madre se atrae al hijo.

«Fairies are characterized by a piece of yellow jade the size of a grain of millet on their noses. Only such are the true fairies. When this distinguishing mark is missing, it shows that there is only a ghost testing human beings.» — Ko Hung da la marca por la que se distingue un hada verdadera de un fantasma que pone a prueba: un trozo de jade amarillo del tamaño de un grano de mijo en la nariz.

«Jade Classic reads: “The man taking gold will last as long as gold; the one taking jade will last as long as jade. . . . The life of the man taking Mysterious-and-True will never culminate.”» — voz del Clásico del Jade citada por Ko Hung, con el principio de la semejanza: quien toma oro durará tanto como el oro y quien toma jade durará tanto como el jade.

«But having no clear understanding of its rules and taboos, he assembled tablets, rings, and circular plaques of jade, as well as large quantities of sword ornaments, and was on the point of nibbling, preparing, or taking them. After I had explained to him that all those were useless, he sighed, “In all matters one must be careful about the essential details, for otherwise there is not only no benefit, but one can almost incur disaster.”» — Ko Hung cuenta el caso de Wu Yen-chih como advertencia y le deja la última palabra: reunió tablillas, anillos y adornos de espada de jade para tomarlos, y tras la explicación reconoció que sin cuidado en los detalles esenciales casi se incurre en desastre.

«listed in The Herbal (Pen ts'ao) have the same names as other herbs of less efficacy. One must take care to distinguish between them.» — Ko Hung advierte del riesgo de homonimia en la materia médica: muchas medicinas del Pen ts'ao llevan el mismo nombre que hierbas de menos eficacia y hay que cuidarse de distinguirlas.

«Jade can be dissolved in black rice wine or Sanguisorba ioa wine. It can also be crystallized with pigweed solution. It can be nibbled in the form of pills, or it can be heated and powdered. After you have taken it for a year or more you will not become wet when entering streams, nor will you burn when entering fire. Sharp things will not cut you, and nothing poisonous will harm you.» — el modo de tomar el jade y sus efectos al año: disuelto en vino negro de arroz o cristalizado con solución de cenizo, hace que no se moje uno al entrar en las corrientes ni se queme en el fuego.

«In the mountains of Li-hsien, in Nan-yang [Honan], is Sweet Valley River, whose water is sweet because the sur¬ rounding hillsides produce sweet chrysanthemums, and the petals, falling into the water for ages, have affected its taste.» — Ko Hung explica el agua dulce del río del Valle Dulce por los crisantemos de las laderas, cuyos pétalos llevan siglos cayendo en ella.

«The inhabitants of this valley dig no wells but drink this water and live to a ripe old age. The maximum runs to hundred and forty or hundred and fifty years; the minimum to eighty or ninety. None die prematurely, and it is all due to the potency of this water.» — el caso del Valle Dulce como prueba empírica: sus habitantes no cavan pozos, beben esa agua y llegan a los ciento cuarenta o ciento cincuenta años, con un mínimo de ochenta o noventa y sin muertes prematuras.

«They could not benefit from it, however, to the same extent as the inhabitants of the valley. Theirs were only minimal benefits from the drinking of this water.» — Ko Hung acota el resultado de los tres altos funcionarios que se hacían llevar cuarenta tinajas mensuales de esa agua: no se beneficiaron tanto como los del valle y solo tuvieron beneficios mínimos.

«These descriptive epithets are all very fine, but those taking this medicine these days find it practically ineffective, for they simply cannot obtain the true chrysanthemum any more.» — Ko Hung explica el fracaso contemporáneo de esa medicina por la materia y no por el método: los epítetos de las recetas son excelentes y ya no se consigue el crisantemo verdadero.

«Then, be¬ coming suspicious of the deep redness of the well water, they did some digging around it and came upon several dozen vats of cinnabar that had been buried there by men of old only a few feet away from the well. Seepage from this cinnabar had been entering the well via springs, and those who drank of the well had, in consequence, enjoyed great longevity.» — Ko Hung cuenta el caso de la familia Liao, que su abuelo conoció de prefecto: la longevidad de la casa venía de varias tinajas de cinabrio enterradas junto al pozo, cuya filtración entraba al agua.

«When asked for his prescription, the genie re¬ plied, “This is only pine resin, very abundant on this mountain. Just refine this substance and take it, and you will enjoy Fullness of Life and immortality.”» — voz del genio que cura al leproso Chao Ch'ü, en el relato más largo del capítulo: la medicina era solo resina de pino, abundantísima en esa montaña.

«His contemporaries who heard of his success in taking pine resin then vied with one another in taking it. Those with many workers transported it in carts and by muleback to fill their homes with it. Having taken it disinterestedly, they felt no benefit in less than a month and then desisted. This is how difficult it is to find people with will power!» — Ko Hung cierra el relato de Chao Ch'ü con la moraleja que le interesa: sus contemporáneos se lanzaron a tomar resina de pino, la tomaron sin interés, no sintieron beneficio en un mes y desistieron.

«I was on the point of dying when an old man taught me how to eat the leaves and fruits of pines. At first it was bitter and un¬ pleasant, but I gradually grew used to it until it produced lack of hunger and thirst. In the winter I suffered no cold, and in summer I felt no heat.”» — voz de la concubina de Ch'in capturada por cazadores dos siglos después: un anciano le enseñó a comer hojas y frutos de pino, al principio amargos, hasta que dejó de tener hambre y sed y no sintió frío ni calor.

«The Genii Classics state that although several centuries of life may be acquired by taking the leaves of certain plants and trees, it is quite impossible to attain geniehood while ignorant of divine cinnabar.» — voz de los Clásicos de los Genios que fija el límite de todo el capítulo: por hojas de plantas y árboles se ganan siglos de vida, pero no cabe alcanzar la condición de genio sin el cinabrio divino.

«On the basis of this statement we can realize that plants and trees only protract life but they are not medicines producing Fullness of Life. They may only be taken to keep oneself whole until the elixir has been successfully prepared.» — Ko Hung saca la consecuencia y subordina su propia farmacopea: plantas y árboles solo alargan la vida y sirven para mantenerse entero hasta que el elixir esté preparado.

«When I asked Cheng Yin the reason for this, he replied that the explanation was quite simple: If you want to attack illness with your medicine, it will be easier for the potency of the medicine to operate before meals while the interior is empty. If taken after meals its potency would be consumed in attacks against the starches.» — voz de Cheng Yin explicando a su discípulo por qué la medicina curativa va antes de comer: con el interior vacío la potencia obra con más facilidad y después de comer se gastaría atacando los almidones.

«Only in the case of the great medicines gold and cinnabar is there no need for all this talk about requisites.» — Ko Hung exceptúa expresamente a las dos grandes medicinas de toda esa casuística: con el oro y el cinabrio no hacen falta requisitos.

«Yus Pace: Advance left foot, then pass it with the right. Bring the left up to the right foot. Advance right foot, then pass it with the left. Bring the right up to the left foot. Advance left foot, then pass it with the right. Bring the left up to the right foot. In this way three paces are made, a total of 21 linear feet, and nine footprints will be made (17.5123).» — Ko Hung describe el Paso de Yü que las recetas piden sin explicar: tres pasos que suman veintiún pies lineales y dejan nueve huellas.

«Ko: A sage does not necessarily become a genie, just as a genie does not necessarily become a sage.» — abre el capítulo duodécimo, The Discussion Period, con la separación de los dos tipos: un sabio no se vuelve necesariamente genio ni un genio, necesariamente sabio.

«When your fate is classified under the agent earth you should not take green [=blue] (wood) medicine; under metal, no red (fire) medicine; under wood, no white (metal) medicine; under water, no yellow (earth) medicine; under fire, no black (water) medicine;» — Ko Hung aplica el ciclo de los Cinco Agentes a la elección del color de la medicina según el destino de cada quien, prohibiendo a cada clasificación el color del agente que la somete.

«The genii, on the other hand, need only be of firm resolution and high sincerity. If they are zealous and do not ib slacken; if they can be calm and quiet, their goal is easily achieved without awaiting an increase in their resources.» — Ko Hung contrapone la economía de las dos vías: al genio le basta resolución firme, sinceridad alta, celo sin flaqueza y calma, y su meta se alcanza sin esperar un aumento de recursos.

«Further, those popularly known as sages were all sages in the art of government, not sages in the art of obtaining the divine process. Those of the latter sort were Yellow Emperor and Lao Tan; those of the former, the Duke of Chou and Confucius.» — Ko Hung introduce la distinción que ordena el capítulo: los llamados sabios lo eran en el arte de gobernar, no en el de obtener el proceso divino.

«Yellow Emperor did not mount to geniehood until he had first restored order to his generation. This means he was a man who uniquely had the capacity to combine these two opposing activities. Of all the emperors and kings of old there are only seventy-two whose names we can read cut into the rock of Mount T’ai; the others whose names have become obliterated are legion, but it is only of Yellow Emperor that there is any record that geniehood was attained. This fact is supported by all the evidence.» — Ko Hung sitúa al Emperador Amarillo como el único caso que combina las dos capacidades opuestas, y mide su rareza: de los emperadores y reyes antiguos solo setenta y dos nombres se leen aún en la roca del monte T'ai, y solo de él se registra que alcanzara la condición de genio.

«Accordingly, in the expanded meaning that I would im¬ part to the word, the title sage is not restricted to political activity alone. Pan Shu and Mo Ti are the Sages of Mechanization. Yu Fu, Ch’in Yueh-jen, Ho, and Huan are Sages of Healers. Tzu-wei and Kan Te are Sages of Astro¬ logy. Astrologer Su and Hsin Liao are Sages of Divination by Tortoise and Milfoil. Hsia Yu and Tu Hui are Sages of Muscle-work. Ching K’o and Nieh Cheng are Sages of Courage. Flying Lien and K’ua-fu are Sages of Footracing. Maestros K’uang and Yen-chou are Sages of Singing. Sun Wu, Wu Ch’i, Han Hsin, and Pai Ch’i are Sages of Military Strategy.» — Ko Hung extiende el título a toda destreza: sabios de la mecanización, de los sanadores, de la astrología, de la adivinación por tortuga y milenrama, de la fuerza, del coraje, de la carrera, del canto y de la estrategia militar.

«Chuang Chou (10.11—) has said, “Among thieves you will also find five of the sage’s procedures: They know intuitively where people’s treasures are hidden: this is intel¬ ligence. They do not hesitate to enter the homes of others: this is bravery. After leaving those homes they are not afraid: this is propriety. They differentiate between the possible and the impossible: this is wisdom. They divide the booty fairly among themselves: this is the human ideal in action. No¬ body has ever become a great robber without following these procedures.”» — voz de Chuang Chou citada por Ko Hung para probar que la sabiduría es divisible: entre los ladrones se hallan también cinco procedimientos del sabio, y nadie ha llegado a gran salteador sin seguirlos.

«Why then should only those who are sufficiently expert in relation to God and natural living to be able to summon the gods and genii be denied the title of Sages-who-have-attained-God ? If there are no sages in the attainment of God, neither can the Duke of Chou and Confucius be considered sages in the art of government.» — Ko Hung saca la consecuencia que perseguía: si se niega el título de Sabios-que-han-alcanzado-a-Dios a los expertos en Dios y la vida natural, tampoco el Duque de Chou y Confucio pueden ser sabios en el arte de gobernar.

«The genii classics hold that all who attain geniehood were so predestined; they merely happened to be granted the potential for divinity and geniehood; it was spontaneously conferred upon them. Therefore, already in the womb they possessed a nature that believed in God. When they had acquired some knowledge, their hearts and minds were drawn toward such matters as these, so all they needed was to encounter an enlightened teacher and acquire his method. Otherwise, they would not have believed and they would not have sought, and if they had sought they would not have found.» — voz de los clásicos de los genios con la doctrina de la predestinación: quien alcanza la condición de genio ya traía del vientre una naturaleza que creía en Dios, y solo le faltaba encontrar un maestro iluminado.

«Generally, however, a man’s life is rooted in a predetermined fate. Chang Ch’e-tzu’s exposition of this problem is correct.» — el mismo texto cierra la lista de asterismos con su regla general: la vida de un hombre está enraizada en un destino predeterminado.

«From antiquity down to the present there have been highly talented and intelligent persons who did not believe in the existence of geniehood; there have also been many very ordinary persons who attained genie¬ hood by study.» — Ko Hung consigna la asimetría que esa doctrina explica: ha habido gente talentosa e inteligente que no creyó en la condición de genio, y mucha gente muy ordinaria que la alcanzó por el estudio.

«Taoists prize and keep secret the recipes leading to genie¬ hood. They take pains in selecting the very best pupils, and only after a very long time do they give them the all» — Ko Hung describe la economía del secreto entre los taoístas: guardan las recetas, escogen con esmero a los mejores alumnos y solo tras mucho tiempo les dan las instrucciones orales.

«When sages do not eat, they get hungry; when they do not drink, they get thirsty. If burned, they feel the heat; when it is freezing they feel cold. When struck they feel pain; when knifed they are wounded. After many years they grow old; when harmed they become ill. When their breaths are exhausted, they die. This means that there are many things in which they do not differ from people in general, even though there are a few things in which they do differ from others.» — Ko Hung reduce a los sabios a la condición común: tienen hambre y sed, sienten el calor y el frío, duelen al golpe, envejecen con los años y mueren cuando sus alientos se agotan.

«They surpass others solely in talent, depth of thought, facility of speech, lofty literary style, wholeness of excellence, purity of conduct, good advice, and broad learning.» — Ko Hung enumera en qué sí superan los sabios a los demás: talento, hondura de pensamiento, facilidad de palabra, estilo literario elevado, excelencia entera, pureza de conducta, buen consejo y saber amplio.

«But I feel that this is no way to instruct the world, and I suspect that if everyone knew that immortality was achievable, they would all most certainly stop providing for their families and the state, abandon entrance into official life and, mounting to dangerous peaks or swimming in the depths, devote themselves to the divine process, so that families would no longer have sons and grandsons, and the state would no longer have ministers and officials. Loyalty and filial piety would both disappear; the great system of social relationships would certainly be thrown into disorder.» — Ko Hung declara la razón social por la que no lleva más lejos ese argumento: si todos supieran alcanzable la inmortalidad, abandonarían familias, Estado y cargos, y el gran sistema de relaciones sociales se desordenaría.

«Among men, likes and dislikes vary from individual to individual. How can we disbelieve this when it shows in their faces? If something agrees with a man’s ideas, he is sure to do it no matter how minor it is. But if it disagrees with his inner gods, he will not pursue it no matter how big and important it may be.» — Ko Hung enuncia el principio de la preferencia: lo que concuerda con las ideas de un hombre lo hará por menor que sea, y lo que disgusta a sus dioses interiores no lo perseguirá por grande e importante que sea.

«Since everyone has his own preferences, how can you ask A to be like B ?» — Ko Hung cierra la serie de ejemplos de gusto contrario con la pregunta que la ordena: cada quien tiene sus preferencias y no cabe pedirle a uno que sea como otro.

«Remember, however, that just as there are places not lighted by the sun and moon, so there are things that the sages did not know.» — Ko Hung cierra el capítulo duodécimo con su fórmula sobre el silencio de los sabios: como hay lugares que el sol y la luna no alumbran, hay cosas que los sabios no supieron.

«Ko: What sort of question is that? Not a single one of them failed to carry his package of books and resort to a teacher to perform many acts of labor. They underwent frost and dangers and were combed by the wind and bathed by the rain, as they personally did sprinkling and sweeping and worked away at the art in widely separated places.» — abre el capítulo decimotercero, The Ultimate in Speech, con la respuesta a si los genios lo fueron por estudio o por dote: ni uno solo dejó de cargar su paquete de libros, acudir a un maestro y hacer personalmente el riego y el barrido.

«If found to be sincere and steadfast, their hearts and minds free from rancor and doubts, they were allowed to ascend into the hall and enter the home of their masters.» — Ko Hung describe la prueba de admisión: solo a los hallados sinceros y firmes, sin rencor ni dudas, se les permitía subir al salón y entrar en la casa de sus maestros.

«Some grew weary and stopped in midcourse; others withdrew out of resentment and dissatisfaction. Some, enticed by worldly glory and advantages, returned to engage in lay pursuits; others, won over by perverse argument, lost their will to tranquillity. Some became active in the morning and wished the task completed that same evening; others worked at their ease and expected immediate results.» — Ko Hung censa las maneras de abandonar: la fatiga a medio camino, el resentimiento, la seducción de las ventajas del mundo, el argumento perverso, y querer terminar por la tarde lo empezado por la mañana.

«my reply would remind him that seventy-two of Confucius’s followers understood him, and each of them acquired one portion of his sagehood. This proves that sagehood is divisible.» — Ko Hung objeta que la sabiduría sea indivisible con el propio caso de Confucio: setenta y dos de sus seguidores lo entendieron y cada uno adquirió una porción de su sabiduría.

«The Chu-ming-yuan section of Yu cWien ching reads, “A man’s good and bad fortunes take form on the day that the fetus is formed and receives its potential (8.7*37). All receive sperm from the asterisms above.» — voz del Yü ch'ien ching con la doctrina astral del destino: la buena y la mala fortuna de un hombre toman forma el día en que el feto se forma y recibe su potencial, y todos reciben esperma de los asterismos de arriba.

«Taoists cannot be seduced by honors, nor will they shift residence for riches. How could they willingly peddle themselves to ordinary students, saying, “I have a method for acquiring geniehood?”» — Ko Hung explica por qué el saber no se ofrece: a los taoístas no los seducen los honores ni los muda de casa la riqueza, y no van a venderse a estudiantes corrientes ofreciendo un método.

«things but it so happens that they did not, my reply is that when you cease seeking for facts in the texts and use your imagination, I can just as well claim that they were able to fly back and forth, soar to the limits of the universe, raise clouds and produce rain, move mountains and snatch off wells — only they did not. What limits are there, once you no longer restrict yourself to the facts in the texts ?» — Ko Hung devuelve el argumento de la posibilidad no ejercida: si vale decir que pudieron y no quisieron, también valdría decir que podían volar, levantar nubes y mover montañas, y solo no lo hicieron.

«thousand whose heart and mind are unmoved by the sight of wealth or beauty, and whose will is not weakened by the talk of the common herd. Therefore, those wishing to enter the path to geniehood are as numerous as the hairs on a buffalo, while the successful are as rare as the horn of the unicorn.» — Ko Hung mide la deserción con una proporción: los que quieren entrar en la vía son como los pelos de un búfalo y los que lo logran, tan raros como el cuerno del unicornio.

«A well is not dug until a spring has been reached; one step from the goal is the same as not starting at all.» — Ko Hung enuncia la regla del último tramo: un pozo no está cavado hasta dar con el manantial, y un paso antes de la meta es lo mismo que no haber empezado.

«It is with all this in mind that those who scale towering heights fear that their strength will fail as they approach the point of attainment, and those working the divine process worry that their resolution may not carry through when the prescription is succeeding.» — Ko Hung nombra el miedo propio del final: quien escala teme que le falten las fuerzas al acercarse a la cima, y quien trabaja el proceso divino teme que su resolución no aguante justo cuando la receta va saliendo.

«Those knowing a process make repairs to their breaths by coming to their rescue, in the course of which they must first revert to their original state of breathing like a fetus. After that they seek to augment its quantity in themselves.» — Ko Hung describe el orden de la reparación del aliento: primero revertir al estado original de respirar como un feto y solo después buscar aumentar su cantidad.

«It has been said, “It is not difficult to enjoy Fullness of Life; the difficulty lies in learning the divine process. It is not difficult to learn the divine process; the difficulty lies in carrying it out. It is not difficult to carry it out; the difficulty lies in persisting to the end.”» — fórmula encadenada que Ko Hung cita: no es difícil gozar la Plenitud de Vida sino aprender el proceso divino, ni aprenderlo sino llevarlo a cabo, ni llevarlo a cabo sino persistir hasta el final.

«The master carpenter can give a man his compass and square, but he cannot guarantee dexterity. An intelligent teacher can give a man a written prescription, but he cannot warrant that he will compound it.» — Ko Hung acota lo que un maestro puede dar: el carpintero entrega compás y escuadra y no garantiza destreza, y el maestro instruido entrega una receta escrita y no garantiza que se componga.

«Losses may be compared with the flame of the lamp melting the grease; nobody notices what is transpiring until suddenly the light dies. Profit is to be compared with the sowing and cultivating of plants. Before anyone realizes it, the shoots begin to appear.» — Ko Hung explica por qué la pérdida se ve y la ganancia no: la pérdida es la llama que derrite la grasa sin que nadie lo note hasta que muere la luz, y la ganancia es la siembra, que asoma antes de que nadie se dé cuenta.

«Greatness is always the result of an accumulation of little things; a million results from an accumulation of units. If you can appreciate it when it is only a promise and perfect it when it becomes evident, you are close to knowing the divine process.» — Ko Hung fija la regla del detalle: la grandeza resulta siempre de una acumulación de cosas pequeñas, y quien aprecia lo que apenas se promete y lo perfecciona cuando se hace evidente está cerca de conocer el proceso divino.

«Of old, Yellow Emperor was born with the ability to speak and had all the divinities at his command. We might say that heaven had conferred divine spontaneity upon him. Yet he was unable to acquire the divine process by merely sitting upright and doing nothing.» — Ko Hung usa al Emperador Amarillo contra la idea del don: nació hablando y con todas las divinidades a su mando, y aun así no pudo adquirir el proceso divino sentado sin hacer nada.

«Therefore, he knew all secrets, had a thorough knowledge of the processes, knew all about God (Truth), and then he rode a dragon to mount on high and be with Nature at Pinnacleless. Accordingly, the gods and genii classics are unanimous in their account that both jb Yellow Emperor and Lao Tan studied under T’ai-i-yiianchiin in order to receive his secrets. How then could those inferior to them ever attain geniehood automatically ? Impossible!» — Ko Hung cierra el catálogo de los maestros del Emperador Amarillo con su conclusión: si él tuvo que aprenderlo todo de otros, los inferiores a él no van a alcanzar la condición de genio automáticamente; el impreso parte *T'ai-i-yüan-chün* a fin de renglón y la extracción por programa lo une en *yiianchiin*.

«Ko: *Ching-shan ching and *Lung-shou chi both report that after Yellow Emperor had taken the divine cinnabar, a dragon came to meet him. The mass of state officials con¬ tinued to feel affection for him; he was never out of their thoughts. Some, therefore, built a shrine to house his tabouret and his staff, and there they made offerings. Others preserved his hat and gown by burying them.» — Ko Hung explica la tumba del Emperador Amarillo sin negar el hecho: tomado el cinabrio divino vino a buscarlo un dragón, y los funcionarios que lo echaban de menos levantaron un santuario y enterraron su gorro y su túnica.

«yet the Confucianists are unwilling to circulate marvels and blaze unorthodox paths. With their stress on ceremony, they feel that matters relative to gods and genii cannot be instructive to the people. Therefore, they say that he died merely in order to close the people’s hearts and minds.» — Ko Hung atribuye a los confucianistas un motivo pedagógico para decir que el Emperador Amarillo murió: no quieren difundir maravillas ni abrir sendas heterodoxas, y cierran así el corazón de la gente.

«Ko: *P’eng-tsu Classic reads, “Beginning with the period of Emperor K’u, when he was an aide to Yao, Old P’eng was a grand officer throughout the Hsia dynasty down to the Yin. The King of Yin sent a geisha to get from him his recipe for sexual intercourse, and tried it effectively. Then he wished to murder Old P’eng in order to terminate his disseminating the procedure further, but, suspecting this would happen, Old P’eng had disappeared. He was some 700 or 800 years old at the time.” This does not say that he died.» — voz del Clásico de P'eng-tsu citado por Ko Hung: el rey de Yin obtuvo de Old P'eng su receta sexual por medio de una geisha y luego quiso matarlo para que no la difundiera, y Old P'eng desapareció.

«Master An-ch’i used to sell medicines along the coast. The people of Lang-yeh had seen him for generations and reckoned that he was already a thousand years old.» — Ko Hung presenta a An-ch'i por el testimonio acumulado de un pueblo: vendía medicinas en la costa y la gente de Lang-yeh lo había visto por generaciones.

«He left a letter which read, “After another thousand years look for me in the P’eng-lai mountains.” This is evidence that at the time of his interview with Ch’in Shih huang-ti he was already a thousand years old. It contradicts stories of his death.» — Ko Hung cita la carta que An-ch'i dejó al emperador, citando a las montañas P'eng-lai dentro de otros mil años.

«Also, if they do not know how to wear divine amulets, observe the prohibitions, give thought to their internal gods, and preserve God (Truth-Unity: 18.263, 10), they can only prevent internal illnesses from arising and drafts and damp¬ ness from harming them.» — Ko Hung enumera lo que falta a esos practicantes: llevar amuletos divinos, observar las prohibiciones, pensar en sus dioses internos y preservar a Dios, de modo que solo evitan las enfermedades internas y el daño del aire y la humedad.

«In some cases the divine process is undertaken too late in life, when deep harm has already been done to the person and it is difficult to make the necessary amends. And if, be¬ fore the benefit of repairs takes effect, a man should suddenly again do something which can harm himself, what means is there for that man to attain Fullness of Life ?» — Ko Hung consigna el caso del que empieza tarde: el daño hondo ya está hecho y es difícil repararlo, y si antes de que la reparación surta efecto vuelve a dañarse, no hay medio de alcanzar la Plenitud de Vida.

«If you find yourself panting when you rush, your breath coming and going in gasps, and if you always become breathless when you exert yourself physically, you are in a state of breath deficiency. If your face lacks luster, your skin is dry, your lips parched, your blood vessels gray, and your features drawn, it is a sign of blood deficiency.» — Ko Hung da los signos externos de las dos deficiencias: jadear al correr y quedarse sin aliento al esforzarse indica falta de aliento, y la piel seca, los labios resecos y los vasos grises, falta de sangre.

«Notice that when a gust of wind strikes a forest the dead trees are the first to fall. When a flood hits the banks, breaks and crevices are the first to crumble. When a raging fire burns a plain, the dry grasses are the first to bum. When baskets and bowls fall, it is only the weak ones that break.» — Ko Hung ordena en cuatro imágenes su tesis sobre la enfermedad: la ráfaga tumba primero los árboles muertos, la crecida rompe primero por las grietas, el incendio quema primero la hierba seca y al caer solo se quiebran los cestos débiles.

«The genii classics tell us, therefore, that in nurturing life the vital thing is not to get wounded. This is the critical statement.» — voz de los clásicos de los genios con la frase que Ko Hung llama decisiva: al nutrir la vida lo vital es no lastimarse.

«Further, wounding occurs when our thought is troubled with things for which we lack talent; also, when we force ourselves to do lifting without the requisite strength. Sad¬ ness, decrepitude, uneasiness, and torment are wounds, as is also excessive joy. Constant covetousness wounds, as do long conversations and the telling of pointless stories. Wasting time abed, archery contests, drunkenness and its vomitings, lying down after a heavy meal, getting breathless from running, shouts of joy and weepings, abstention from sexual intercourse — all these are wounds. When wounds have been accumulated to the point of exhaustion, death soon ensues, and this is a denial of God.» — Ko Hung lista lo que hiere sin que lo parezca: pensar en lo que no se tiene talento para pensar, forzar el cuerpo sin fuerza, la tristeza, el tormento, el gozo excesivo, la codicia constante, las conversaciones largas y hasta la abstención sexual.

«Later, when, that mountain crashed, the tomb was found devoid of the corpse. It contained nothing but a sword and shoes.» — Ko Hung consigna el testimonio que ofrece la tradición sobre la tumba del Emperador Amarillo: al derrumbarse el monte, la tumba estaba sin cadáver y solo contenía una espada y unos zapatos.

«Ko: Those not acquiring gold or cinnabar but taking only herbal medicines and practicing the lesser arts, can only pro¬ tract their years or retard death. They do not attain geniehood.» — Ko Hung responde por qué mueren quienes toman medicinas y hacen los ejercicios: sin oro ni cinabrio, las hierbas y las artes menores solo alargan los años o retardan la muerte.

«The former may be old, but their original allotment of breath (potential) was abundant. In this case, the harm» — Ko Hung explica la paradoja de que el viejo logre lo que el joven no: la porción original de aliento del primero era abundante.

«Don’t overemphasize any one of the Five Savors when eating, for too much acidity harms the spleen; too much bitterness harms the lungs; too much acridity harms the liver; too much salt harms the heart; too much sugar harms the kidneys. These are merely laws of nature and the Five Agents.» — Ko Hung asigna a cada exceso de sabor el órgano que daña: el ácido al bazo, el amargo a los pulmones, lo acre al hígado, lo salado al corazón y lo dulce a los riñones, y lo declara ley de la naturaleza y de los Cinco Agentes.

«The greatest of nature’s [Heaven and Earth] acts is the begetting of life: It embodies love for creation. Therefore, of all that the Taoists revere in highest secrecy, nothing is more important than the prescriptions for attaining Fullness of Life.» — abre el capítulo decimocuarto, Seek Diligently, con la razón que da a la reserva de su escuela: el acto mayor de la naturaleza es engendrar vida, y por eso nada es más importante entre lo que los taoístas guardan en secreto.

«They transmit them only under an oath sealed with blood, and it is a crime punishable by heaven itself to com¬ municate them to the wrong type of person.» — Ko Hung fija la sanción de la transmisión indebida: se entrega solo bajo juramento sellado con sangre, y comunicarla a quien no debe es crimen castigado por el cielo mismo.

«In the natural order of things, there are crafty persons in the world scheming for money and laying false claims to the title of processor. Their number is legion.» — Ko Hung introduce a los impostores del capítulo: gente astuta que trama por dinero y se atribuye falsamente el título de processor.

«Such preachers do not have their adherents travel widely in search of the best processes and extraordinary individuals but claim that the divine process is contained wholly in their own teaching. Thus they lead astray many who were determined to search» — Ko Hung nombra el daño concreto de esos maestros falsos: no mandan a sus adeptos a buscar ampliamente los mejores procesos, sino que declaran que el proceso divino está entero en su propia enseñanza.

«A life of one hundred years is only a little more than 30,000 days. In childhood we do not yet know anything, and when the decline sets in, both contentment and joy cease. Childhood and dotage thus subtract several decades, and difficulties, worries, and ill¬ nesses follow one another in a steady succession. They take roughly half the time we spend alive.» — Ko Hung hace la cuenta de una vida: cien años son poco más de treinta mil días, la infancia y la chochez restan varias décadas, y las dificultades y enfermedades se llevan aproximadamente la mitad del tiempo vivo.

«The villager would say that in this world man loses one day every day, and like the buffalo or sheep being led away to the slaughter, every step forward brings him nearer to departure in death. This may be an unpleasant analogy, but it is factual and logical.» — Ko Hung recoge el dicho del aldeano y lo acepta pese a lo desagradable de la imagen: en este mundo el hombre pierde un día cada día, y como el búfalo o la oveja camino del matadero cada paso adelante lo acerca a la partida.

«The successful man, however, does not worry about death, not because he would not like to find a recipe for avoiding death, but because he knows that to give himself fruitless worry is no help to his affairs. He says, “Let us rejoice in heaven and accept our fates”; and this is his only reason for not worrying. It is not because he does not wish to live long.» — Ko Hung explica la serenidad del hombre logrado sin concederle indiferencia: no se preocupa por la muerte porque sabe que preocuparse no ayuda, no porque no quisiera una receta para evitarla.

«These days I notice that people who talk this way rush off for acupuncture and moxa when sick, and are quite afraid of death when confronted by danger.» — Ko Hung mide con la conducta a los que igualan vida y muerte: corren a la acupuntura y la moxa cuando enferman y temen bien la muerte ante el peligro.

«Lao Tan set as his life’s goal the achievement of Fullness of Life and lasting vision (59), while Chuang Chou stresses the dragging of one’s tail in the mud (17.84), and not being like a tortoise caught in a net (26.28) or a buffalo dressed in embroideries for the sacrifice (32.47). When he was hungry, however, he asked for grain of the Marquis of Chieh-ho (26.6); from this we know that he was unable to equate death and life.» — Ko Hung separa a sus dos autoridades taoístas: Lao Tan puso por meta la Plenitud de Vida y la visión duradera, mientras Chuang Chou insiste en arrastrar la cola en el lodo, y por pedir grano cuando tuvo hambre se ve que tampoco él igualaba muerte y vida.

«It is absolutely necessary to treat your teacher right. If teacher you cant remunerate, No way will you have to operate.» — Ko Hung enuncia en verso la regla del pago al maestro: sin remunerarlo no habrá modo de operar.

«These various gentlemen were heaped with honors, but not because they could breach walls or fight in the fields, break through an enemy’s lines and extend frontiers, fall ill and resign office, pray for a plan of confederation and give the credit to others, or possess a zeal transcending all bounds. Merely because they expounded an interpretation of one solitary classic, such were the honors lavished upon them.» — Ko Hung saca la moraleja de los emperadores que honraron a sus maestros: no los colmaron por hazañas militares ni de Estado, sino por exponer la interpretación de un solo clásico.

«In our present world people sometimes wish to try cultivating the divine process for enjoying Fullness of Life but are unwilling to humble themselves before a competent teacher. They go directly to him and ask for things of the highest importance. But how can they get them in that fashion ?» — Ko Hung describe el error de sus contemporáneos con el maestro: quieren cultivar el proceso divino sin humillarse ante un maestro competente y le piden de entrada lo de más importancia.

«At the age of thirteen Ch’en An-shih seems to have been only the son of a guest at the home of Kuan Shu-pen. Since, however, he had been first to acquire the process leading to geniehood, Kuan Shu-pen, despite his seventy years and gray hairs, would bow morning and evening to young Ch’en, saying, “God is to be honored and excellence esteemed. Being the first of us to obtain the divine process, you are the teacher, and I cannot let myself fail to observe the etiquette required of a pupil.”» — voz de Kuan Shu-pen, de setenta años y canoso, que se inclina mañana y tarde ante un muchacho de trece: Dios ha de honrarse y la excelencia estimarse, y quien obtuvo primero el proceso divino es el maestro.

«The secret directions dealing with the highest truths were often transmitted by word of mouth; at other times they were inscribed on a piece of silk eight feet by one, worn around the neck or at the waist, which was not to be ob¬ tained without passing a long probationary time with a teacher to test one’s diligence.» — Ko Hung describe el soporte físico del secreto: transmitido de viva voz o inscrito en una pieza de seda de ocho pies por uno, llevada al cuello o a la cintura, y no obtenida sin larga probación con un maestro.

«Out of the heterogeneous mass of students each one was given something depending upon the aptitude with which he used his heart and mind, the length of the hardships he underwent, the depth of his intelligence, and the discrimination of his willpower.» — Ko Hung describe el reparto desigual de la enseñanza: a cada alumno se le daba algo según su aptitud, la duración de sus penalidades, la hondura de su inteligencia y el discernimiento de su voluntad.

«But Fullness of Life depends on the great medicine; it is not to be attained by thanksgivings and libations.» — Ko Hung cierra ese tramo con la frase que separa su método del rito: la Plenitud de Vida depende de la gran medicina y no se alcanza con acciones de gracias ni libaciones.

«If they had sought diligently with equal ardor for a teacher with prescriptions, or spent as much to purchase medicines, they would certainly have acquired Fullness of Life or geniehood like the gods and other genii.» — Ko Hung propone la comparación de costos que le interesa: con el mismo ardor y el mismo gasto puestos en buscar maestro y comprar medicinas, esa gente habría alcanzado la Plenitud de Vida.

«It is like going to Ch’u (=south) via Yen (=north). Your horse may be of the best, but you do not arrive. You didn’t travel too slowly; you went the wrong way!» — Ko Hung cierra el argumento con su imagen del rumbo equivocado: ir al sur por el norte con el mejor caballo y no llegar, no por lento sino por errado.

«With my own eyes I have seen several of this type, probably a dozen or so. They sometimes give themselves high-sounding titles, claim to have been alive for genera¬ tions, sometimes three or four hundred years, but of course under different names.» — Ko Hung da su propio censo de impostores: ha visto con sus ojos a una docena, que se ponen títulos altisonantes y dicen llevar tres o cuatro siglos vivos bajo distintos nombres.

«I always notice, however, that those deceiving the world and leading it into error with a view to power and profit sooner or later get their punishment. Heaven’s net may have wide meshes, but they do not let everyone escape.» — Ko Hung consigna el límite que ve a esa impostura: los que engañan al mundo por poder y provecho reciben tarde o temprano su castigo, porque la red del cielo tiene mallas anchas y no deja escapar a todos.

«Repress anger to pre¬ serve your yin breaths; restrain your joy to nurture your yang breaths. After that, take first some herbs to relieve your defects; only then take gold or cinnabar to assure that you will never become exhausted. This constitutes the whole system for enjoying Fullness of Life.» — Ko Hung cierra el capítulo decimotercero ordenando el sistema entero: reprimir la ira para preservar los alientos yin, contener el gozo para nutrir los yang, tomar primero hierbas que reparen los defectos y solo después oro o cinabrio.

«On the other hand, I fear that if there were many believers in our day they would be unable, despite their diligence, to find enlightened teachers, for those knowing ib the highest essentials and possessing the true divine process are indeed, in the nature of things, extremely rare.» — Ko Hung consigna la escasez del otro lado: aunque hubiera muchos creyentes no hallarían maestros iluminados, porque quienes conocen lo esencial y poseen el verdadero proceso divino son por naturaleza rarísimos.

«Therefore, the superior gentleman first makes plans for life in all its fullness, after which he can do as he pleases.» — Ko Hung ordena las prioridades sin renunciar al mundo: el caballero superior planea primero la vida en su plenitud y después hace lo que le plazca.

«At the possessor’s death, however, the text of the prescription was not passed on. The result is that not one» — Ko Hung explica la pérdida del saber por la propia regla del secreto: a la muerte del poseedor el texto de la receta no se pasaba.

«When asked to do some¬ thing with the secret, they indulged in sighs and bowed from the waist as though the precious secret entrusted to them was so deep that it could not be fathomed.» — Ko Hung describe la escena del impostor: suspiros y reverencias de cintura como si el precioso secreto que le confiaron fuera demasiado hondo para sondearlo.

«If he has an intelligent teacher who wishes to observe the changes in new-comers carefully, he will be given the time test» — Ko Hung describe la prueba del tiempo: al recién llegado cuya fe no está enraizada, el maestro instruido que quiere observar sus cambios le aplica la prueba del tiempo.

«Ashamed of their ignorance and pretending that their acquaintance with things is suf¬ ficiently broad, they end by becoming unwilling to seek instruction from their betters. They ignorantly preserve their intellectual poverty and stand facing a wall.» — Ko Hung describe al practicante de renombre hueco: avergonzado de su ignorancia y fingiendo saber bastante, acaba por no querer instruirse con sus superiores y guarda su pobreza intelectual de cara a la pared.

«Also, they will not merely maintain silence but turn spiteful toward those who really possess the divine process and malign them, be¬ cause they fear that their own renown is being over¬ shadowed.» — Ko Hung nombra la conducta que esa vergüenza produce: no solo callan, sino que se vuelven rencorosos y denigran a quienes sí poseen el proceso divino por temor a quedar eclipsados.

«When studying the Five Classics it is accepted that no shame attaches to inquiring of those beneath us in order that our progress and study may be daily greater and more notable. In such ordinary arts as archery and driving, the lowly tasks of writing and calculation, the revealing work of farming and arboriculture, and skill in the use of the carpenter’s compass and square, a master must instruct us if we are to learn the various systems.» — Ko Hung invoca la propia norma confuciana contra el orgullo del practicante: en el estudio de los Cinco Clásicos no avergüenza preguntar a quienes están por debajo, y hasta en la carpintería hace falta que un maestro instruya.

«The wish to extend years and become a genie is nothing less than freeing a man from worry about death.» — Ko Hung reduce a una frase el deseo que el capítulo defiende: querer alargar los años y volverse genio no es más que librar a un hombre de la preocupación por la muerte.

«Today, we can be certain that the miscellaneous group of processors who have failed to obtain the important method of preparing gold and cinnabar will not obtain Fullness of Life. They may cure illness, raise people from the dead, go years without hunger by abstain¬ ing from starches, command ghosts and gods, disappear at will, see what is occurring a thousand miles away, foretell the prosperity and decline of others, reveal pitfalls and rises for hidden things, and know misfortune and good fortune for things that have not yet occurred, but none of these things benefits their longevity.» — Ko Hung acota el poder de los practicantes sin el oro y el cinabrio: curan enfermedades, levantan muertos, pasan años sin hambre, mandan a fantasmas y dioses, ven a mil millas y predicen, y nada de eso beneficia su longevidad.

«The Ancients used to say that our greatest asset was life. If it is quality that you would discuss, then even the rank of emperor or king is not comparable with the method for attaining life in all its fullness. If it is quantity that you would discuss, all the riches in the world are not to be exchanged for this art.» — Ko Hung cita el dicho de los Antiguos y lo traduce a las dos medidas: por calidad, ni el rango de emperador iguala el método para la vida plena, y por cantidad, todas las riquezas del mundo no lo compran.

«None of the Taoist books written by the Ancients fails to devote much energy to publishing impractical, clever talk to exalt the significance of God (the Mystery and the Un¬ differentiated). None of them, however, has studied and discussed the steps leading to Fullness of Life.» — Ko Hung acusa a la literatura de su propia escuela de un vacío exacto: todos los libros taoístas de los Antiguos publican charla ingeniosa e impracticable para exaltar a Dios y ninguno estudia los pasos que llevan a la Plenitud de Vida.

«Geniehood can be induced by study just as the two sorts of millet can be made to prosper only by sowing seed. But no man ever got fine grain without tilling it, and no man has ever attained Fullness of Life and geniehood without diligence.» — Ko Hung cierra el capítulo decimocuarto con la comparación agrícola: la condición de genio se induce por el estudio como el mijo prospera solo si se siembra, y nadie logró grano fino sin labrarlo.

«Ko: By dispensing with starches a man can only stop spending money on grains, but by that alone he cannot attain Fullness of Life.» — abre el capítulo decimoquinto, Miscellanea, acotando la práctica por la que se pregunta: dejar los almidones solo ahorra el gasto en grano y por sí solo no da la Plenitud de Vida.

«Those eating starches will be wise, but they will not live to an old age, while those eating breath will have gods and spirits within them that never die. This last, how¬ ever, is only a biased claim advanced by the school that teaches the circulation of breaths.» — Ko Hung consigna el escalafón dietético de los escritos taoístas y lo desautoriza en el acto: quien come aliento tendrá dioses dentro que nunca mueren, y eso es una pretensión sesgada de la escuela que enseña la circulación de los alientos.

«If you would not distress yourself, it is best not to dispense with starches but merely to regulate the diet, for which there are about a hundred methods.» — Ko Hung da su consejo práctico frente a la abstención total: más vale no dejar los almidones y simplemente regular la dieta, para lo cual hay cerca de cien métodos.

«In the spring one may face east to eat the blue breath of the planet Jupiter, making it enter the liver (the fours here are correspondences); in summer, the red breath of Mars, which enters the heart; in the last month of each season, the yellow breath of Saturn for the spleen; in autumn, the white breath of Venus for the lungs; and in winter, the black breath of Mercury for the kidneys (15.11^10).» — muestra del método de comer los alientos por estación y planeta: en primavera se mira al este y se come el aliento azul de Júpiter para el hígado, y así con Marte, Saturno, Venus y Mercurio.

«I have personally observed for two or three years men who were foregoing starches, and in general their bodies were slight and their complexions good. They could with¬ stand wind, cold, heat, or dampness, but there was not a fat one among them.» — Ko Hung consigna su propia observación de los que dejan los almidones: por dos o tres años los vio de cuerpo delgado y buen color, capaces de aguantar viento, frío, calor y humedad.

«I admit that I have not yet met any who had not eaten starches in several decades, but if some people cut off from starches for only a couple of weeks die while these others look as well as they do after years, why should we doubt that the (deliberate) fasting could be prolonged still further ?» — Ko Hung admite el límite de su observación y razona desde él: no ha conocido a ninguno que llevara décadas sin almidones, pero si unos mueren en dos semanas de corte y estos se ven bien tras años, no hay por qué dudar de que el ayuno pueda prolongarse.

«My teacher, Cheng Yin, once remarked, “Originally my constitution could not stand much wine. A long time ago, jb however, while I was being cut off from starches for a couple of years or so on Mount T’ung, I could drink several demi¬ johns of wine without getting drunk.”» — voz de Cheng Yin sobre un efecto lateral del ayuno: no aguantaba el vino y, tras un par de años cortado de los almidones en el monte T'ung, bebía varias damajuanas sin embriagarse.

«It may be deduced from this that fasting makes a man more tolerant of poisons, and this is the requisite condition for preventing illnesses.» — Ko Hung deduce del caso de su maestro la razón fisiológica del ayuno: hace al hombre más tolerante a los venenos, y esa es la condición requerida para prevenir las enfermedades.

«he replied that when dispensing with starches one must be very careful not to lose sperm or waste breath.» — voz de Feng Sheng, que llevaba tres años tragando solo aliento, sobre la condición de esa práctica: no perder esperma ni malgastar aliento.

«I have also frequently seen ignorant processors who, wishing to boast and amaze and acquire a reputation for not eating when they really knew nothing about such pro¬ cedures, merely claimed not to eat gruel. Meanwhile, they would drink more than a gallon of wine daily, and dried meats, puddings, jujubes, chestnuts, or eggs were never out of their mouths. Sometimes they would eat large quantities of meat — several dozen pounds daily — swallowing its juices and spitting out anything that was unpleasant. This, however, is actually feasting.» — Ko Hung desenmascara a los ayunadores falsos: dicen no comer gruel y beben más de un galón de vino al día con carne seca, budines, azufaifas, castañas y huevos siempre en la boca.

«Note that Shih Ch’un’s statement shows that giving up starches cannot protract one’s years.» — Ko Hung saca del caso de Shih Ch'un, encerrado y vigilado más de un año sin comer, la conclusión que le interesa: dejar los almidones no alarga los años.

«None of these methods, however, help to prolong the years.» — Ko Hung repite tras el catálogo de remedios contra el frío la misma acotación que ordena el capítulo: ninguno de esos métodos ayuda a prolongar los años.

«My teacher, Cheng Yin, said that good results could also be obtained by merely intoning the names of the five different weapons. A knife is called Ta-fang and is controlled by the asterism Aquarius. A bow is called Ch’u-chang and is con¬ trolled by the asterism Librae. Arrows are called P’ang-huang and are controlled by Mars. A sword is called Shihshang and is controlled by Virgo. A crossbow is called Yiian-wang and is controlled by Hydra. A lance is called Generalissimo and is controlled by Orion.» — voz de Cheng Yin sobre la protección contra las cinco armas: basta entonar sus nombres, porque cada una tiene el suyo y su asterismo rector, del cuchillo bajo Acuario a la lanza, llamada Generalísimo, bajo Orión; el impreso parte *Shih-shang* a fin de renglón y la extracción por programa lo une en *Shihshang*.

«Ko: There are five divine processes for this purpose, the fastest of which makes it possible to disappear at will, but they are of no benefit to our longevity. Nevertheless, they are not to be used heedlessly, such as for example to produce outbursts of amazement when employed without reason in company. They may be used only in dire necessity against military reversals and dangerous crises, for in that way no harm will be incurred.» — Ko Hung acota el uso de los cinco procesos de desaparición: no benefician la longevidad y no han de usarse a la ligera para asombrar en compañía, sino solo en necesidad extrema.

«They resort to a tree and become a tree, to a stone and become a stone, or water or fire to become water or fire. All these are changes in form and shape; they do not result in complete concealment.» — Ko Hung distingue transformación de ocultamiento: quien va a un árbol se vuelve árbol y quien va a una piedra, piedra, y eso son cambios de forma y figura, no desaparición completa.

«Ko: If you are going to do everything possible to nurture your life, you will take the divine medicines. In addition, you will never weary of circulating your breaths; morning and night you will do calisthenics to circulate your blood and breaths and see that they do not stagnate. In addition to these things, you will practice sexual intercourse in the right fashion; you will eat and drink moderately; you will avoid drafts and dampness; you will not trouble about things that are not within your competence. Do all these things, and you will not fall sick.» — Ko Hung reúne el régimen completo contra la enfermedad: medicinas divinas, circulación incansable del aliento, calistenia mañana y noche, trato sexual correcto, comida y bebida moderadas, evitar aire y humedad y no ocuparse de lo que no compete.

«Accordingly, those who first did something about God in antiquity exercised all the medical arts at the same time to save themselves from misfortunes that are ever present, but this principle is unknown to ordinary processors who, not understanding what they have been taught, pay no attention to the prescriptions for treating illness.» — Ko Hung reprocha a los practicantes comunes haber separado dos cosas que la antigüedad tenía juntas: los primeros que se ocuparon de Dios ejercían a la vez todas las artes médicas.

«I have personally seen the Chin k’uei and the Lit nang com¬ piled by Tai Pa and Hua T’o, Ts’ui Chung’s writings, Huang Su’s prescriptions, and prescriptions from various writers — some 500 scrolls in all.» — Ko Hung censa la literatura médica que ha visto con sus ojos: unos quinientos rollos de compilaciones de Tai Pa, Hua T'o, Ts'ui Chung, Huang Su y otros.

«I, however, have examined them and found them very incomplete, lacking treatment for many critical illnesses. Further, they are confused, dis¬ ordered and lacking logical arrangement. When one searches for something in them it cannot be found in time for the proper handling of a crisis.» — Ko Hung juzga esas compilaciones: muy incompletas, sin tratamiento para muchas enfermedades críticas, confusas y sin orden lógico, de modo que no se halla a tiempo lo que se busca.

«In the hundred scrolls which I have compiled, Yu han fang, the names of illnesses have been differentiated and placed in a sequence by categories to avoid 8a confusion.» — Ko Hung presenta su propia obra médica, el Yü han fang en cien rollos, cuyo mérito declara ser el orden: los nombres de las enfermedades diferenciados y puestos en secuencia por categorías.

«Any household possessing this book can dispense with the services of a physician, for physicians generally transmit a tradition in which there may be renown but there is no substance. All they do is cultivate empty fame with a view to wealth» — Ko Hung enuncia el propósito práctico de ese libro suyo y su juicio sobre el gremio: quien lo tenga en casa puede prescindir del médico, porque los médicos transmiten una tradición con renombre y sin sustancia.

«At other times a bright mirror nine inches or more in diameter is used for looking at oneself with something on the mind. After seven days and nights a god or genie will appear, either male, female, old, or young, and a single declaration on its part discloses automatically what is occur¬ ring at that moment a thousand miles away.» — muestra del método que Ko Hung sí acredita: mirarse en un espejo brillante de nueve pulgadas o más con algo en la mente, hasta que a los siete días y siete noches aparece un dios o un genio.

«If you wish to follow this procedure, you must first learn secretly the names and titles of the gods you wish to summon and also know what clothes and hats they wear. Otherwise, when they suddenly arrive you will forget which gods they are, or they could harm you through fright.» — Ko Hung pone la condición previa del método del espejo: aprender antes en secreto los nombres y títulos de los dioses que se quiere convocar y saber qué ropas y sombreros llevan.

«Keep your mind solely on the true likeness of Lord Lao, and when this appears, rise and bow deeply to him.» — Ko Hung ordena la conducta ante esas apariciones: no mirar con familiaridad ni responder a las que preguntan o riñen, y guardar la mente solo en la verdadera semejanza del Señor Lao.

«When you see his true likeness, bear in mind that his family name is Li, his personal name Tan, his courtesy name Po-yang. His body is nine feet tall, of a yellow color, bird¬ mouthed, with an arched nose, bushy eyebrows five inches long, ears seven inches long, and three vertical wrinkles on his forehead,» — la descripción iconográfica del Señor Lao que el texto manda tener en mente: nueve pies de alto, de color amarillo, boca de pájaro, nariz arqueada, cejas de cinco pulgadas y orejas de siete.

«If you see Lord Lao, your years will be extended, your heart and mind will become as clear as the sun and moon, and there will be nothing that you do not know.» — el efecto prometido de esa visión: los años se alargan, el corazón y la mente quedan claros como el sol y la luna y no queda nada que no se sepa.

«Ko: Astrology, geomancy, austromancy, arithmancy, deductions from The Three Marvels, movements on a design representing the nine divisions of space, comparison of the eight trigrams, study of the places where birds and» — Ko Hung despacha en bloque las artes adivinatorias corrientes: astrología, geomancia, adivinación por vientos y por números, deducciones de las Tres Maravillas, movimientos sobre el diseño de las nueve divisiones del espacio y comparación de los ocho trigramas.

«animals gather, judging misfortune from creature types, and prognosticating through the tortoise and milfoil — all these are common, low-class arts, troublesome and untrust¬ worthy.» — cierra en la plana siguiente la lista de artes adivinatorias que Ko Hung rechaza: todas artes vulgares y de baja clase, trabajosas y poco fiables.

«His clothing is a cloud of many colors; his hat is tiered, and his sword is a pointed lance. He is attended by 120 yellow lads. To his left there are twelve blue dragons, and to his right thirty-six white tigers. Before him go twenty-four vermilion sparrows; to the rear, seventy-two hsuan-wu.» — sigue la iconografía del Señor Lao con su séquito: ciento veinte muchachos amarillos, doce dragones azules a la izquierda, treinta y seis tigres blancos a la derecha, veinticuatro gorriones bermejos delante y setenta y dos hsüan-wu detrás.

«Think also that the breaths of your five inner organs are darting from your two eyes and surrounding your body like a mist, and that the blue breath of your liver, the white of your lungs, the yellow of your spleen, the black of your kidneys, and the red of your heart have all intermingled. Then you will even be able to sleep with those sick with the plague.» — muestra del método visualizado contra la peste: pensar que los alientos de los cinco órganos salen de los dos ojos y rodean el cuerpo como niebla, mezclados el azul del hígado, el blanco de los pulmones, el amarillo del bazo, el negro de los riñones y el rojo del corazón.

«In the gods-and-genii classics we find more than a thousand prescriptions in twenty-five scrolls dealing with the Yellow and White. Yellow means gold; white silver.» — abre el capítulo decimosexto, The Yellow and The White, dando el censo y la clave del nombre: más de mil prescripciones en veinticinco rollos, donde amarillo quiere decir oro y blanco, plata.

«Keeping their procedures secret and treasuring them, the Ancients refrained from speaking openly and resorted to language known only to the initiates. For example, some chapters have the term keng-hsin [originally designations of the seventh and eighth days of the Chinese ten-day “week,” which were assigned to the agent or element Metal] in their titles. Well, keng-hsin too means gold. Much of what they say is so esoteric that only a small portion can be given clear explication.» — Ko Hung explica el lenguaje cifrado de esa literatura: los Antiguos no hablaban abiertamente y recurrían a una lengua conocida solo por los iniciados, de modo que poco puede explicarse con claridad.

«Personally, I formerly received from my teacher, Cheng Yin (4.202—) both Chiu tan ching and Chin yin i ching; after this I sought further and was taught Huang pai chung ching, in five scrolls.» — Ko Hung nombra los tres títulos sobre el oro y la plata que recibió de su maestro Cheng Yin y de su búsqueda posterior.

«Cheng Yin told me that he had been successful with these recipes when he tried them on Mount T’ung, in Lu-chiang, together with Tso Tz’u.» — Ko Hung consigna el testimonio de éxito de su maestro: Cheng Yin le dijo haber logrado esas recetas en el monte T'ung, en Lu-chiang, junto con Tso Tz'u.

«The rigor of the rituals of purification and the taboos (4.563) required by these processes, however, is identical with that required when pre¬ paring the god-genie medicines of gold and cinnabar.» — Ko Hung equipara el régimen de la obra del oro con el del elixir: el rigor de los rituales de purificación y de los tabúes es idéntico al que piden las medicinas de oro y cinabrio.

«I suffer from poverty and lack of resources and strength; I have met with much misfortune. There is nobody at all to whom I can turn for help. The lanes of travel being cut, the ingredients of the medicines are unobtainable. The result is that I have never been able to compound these medicines I am recommending.» — Ko Hung declara su propio fracaso material sin atenuarlo: la pobreza, la falta de recursos y los caminos cortados le han impedido siempre componer las medicinas que recomienda.

«When I tell people today that I know how to make gold and silver, while I personally remain cold and hungry, how do I differ from the seller of medicine for lameness who is himself unable to walk? It is simply im¬ possible to get people to believe you.» — Ko Hung formula él mismo la objeción que su situación provoca: decir que sabe hacer oro y plata mientras pasa frío y hambre no lo distingue del vendedor de remedios para la cojera que no puede andar.

«Accordingly, I am carefully committing these things to writing because I wish to enable future lovers of the extraordinary and esteemers of truth, through reading my writings, to con¬ summate their desires to investigate God.» — Ko Hung declara para quién escribe el capítulo del oro: para que los amantes de lo extraordinario y los estimadores de la verdad venideros consumen su deseo de investigar a Dios.

«Water and fire are present in the sky, but they may be brought down with specula and burning-mirrors; lead is naturally white, but it can be reddened and mistaken for cinnabar. Cinnabar is naturally red, but it can be whitened to look like lead. Clouds, rain, frost, and snow are all breaths belonging to heaven and earth, but those produced by art differ in no way from the natural phenomena.» — Ko Hung equipara lo artificial con lo natural: agua y fuego se bajan del cielo con espejos, el plomo se enrojece hasta pasar por cinabrio y el cinabrio se blanquea hasta parecer plomo.

«The cases of high mountains becoming deep abysses and of profound valleys changing into peaks are metamorphoses on an immense scale. It is clear, therefore, that transformation is something spontaneous in nature. Why should we doubt the possibility of making gold and silver from something different ?» — Ko Hung enuncia el principio del capítulo: la transformación es algo espontáneo en la naturaleza, y de ahí que no quepa dudar de que se pueda hacer oro y plata a partir de otra cosa.

«When a snake turns into a dragon and sundew produces fat, the transformations do not differ in any way from those which occur in nature, for the basic cause in both cases is a natural stimulus.» — Ko Hung funda la operación en la naturaleza y no en el artificio: las transformaciones producidas no difieren de las naturales porque en ambos casos la causa básica es un estímulo natural.

«Learning that Liu Hsiang was unsuccessful in his effort to make gold, the man in the street declares that it is quite evident that no such process exists. This is like farmers whose crops were ruined by flood or drought declaring that the various grains will not grow if sown.» — Ko Hung objeta el argumento del fracaso de Liu Hsiang: es como si los agricultores cuya cosecha arruinó la inundación declararan que el grano no crece si se siembra.

«He tells us that he once studied under the processor Li Ken and saw him throw a few pieces of medicine the size of a large pea into some lead and tin that he was cooking, and stir the mixture with a ladle. Upon cooling, it had turned to silver.» — testimonio de Wu Ta-wen que Ko Hung consigna: vio a su maestro echar unos trozos de medicina del tamaño de un guisante en plomo y estaño en cocción, revolver con un cucharón, y al enfriarse la mezcla era plata.

«But the work had to be preceded by one hundred days’ ritual of purification and he could not get away from his office, so he was unable personally to succeed in making the silver. He was always sighing that it was not worth while to remain among men.» — Ko Hung consigna por qué ese testigo no pudo repetirlo: la obra pedía cien días de purificación previa y él no podía dejar su oficina.

«Much amazed, Ch’eng Wei cried out “Why didn’t you tell me sooner that you had such a process?” — “To possess this,” his wife replied, “one must be fated.”» — la respuesta de la mujer de Ch'eng Wei al ser interrogada: para poseer eso hay que estar destinado.

«Ch’eng Wei kept up the pressure, however, until finally his wife went mad and, running away naked, smeared herself with mud and later died.» — cierra el relato de Ch'eng Wei: la presión continuada llevó a su mujer a la locura, a huir desnuda, a embadurnarse de lodo y a morir.

«As a result of all this, Hua T’an finally exclaimed, “Without doubt the world is full of all manner of things. Even though the Five Classics may not mention some thing, we should not arbitrarily conclude that it does not exist.”» — voz de Hua T'an, escéptico de lo que no atestiguan los Clásicos, tras sus propias experiencias: el mundo está lleno de toda clase de cosas y no cabe concluir que algo no existe porque los Cinco Clásicos no lo mencionen.

«Just as for compounding divine cinnabar, it is necessary for the art of yellow and white to fast and purify oneself for at least a hundred days. It is also requisite to find a like-minded person familiar with the literature of alchemy before the prescription can be compounded. This is not something to be undertaken by the impure and unintelligent or those with but little experience in the occult arts.» — Ko Hung fija las condiciones de la obra del oro: al menos cien días de ayuno y purificación y un compañero familiarizado con la literatura de la alquimia, y no es cosa para los impuros ni para los de poca experiencia en las artes ocultas.

«Liu Hsiang, however, remained in the palace when he undertook this art, and in letting the palace people attend to his wants he obviously did not maintain the requisite purity. Also, he continued to maintain his involve¬ ment in human affairs so that there were constant comings and goings. Under such circumstances, how could he ever expect to succeed ?» — Ko Hung explica el fracaso de Liu Hsiang por las condiciones y no por el método: se quedó en el palacio, dejó que la gente de palacio lo atendiera y siguió metido en los asuntos humanos.

«visible, can be made to disappear. Ghosts and gods are normally invisible, but there are ways and means to make them visible. Those capable of operating these methods and prescriptions will be found to abound wherever you go.» — Ko Hung abre su argumento por la transformación con dos inversiones: el cuerpo humano se hace desaparecer y los fantasmas y dioses, normalmente invisibles, se hacen ver.

«Huan T’an tells us of the Han courtier Ch’eng Wei who was fond of the art of yellow and white. He married a girl from a family which possessed prescriptions. He used to take part in state processions without wearing the clothes proper to the season. When this worried his wife, she said, “Let two pieces of taffeta appear.” And immediately, without any clear reason, they appeared. Ch’eng Wei had been unsuccessful in his effort to make gold by following the Chen-chung and the Hung-pao directions (2.1102),» — Ko Hung presenta el relato de Ch'eng Wei tomado de Huan T'an: cortesano de los Han aficionado al arte del amarillo y el blanco, casado con una mujer de familia que poseía recetas, y sin éxito en hacer oro siguiendo dos manuales.

«she became aware of this plan and told him that the process was to be transmitted only to the right person. If the right person was found, even if they met on the road, she would teach it to him. If, however, it was not the right man — one whose words were right but whose heart was not — the process would not be forthcoming even though she were to be cut» — voz de la mujer de Ch'eng Wei ante el plan de arrancarle la receta por la fuerza: el proceso solo se transmite a la persona adecuada, y al de palabra recta y corazón torcido no se le daría aunque a ella la despedazaran.

«until one day his wife went to watch him. At that moment he was fanning coals to heat mercury that was in a tube. His wife then said, “Let me try something,” took some medicine from her pouch, and put the slightest bit of it into the tube. Then, after taking time for a meal, they opened the tube and» — sigue el relato de Ch'eng Wei: su mujer lo vio abanicando las brasas bajo un tubo con mercurio, pidió probar y echó un poco de medicina de su bolsa; el contenido, dice la plana siguiente, se había vuelto plata.

«I once inquired of my teacher Cheng Yin: “Lao Tan (T 64) says to place no value on things that are hard to get, and that in a well-ordered generation all gold (cf. T 9) will be thrown back to the mountains and all jade to the valleys. It is not clear to me, therefore, why the Ancients valued gold and silver and left us these recipes.”» — Ko Hung plantea a su maestro la objeción interna de su propia escuela: si Lao Tan manda no valorar lo difícil de conseguir y arrojar el oro a las montañas, no se ve por qué los Antiguos valoraron el oro y la plata y dejaron estas recetas.

«His reply was this: “Mundane gold and silver are acceptable, but as a rule processors are poor. As the adage has it, ‘There are no fat genii and no rich processors.’» — voz de Cheng Yin con la razón económica del arte: el oro y la plata del mundo servirían, pero por regla los practicantes son pobres, y el adagio dice que no hay genios gordos ni processors ricos.

«In addition, gold created by transformation, being the very essence of a variety of ingredients, is superior to natural gold.» — voz de Cheng Yin con la razón que invierte la objeción de la autenticidad: el oro creado por transformación, por ser la esencia misma de una variedad de ingredientes, es superior al oro natural.

«The genii classics tell us that cinnabar sperm produces gold; this is another way of saying that gold can be made from cinnabar. That is why gold is generally found beneath deposits of cinnabar in the mountains.» — voz de los clásicos de los genios sobre el origen del oro, con el dato geológico que aducen: el esperma del cinabrio produce oro, y por eso el oro se halla bajo los depósitos de cinabrio.

«If you have been successful in creating gold, it will react as the real thing; it will be alike inside and out, and a hundred refinings will not diminish it. Accordingly, when the prescription reads, “money ingots can be made of it,” it is evidence of its strength.» — Ko Hung da la prueba del oro fabricado: reacciona como el verdadero, es igual por dentro y por fuera, cien refinados no lo merman y la receta dice que con él pueden hacerse lingotes de moneda.

«“Counterfeit” describes iron that has been coated with laminar malachite, so that it assumes a reddish color like copper, or silver that has been trans¬ formed by white of egg, which renders the silver yellow like gold. These are instances where the surface has been affected but the interior remains unchanged.» — Ko Hung define lo falso por contraste y acota así su propio término: falso es el hierro recubierto de malaquita que toma color de cobre y la plata amarilleada con clara de huevo, donde la superficie cambia y el interior sigue igual.

«They also say that those who make gold from cinnabar and achieve geniehood by taking it are first class. Those enjoying Fullness of Life through roots, mushrooms, calisthenics, and breathing disciplines are second class. Those who subsist on herbs and live for less than a thousand years, are third class.» — voz de los clásicos de los genios con el escalafón de las tres clases: primera, quienes hacen oro del cinabrio y se hacen genios tomándolo; segunda, los de raíces, hongos, calistenia y respiración; tercera, los que viven de hierbas menos de mil años.

«They also tell us that it is in the nature of gold and silver that one can make them, whereas, Fullness of Life is some¬ thing that can be obtained through study.» — los mismos clásicos separan las dos naturalezas: está en la naturaleza del oro y de la plata que se los pueda hacer, y la Plenitud de Vida es algo que se obtiene por el estudio.

«Kuei chia wen reads: The span of life is up to me, not heaven. The reverted cinnabar becomes gold, and millions of years are mine.» — voz del Kuei chia wen en la fórmula más rotunda del volumen: el lapso de la vida depende de mí y no del cielo, y el cinabrio revertido se vuelve oro.

«Those who possess a recipe are often so poor that they lack the means to do the compounding; the rich, in turn, do not know the recipe, and when informed, not a one of them believes it.» — Ko Hung describe el desencuentro entre saber y medios: quien tiene la receta suele ser demasiado pobre para componerla, y el rico no la conoce y, informado, no la cree.

«They further calculate that even though the product obtained would yield a huge profit over expenditures for materials, it would still not be worth the inconveniences of the requisite fasts and prohibitions. Consequently, they cannot bring themselves to undertake the work.» — Ko Hung da el cálculo del rico: aun con ganancia enorme sobre el costo de los materiales, no compensaría los inconvenientes de los ayunos y las prohibiciones exigidos.

«However, when the uninitiated read that the prescription calls for Dragon Gall [gentian], Tiger’s Paws [jack-in-the-pulpit], Chicken Heads [Euryale], Duck Soles [Commelina], Horse’s Hooves [water shield], Dog Blood (?), Rat Tail [sage], or Ox Knee [marjoram], they are unanimous in declaring that these things are animals with blood and breath.» — Ko Hung consigna el malentendido típico del no iniciado: al leer Hiel de Dragón, Garras de Tigre, Cabezas de Pollo o Cola de Rata declara unánime que son animales con sangre y aliento.

«If we can be so confounded by common plants, how can we expect to comprehend arcane, recondite prescriptions? Is it any wonder that Liu Hsiang was unsuccessful in his efforts to create gold? Once these essentials have been secured, anyone can effect this process without concerning himself any further with the great talents of the sages and worthies. Was Liu Hsiang stupid? Certainly not! He is merely guilty of failing to obtain the secret oral directions.» — Ko Hung cierra el argumento del secreto absolviendo a Liu Hsiang: si las plantas comunes confunden así, el fracaso no fue estupidez sino falta de las instrucciones orales secretas.

«It is for this reason that the classic says, ‘Gold can be created, and geniehood attained.’ Silver too can be taken, but it is inferior to gold.» — voz de Cheng Yin citando el clásico que autoriza la obra: el oro puede crearse y la condición de genio alcanzarse, y la plata también se toma aunque es inferior al oro.

«My only concern is that those who know these processes are generally poor, and the ingredients required, though sometimes extremely cheap, are native to distant places and cannot be obtained in our troubled times. Things like Turkestan salt 6a and native lake salt are both inexpensive commodities, worth nothing in times of peace.» — Ko Hung expone el atasco material del arte: quienes conocen estos procesos suelen ser pobres, y los ingredientes, a veces baratísimos, son nativos de lugares distantes y no se obtienen en tiempos revueltos.

«Today those competent in this art keep it secret not only because of the high price of the products but also because the success of this process makes it possible to enjoy Fullness of Life, which is the» — Ko Hung da la razón última del secreto del arte: no solo el precio alto de los productos, sino que su éxito hace posible la Plenitud de Vida.

«The medicines and ingredients listed in the prescriptions sometimes bear the same names as things in common use, but in reality they are different.» — Ko Hung advierte de la homonimia deliberada de las recetas: los nombres de medicinas e ingredientes coinciden a veces con los de cosas de uso común y en realidad son distintos.

«I then countered, “Why produce it by transformation instead of nibbling mundane gold and silver ? If you make it, it will not be genuine» — Ko Hung plantea a su maestro la objeción de la autenticidad: por qué producir el oro por transformación en vez de mordisquear el del mundo, si lo fabricado no será genuino.

«To prepare the gold you are seeking, take two parts of what you have just pestled, one part of crude cinnabar, and some mercury. The mixture will immediately congeal to gold. It will be brilliant and of excellent color, fit for a monetary ingot.» — muestra del procedimiento que cierra el capítulo del oro: dos partes de lo molido, una de cinabrio crudo y mercurio, que congelan de inmediato en oro brillante y de color excelente.

«In all, ten pounds of tin will provide twenty ounces of gold. Use only a clay crucible from Ch’ang-sha, Kuei-yang, Yii-chang, or Nan-hai. The people of these places are very proud of the clay pots they make for cooking.» — la receta de Ch'ing-lin tzu declara su rendimiento y hasta la procedencia del crisol: diez libras de estaño dan veinte onzas de oro, y solo sirve el crisol de barro de cuatro lugares nombrados.

«If one pill of it the size of a gram is taken three times daily until one pound has been consumed, the Three Worms will cry for mercy and all illnesses will quit the» — el oro así hecho pasa de materia a medicina: una píldora del tamaño de un grano tres veces al día hasta consumir una libra, y los Tres Gusanos piden clemencia.

«The blind will see; the deaf, hear; the aged will be¬ come like thirty; those entering fire will not be burned; all evils, all poisons, cold, wind, heat, and dampness — none of these will be able to attack such a man. If he continues the dosage until three pounds have been consumed, he will be able to walk on rivers and all the gods of the mountains and streams will come to serve and protect him. His lot of longevity will last as long as all nature.» — sigue la escala de efectos del oro fabricado: el ciego ve, el sordo oye, el viejo vuelve a los treinta, y a las tres libras se camina sobre los ríos y los dioses de montes y corrientes vienen a servir.

«If one of the pills is smeared with ram’s blood and thrown into a stream, the fish and the dragons will come out immediately, and it will be easy to catch them. A pill smeared with chamois blood or cinnabar-colored fowl’s blood and suspended in the top of the gateways to the capital will keep plague a mile away.» — muestra de los usos operativos de esas píldoras según con qué se las unte: con sangre de carnero al río salen los peces y los dragones, y untada de sangre de gamuza y colgada en las puertas de la capital mantiene la peste a una milla.

«Before a night has passed after the death of a person, drop a pill into water obtained on the first day marked by the cyclical number of the month, place some of it in the throat of the corpse and take some of it in your own mouth and spit it into the face of the corpse. It will return to life im¬ mediately.» — el uso resucitador de esas píldoras: antes de que pase una noche desde la muerte, se pone algo en la garganta del cadáver y se le escupe en la cara.

«Further, once the gold has been made, three pounds of it are thrown into a deep stream and one pound into the market place. Only after that may you use it as you wish.» — la obligación que sigue a la obra del oro: tres libras se arrojan a una corriente honda y una al mercado, y solo después puede usarse a voluntad.

«All those cultivating the divine process or preparing medicines, as well as all those fleeing political disorders or living as hermits, go to the mountains. Many, however, meet with harm or even death because they do not know the right method for entering mountains.» — abre el capítulo decimoséptimo, Into Mountains: Over Streams, con el motivo y el riesgo: todos los que cultivan el proceso divino, huyen del desorden político o viven de ermitaños van a las montañas, y muchos mueren por no saber el método de entrar.

«All mountains, whether large or small, contain gods and powers, and the strength of these divinities is directly proportional to the size of the mountain. To enter the mountains without the proper recipe is to be certain of anxiety or harm.» — Ko Hung enuncia el principio del capítulo: todas las montañas tienen dioses y poderes, y la fuerza de esas divinidades es proporcional al tamaño del monte.

«The spirits in old objects (3.262) are capable of assuming human shape for the purpose of confusing human vision and constantly putting human beings to a test. It is only when reflected in a mirror that they are unable to alter their true forms.» — Ko Hung enuncia la doctrina que sostiene el método del espejo: los espíritus de los objetos viejos toman forma humana para confundir la vista y poner a prueba a los hombres, y solo reflejados en un espejo no pueden alterar su forma verdadera.

«Therefore, in the old days, all processors entering the mountains suspended on their backs a mirror measuring nine inches or more in diameter, so that aged demons would not dare approach them.» — la práctica que de ahí se sigue: los practicantes que entraban en las montañas colgaban a la espalda un espejo de nueve pulgadas o más para que los demonios viejos no se les acercaran.

«If they were genii or good mountain gods, they would look like human beings when viewed in the mirror. If they were birds, animals, or evil demons, their true forms would appear in the mirror.» — el criterio de discernimiento del espejo: genios y dioses buenos de la montaña se ven como seres humanos, y aves, animales y demonios malignos muestran su forma verdadera.

«Then observe it. If it is an aged demon, it is sure to have no heels. If it has heels, it is a mountain god.» — la segunda marca de discernimiento: el demonio viejo no tiene talones y el que sí los tiene es un dios de la montaña.

«Po-i secretly looked at them in his mirror, and they proved to be a pack of dogs. He then seized his torch and stood up as though he were going to extinguish it, but as it singed the clothing of one of the visitors there was an odor of scorched hair. Then when he stabbed another one of them with the dagger that had been concealed in his breast, there was at first a human cry, but at death the creature became a dog. Thereupon, all the other dogs left. With that, the haunting of the shelter ended. Such is the power of a mirror.» — el segundo relato del espejo: Po-i pasa la noche en un cobertizo embrujado, ve en su espejo que la docena de personajes que juegan a los dados son una jauría de perros, y con eso acaba el embrujo.

«Conditions relative to heaven and earth and the good and bad luck associated with yin and yang are so various that it would indeed be most difficult to give all the details. For my own part, I am certainly not going to state that these things are so, nor am I going to guarantee that they are not so.» — Ko Hung se abstiene expresamente sobre el sistema de días fastos y nefastos que acaba de transmitir: no va a declarar que sea así ni a garantizar que no lo sea.

«It is to be remembered, however, that Yellow Emperor and T’ai-kung both placed their reliance in such a system, and in a more recent period intelligent persons like Yen Tsun and Ssu-ma Ch’ien employed it.» — Ko Hung apoya esa abstención en la autoridad de quienes sí lo usaron: el Emperador Amarillo y T'ai-kung se fiaron del sistema, y más cerca en el tiempo lo emplearon Yen Tsun y Ssu-ma Ch'ien.

«When yellow and white are being created, altars are erected to T’ai-i, Heaven-fairy, and Lao Tan, and libations and offerings are made there just as in the case of the» — Ko Hung cierra el capítulo del oro con su liturgia: al crear el amarillo y el blanco se levantan altares a T'ai-i, a la Hada del Cielo y a Lao Tan, con libaciones y ofrendas.

«Lack of the proper recipe can make a large tree fall when there is no wind; or a high rock fall for no apparent reason, striking and killing people.» — Ko Hung enumera lo que la falta de receta provoca en la montaña: árboles grandes que caen sin viento y rocas altas que se desprenden sin causa aparente y matan.

«Long ago, Chang Kai-t’a and Ou Kao-ch’eng were both giving earnest thought to the divine process in a cave on Mount Yiin-t’ai in Shu [Szechuan], when a man approached them wearing a single garment of coarse yellow silk and a kerchief of Kudzu.» — abre el relato del tigre disfrazado, que ilustra el método del espejo: dos practicantes meditan en una cueva del monte Yün-t'ai y se les acerca un hombre de traje de seda amarilla basta.

«When the two of them looked into their mirrors, they saw that it was a tiger. Immediately they greeted it with: “You are an old tiger belonging to this mountain. How dare you pretend to be a human being ! ” Before they had finished speaking, the 2b man changed into a tiger and left.» — cierra el relato del tigre: al mirar en sus espejos vieron que era un tigre, lo increparon por fingirse humano y, sin que acabaran de hablar, el hombre se volvió tigre y se fue.

«My teacher always told his candidates, “If any man would seek for the divine process in the way he worries about his household becoming poor or in the way he is concerned about his position becoming lower, would he fail in the search ? My only fear is that you» — voz de Cheng Yin a sus candidatos, midiendo el deseo con el del mundo: si alguien buscara el proceso divino como se preocupa por que su casa empobrezca o su posición baje, no fracasaría, y lo único que él teme es que la voluntad no sea sincera.

«When superior processors enter the mountains they carry *San huang nei wen and Wu yiieh chen hsing fu (TT 884.5.2b). Wherever they may be they summon the gods of the mountains and, according to Kuei lu, they summon the earth-god of the state, the ministers of the mountain, and the guardians of the homes in order to pay their respects to them.» — Ko Hung describe el aparejo textual del practicante superior en la montaña: lleva dos títulos, convoca a los dioses del monte y presenta sus respetos al dios de la tierra del Estado, a los ministros de la montaña y a los guardianes de las casas.

«With seals against all evils, red official seals and the twelve pao-yuan seals, they close the four sides of their abode, and thus no evils dare approach them.» — sigue el aparejo: sellos contra todo mal, sellos oficiales rojos y los doce sellos pao-yüan con que se cierran los cuatro lados de la morada.

«When I was young, wish¬ ing to enter the mountains, I traveled about studying these Tun chia, and there proved to be more than sixty scrolls of them. Since the whole question could not be gone into com¬ pletely and in all detail, I composed a summary of it as some¬ thing ready at hand in my bag, but it is not suitable to be transmitted in writing.» — Ko Hung cuenta su propio estudio de los escritos Tun chia: viajó para estudiarlos, resultaron más de sesenta rollos, y compuso un resumen que lleva en su bolsa y que no considera apto para transmitirse por escrito.

«The mountain power in the form of a little boy hopping backward on one foot likes to come and harm people. If you hear a human voice at night in the mountains talking loud, its name is Ch’i. By knowing this name and shouting it, you will prevent it from harming you.» — muestra del método de los nombres: al poder de la montaña que tiene forma de niño saltando hacia atrás en un pie se le grita su nombre, y con eso no daña.

«There are huge trees in the mountains and some of them can speak. However, it is not the tree that speaks, but the power in it named Yun-yang. Shout that name, and all will be well.» — Ko Hung distingue el árbol del poder que habla por él: no es el árbol el que habla sino el poder que lleva dentro, llamado Yün-yang, y basta gritar ese nombre.

«In antiquity Round Hill abounded in large snakes, but it also produced good medicines. When Yellow Emperor was about to mount there, Kuang-ch’eng tzu in¬ structed him to carry some realgar at his belt, and all the snakes fled the place.» — el precedente que funda el uso del rejalgar contra las serpientes: Kuang-ch'eng tzu instruyó al Emperador Amarillo para que lo llevara al cinto antes de subir a la Colina Redonda.

«There are many sorts of snakes, but only the bites of the viper and the “blue-gold” snake are very critical. If a bite from one of these is not treated, it will kill a man within twenty-four hours. When bitten by one of these two snakes, anyone who does not know a recipe for treatment should im¬ mediately cut out the affected flesh with a knife and throw it to the ground. Cauterize the wound as in moxa and in a minute the burning will cease and the patient continue to live.» — Ko Hung acota cuáles son las mordeduras críticas y da el remedio de urgencia: cortar la carne afectada con un cuchillo y cauterizar la herida como en una moxa.

«If a processor knows the recipe for Unity charm, as well as the hundred Tung charms and CKang-ts'un charm, and con¬ stantly maintains Truth-Unity (18.263, 10), none of the poisons will dare approach him. He will have no need for the various medicines.» — Ko Hung subordina toda esa farmacopea defensiva a una sola práctica: quien sabe el conjuro de la Unidad y mantiene constantemente la Verdad-Unidad no necesita las diversas medicinas.

«If you take the great medicines gold or cinnabar, your body will not suffer from illness, even though you may have not yet risen into space or practiced levitation. You cannot be harmed even though you are exposed to winds or lie in damp places.» — Ko Hung repite la misma subordinación con las dos grandes medicinas: quien toma oro o cinabrio no enferma aunque no haya ascendido ni levite, y no lo dañan los vientos ni la humedad.

«If on a day numbered yin there is someone in the moun¬ tains calling himself an inspector, it is really a tiger; if he calls himself Lord of the Road, it is a wolf; Commander-in-Chief, an old fox.» — abre la tabla que empareja día del ciclo, título que la aparición se da y animal que en realidad es: en día yin, quien se llama inspector es un tigre, quien se llama Señor del Camino, un lobo, y quien se llama Comandante en Jefe, un zorro viejo.

«The divine process is normally carried out in mountains and forests which tend to abound in harmful tigers and wolves that one must know how to scatter. For this purpose the Ancients all wore from their belts Huang-shen and Yueh-chang seals consisting of 120 characters on a four-inch-square plaque, of which impressions were made in soft substances and placed at a distance of one hundred paces in each of the four directions from their abode, so that the tigers and wolves dared not approach within these confines.» — Ko Hung describe el sello de los Antiguos contra tigres y lobos: ciento veinte caracteres en una placa de cuatro pulgadas, cuyas impresiones se colocaban a cien pasos en las cuatro direcciones de la morada.

«Another method is simply to imagine that your own person is a vermilion bird thirty feet tall standing on the head of the approaching tiger and then to hold your breath; the tiger will then leave immediately.» — muestra del conjuro por imaginación contra el tigre: imaginarse uno mismo como un pájaro bermejo de treinta pies parado sobre la cabeza del tigre, y contener el aliento.

«I once heard my teacher say, If men Unity [God] could know, Then they'd know all here below. For there is nothing that such men would not know, but those ignorant of Unity can really know nothing.» — abre el capítulo decimoctavo, Truth on Earth, con la fórmula de Cheng Yin que lo gobierna: quien conociera la Unidad conocería todo lo de aquí abajo.

«God arises from Unity and is honored without peer. Everything dwelling in Unity thereby becomes the image of heaven, earth, and man; whence our expression “triune.”» — Ko Hung deriva a Dios de la Unidad: todo lo que mora en la Unidad se vuelve imagen de cielo, tierra y hombre, de donde la expresión triuno.

«Heaven gets its purity from Unity; earth, its tranquillity; man, his existence; and the gods, their powers. Metal sinks, feathers float, mountains loom, and the rivers flow: but our eyes cannot see, nor can our ears hear how this is.» — Ko Hung reparte los dones de la Unidad: del cielo la pureza, de la tierra la tranquilidad, del hombre la existencia y de los dioses sus poderes, sin que ojo ni oído alcancen a ver cómo.

«Yet these things remain so long as they preserve Unity; they perish when It is neglected. While facing It they know good fortune, but when they turn their backs, misfortune. While It is the fortress, there is long prosperity that knows no end. Let It be neglected, and life declines; breath is exhausted.» — Ko Hung enuncia la condición de permanencia: las cosas duran mientras preservan la Unidad y perecen al descuidarla, y de frente a Ella hay buena fortuna y de espaldas, desgracia.

«Lao Tan (T 21) exclaimed with reference to Unity, “All disorder! All confusion! Yet within there are images. All confusion! All disorder! Yet within there is all creation.”» — voz de Lao Tan citada por Ko Hung sobre la Unidad: todo desorden y toda confusión, y dentro hay imágenes y está la creación entera.

«Therefore we read in the Genii Classics, Wish to enjoy Fullness of Life, Preservation of Unity must be rife. Reflect on Unity till famine, Unity will provide to dine. Reflect on Unity till drought, Unity will provide the draught.» — voz de los Clásicos de los Genios en verso sobre la Unidad: quien quiera la Plenitud de Vida ha de preservarla sin falta, y reflexionar en Ella hasta el hambre y la sequía hace que Ella provea comida y bebida.

«Unity possesses names, uniforms, and colors. In the male It is 0.9 inch long; in the female, 0.6. Sometimes It is 2.4 inches below the navel: Lower Cinnabar Field; at other times, It is Golden Gate or Purple Palace below the heart: Central Cinnabar Field.» — Ko Hung localiza la Unidad dentro del cuerpo con medidas exactas: 0,9 pulgadas de largo en el varón y 0,6 en la mujer, a veces 2,4 pulgadas bajo el ombligo, que es el Campo de Cinabrio Inferior, y a veces bajo el corazón, el Campo de Cinabrio Central.

«Then again, It is one inch behind the space between man’s eyebrows forming Hall of Enlightenment; two inches in It constitutes Innermost Chamber; three inches in It forms Upper Cinnabar Field.» — sigue la localización: una pulgada detrás del entrecejo forma la Sala de la Iluminación, dos pulgadas dentro constituye la Cámara Más Interior y tres pulgadas dentro forma el Campo de Cinabrio Superior.

«Such are things stressed by Taoists, who for generations have merely been smearing their lips with blood as a seal of secrecy as they transmitted Its names orally.» — Ko Hung declara cómo se ha transmitido ese saber: los taoístas llevan generaciones untándose los labios con sangre como sello de secreto al pasar oralmente sus nombres.

«Unity can form yin and beget yang; bring on the cold and the heat. Through Unity there is sprouting in spring, growing in summer, harvesting in autumn, and storing in winter. All space is no analogy for Its magnitude; nor is a hair or sprout an analogy for Its minuteness.» — Ko Hung atribuye a la Unidad la obra cosmológica entera: forma el yin y engendra el yang, trae el frío y el calor, y ordena el brotar, el crecer, el cosechar y el guardar de las cuatro estaciones.

«As prescriptions leading to Fullness of Life and to geniehood there are only gold and cinnabar; for the preser¬ vation of physical form and driving evils afar there is only Truth-Unity. For this reason the Ancients valued these things highly.» — Ko Hung resume en una frase el libro entero: para la Plenitud de Vida y la condición de genio solo hay oro y cinabrio, y para preservar la forma física y alejar los males solo hay la Verdad-Unidad.

«Unity's at Extreme North, in the Grand Abyss. Upfront, in Chamber of Enlightenment [in head]; to rear, in Purple Palace [heart]. Imposing, Its Flowered Canopy [heart region]; Its Gold Pavilion [flesh] all loftiness.» — abre el poema de la Verdad-Unidad que Ko Hung recibió de Cheng Yin, con la topografía interior que el traductor glosa entre corchetes: el Extremo Norte, la Cámara de la Iluminación en la cabeza y el Palacio Púrpura en el corazón.

«On land, It routs evil animals; on water, dispels crocodiles and dragons. No fear of demons, nor of poisonous insects. Ghosts will not dare approach, nor blades strike. This is a rough outline of Truth-Unity.» — cierra el poema de la Verdad-Unidad con su lista de protecciones: ahuyenta animales malos en tierra y cocodrilos y dragones en el agua, y ni fantasmas ni filos se acercan.

«Nevertheless, at times the thought of bringing into existence several thousand creatures to protect oneself could be so cumbersome that it confused the mind. He felt that if a single process for preserving Unity were known, all these other methods could be rejected.» — voz de Cheng Yin sobre la economía del método: imaginar miles de criaturas protectoras llega a confundir la mente, y conocido un solo proceso de preservar la Unidad todos los demás pueden dejarse.

«There are clear outward requisites for receiving the secret oral directions concerning Truth-Unity. The lips are smeared with the blood of a white victim. The directions are received on a propitious, lucky day. An agreement is entered into by means of white gauze and white silver. A tally of gold is notched and split. If one expounds these oral directions lightheartedly or transmits them heedlessly, their gods will not operate.» — Ko Hung fija el rito de recepción de la Verdad-Unidad: labios untados con sangre de una víctima blanca, día propicio, acuerdo con gasa blanca y plata blanca, y una tarja de oro muescada y partida.

«The Mystery-Unity procedure is indeed an important method. Since there is nothing that it will not put to flight, it is as effective as the Truth-Unity method. This is the reason I called the first chapter of my book “God (Mystery) Defined.” Preserving Mystery-Unity is much easier than preserving Truth-Unity.» — Ko Hung introduce el segundo procedimiento y liga el capítulo con el primero del libro: el Misterio-Unidad, tan eficaz como la Verdad-Unidad y más fácil de preservar, es la razón de que llamara al capítulo primero God (Mystery) Defined.

«The preservation of Mystery-Unity consists in imagining yourself as being divided into three persons. Once these three have become visible, you can continue to increase the number to several dozen, all like yourself, who may be concealed or revealed, and all of whom are automatically in possession of secret oral direc¬ tions. This may be termed a process for multiplying the body.» — Ko Hung describe la técnica del Misterio-Unidad: imaginarse dividido en tres personas y, vistas las tres, aumentarlas hasta varias docenas iguales a uno mismo, que pueden ocultarse o mostrarse.

«Through this method Tso Tz’u, Chi Liao, and my uncle Ko Hsiian could be in several dozen places at one time. When guests were present they could be one host speaking with the guests in the house, another host greeting guests beside the stream, and still another host making casts with his fish¬ ing line, but the guests were unable to distinguish which was the true one.» — Ko Hung da los testigos de esa técnica en su propio linaje: Tso Tz'u, Chi Liao y su tío Ko Hsuan estaban en varias docenas de sitios a la vez, y los invitados no sabían cuál era el anfitrión verdadero.

«My teacher used to say that to preserve Unity was to practice jointly Bright Mirror, and that on becoming successful in the mirror procedure a man would be able to multiply his body to several dozen all with the same dress and facial expression.» — voz de Cheng Yin ligando las dos prácticas: preservar la Unidad era practicar a la vez el Espejo Brillante, y logrado el espejo el hombre podía multiplicar su cuerpo.

«A Wu processor named Tai Ping, happening to notice this, made several hundred impressions of the Yueh-chang seal and threw them through¬ out the pool from a boat. After quite some time a tortoise more than ten feet in diameter floated to the surface and dared not move. Then Tai Ping killed it with a pole, and immediately all the sick people got well.» — el relato de la tortuga de la Alberca de la Tortuga: un practicante de Wu arrojó al agua varios cientos de impresiones del sello, la tortuga de más de diez pies salió a flote sin atreverse a moverse, y al matarla sanaron todos los enfermos.

«Lessen desire, restrain eating, and Unity will abide quietly. Bare blade at the neck, and realize that through Unity we live. Unity is not hard to know; persistence is the difficulty. Guard It without loss, and you will never know exhaustion.» — sigue el poema de la Verdad-Unidad con su instrucción y su dificultad: reducir el deseo y contener la comida, y saber que no es difícil conocerla sino persistir.

«If a man can preserve Unity, Unity will also preserve him. In this way the bare blade finds no place in his body to inserts its edge; harmful things find no place in him that will» — Ko Hung enuncia la reciprocidad de la práctica: quien preserva la Unidad es preservado por Ella, y entonces el filo desnudo no halla en su cuerpo dónde meter su borde.

«The body of an individual can be pictured as a state. The diaphragm may be compared with the palace, the arms and legs, with the suburbs and frontiers. The bones and joints are like the officials; the inner gods like the sovereign; the blood like the ministers of state; the breath like the popula¬ tion.» — Ko Hung enuncia la analogía que cierra el capítulo decimoctavo: el cuerpo de un individuo se figura como un Estado, con el diafragma por palacio, los huesos por funcionarios, los dioses interiores por soberano, la sangre por ministros y el aliento por población.

«Therefore, man in his highest form dissipates fears before they arise; he controls illness before it occurs. He does his doctoring before anything happens; he does not pursue what has already gone.» — Ko Hung define la medicina preventiva como forma más alta del hombre: disipa los temores antes de que surjan y controla la enfermedad antes de que ocurra.

«Ko: I have at first shared the same urgency as yourself. Later, however, I was fortunate enough to meet with my intelligent teacher, Cheng Yin, whose only regret was that ib he had no pupils bright enough to penetrate the most diffi¬ cult and the loftiest portion of his teaching.» — Ko Hung responde a la petición del catálogo de libros contando su propio encuentro con Cheng Yin, cuyo único pesar era no tener alumnos bastante despiertos para lo más difícil de su enseñanza.

«At that time Cheng Yin was leaving his eighties, but his hair remained black for several years longer before be¬ coming streaked with white. He had a full and cheerful face, and could draw a sturdy crossbow and shoot for a hundred paces. He walked several hundred miles daily, and could drink two demijohns of wine without becoming drunk.» — Ko Hung retrata al maestro por sus capacidades físicas a los ochenta y tantos: pelo negro por años, cara llena y alegre, capaz de tensar una ballesta recia, de andar varios cientos de millas al día y de beber dos damajuanas sin embriagarse.

«He ate and drank the same things as everyone else; I never noticed that he did not take starches.» — Ko Hung consigna un dato que no cuadra con la doctrina que él mismo expone: Cheng Yin comía y bebía lo mismo que todos y nunca lo vio abstenerse de almidones.

«Cheng Yin yielded his ration, out of compassion for the others, and personally did no more eating for fifty days without suffering from hunger.» — voz del condiscípulo Huang Chang, que Ko Hung cita: en un camino con escasez, Cheng Yin cedió su ración por compasión y pasó cincuenta días sin comer sin padecer hambre.

«when I asked for prescriptions he told me there was no need for a large number of them; that a foot of silk could hold the essential divine process, the best could make me a genie, yet a wide experience with prescriptions would be far better than being ignorant of them.» — voz de Cheng Yin sobre la cantidad de recetas: no hace falta un número grande, un pie de seda puede contener el proceso divino esencial, y con todo la experiencia ancha con recetas es mejor que ignorarlas.

«Fundamentally, Cheng Yin was a great Confucian who turned to Taoism late. Since he continued to teach The Rites and The Writings of Old, his presence was imposing and his behavior correct. All who met him were impressed.» — Ko Hung consigna la procedencia de su maestro: Cheng Yin era de fondo un gran confucianista que se volvió al taoísmo tarde y siguió enseñando los Ritos y los Escritos Antiguos.

«Nevertheless, of his more than fifty pupils I was the only one to receive the classics concerning gold and cinnabar as well as *San huang nei wen and *Chen chung wu hsing chi. Some of the others never even saw the titles of these books.» — Ko Hung fija su propio lugar en esa escuela: de más de cincuenta alumnos fue el único en recibir los clásicos del oro y el cinabrio y otros dos títulos, y algunos ni siquiera vieron sus nombres.

«In the case of the amulets current today, however, we are unable to read them; therefore we cannot detect the errors. The result is that nobody knows when they are incorrect.» — Ko Hung explica por qué esos errores no se corrigen: los amuletos corrientes no se saben leer y por eso no se detectan sus errores.

«There are some in our day endowed with the capacity for operating recipes and using amulets with unique success, just as some people be¬ come expert parfumeurs by handling musk. This is some¬ thing natural and not transmissible. Nevertheless, although we may obtain flawless amulets and use them sincerely, we can never enjoy the prompt efficacy of those truly endowed for such things; they have the benefit automatically.» — Ko Hung reconoce un don natural e intransmisible: hay quien opera recetas y amuletos con éxito único, como quien se vuelve perfumista de tanto manejar almizcle, y ese logro no se transmite.

«Those receiving them transmitted them once after forty years, and in doing so oaths were taken by smearing the lips with the blood of a victim, and agreements were entered into by the giving of a present.» — Ko Hung da el intervalo de la transmisión de los dos libros que su maestro ponía por encima de todos: quien los recibía los transmitía una vez a los cuarenta años, con juramento sobre sangre y con un presente.

«In response to those who have secured the divine process and entered a mountain to give sincere thought to it, the god of the mountain will automatically open the mountain and let such persons see the texts, just as Po Ho got his in a mountain, and immediately set up an ja altar, made a present of silk, drew one ordinary copy, and then left with them.» — Ko Hung describe cómo esos textos se obtienen de la montaña misma: el dios del monte abre la montaña y deja verlos, como a Po Ho, que levantó un altar, ofreció seda y sacó una sola copia.

«In January of a.d. 303, aware of the political disorders characteristic of an age of perdition and of the troubles lying ahead for China south of the Yangtze — his postulants carrying the ingredients for making geniehood medicines — he led the pupils who had been admitted to the presence east and took asylum in Mount Huo; nobody knows where.» — Ko Hung cierra el capítulo decimonoveno con la desaparición de su maestro: en enero del 303, previendo los problemas del sur del Yangtsé, Cheng Yin se llevó al este a los alumnos admitidos y se asiló en el monte Huo.

«Nobody will get a pearl like li-lung, which shone in the dark, unless he searches in the depths at Ho-p’u. Nobody will get a circular jade a foot in diameter and worth a string of cities unless he does his collecting in the Ching mountain caves.» — abre el capítulo vigésimo, Allay Your Doubts, con dos imágenes de lo que solo se consigue yendo al sitio: la perla que brilla en la oscuridad y el jade circular que vale una hilera de ciudades.

«None of the ordinary, everyday affairs of the world can be learned sitting down; so, how much the more does this apply to learning about the gods and the genii!» — Ko Hung enuncia el principio del capítulo final: ninguno de los asuntos corrientes del mundo se aprende sentado, y menos aún lo de los dioses y los genios.

«Therefore, anyone able to regulate his own body can regulate a state. To take good care of the population is the best way to make your state secure; by the same token, to» — Ko Hung deriva de la analogía del cuerpo-Estado su regla: quien sabe regular su propio cuerpo puede regular un Estado, y cuidar bien de la población es el mejor modo de asegurarlo.

«For the art of metamorphosis the only work of significance is *Mo tzu wu hsing chi, which was originally in five scrolls. Long ago, however, before becoming a genie, Liu An reduced its essence to one scroll.» — Ko Hung nombra el único libro que tiene por importante en el arte de la metamorfosis y consigna su abreviación: de cinco rollos originales, Liu An redujo su esencia a uno antes de volverse genio.

«By a mere smile, a man knowing this art can become a woman. By distorting his face, he can be¬ come an old man. On kneeling upon the ground he becomes a little boy. By grasping a pole he becomes a tree. He plants something, and it immediately produces edible melons or fruit. He draws a line on the ground, and it becomes a river; 8a he piles up dirt and it becomes a hill. He sits down and causes the Traveling Canteen to arrive. He produces clouds and fire. There is nothing that such a person cannot produce.» — Ko Hung enumera lo que ese libro promete: volverse mujer con una sonrisa, viejo al torcer el gesto, niño al arrodillarse y árbol al empuñar un palo, y hacer río de una línea trazada en el suelo.

«Any white stone may resemble jade, and a pernicious flatterer can resemble a man of the highest caliber. The true man of high caliber, however, will continue trying to conceal himself; his possession will resemble lack. The flatterer will huckster himself more and more; his void will resemble plenitude. Only the keenest insight can distinguish between them.» — Ko Hung enuncia la simetría que hace difícil juzgar a un maestro: el de alto calibre se oculta y su posesión parece carencia, y el adulador se pregona y su vacío parece plenitud.

«Those competent to understand the essentials of the divine process desire nothing of anything in creation; they are not looking for praise from their generation. Why should they, indeed, flaunt themselves before the crowd ?» — Ko Hung deriva de eso la regla de reconocimiento: quien entiende lo esencial del proceso divino no desea nada de la creación ni busca el elogio de su generación.

«In my time I have frequently seen such a group of miscellaneous processors wending its way to the homes of honored citizens only so that their followers might make unfounded claims for them by saying, for example, that they were already four or five hundred years old. If, however, someone happened to ask their age specifically, they pretended not to hear.» — Ko Hung describe la mecánica del embuste: los seguidores dicen que el maestro tiene cuatrocientos o quinientos años, y si alguien pregunta la edad exacta él finge no oír.

«If they gave this detailed account of the places where they had been, it was to get their followers to reckon 2b them up as being several centuries old.» — Ko Hung desarma la aritmética del embuste: el detalle de los lugares y los años servía para que los seguidores los sumaran y salieran varios siglos.

«Tricksters sometimes happen to be naturally endowed with the ability to see ghosts and gods, and are able to divine from within themselves about the future or past affairs of others, but it is really impossible to influence the good or bad fortune which they foresee.» — Ko Hung concede a los embusteros un don real y le pone límite: algunos ven de veras fantasmas y dioses y adivinan lo pasado y lo por venir de otros, y no pueden influir en la fortuna que prevén.

«Others are adept in various arts and can reveal ghosts and miracles, but these are of no benefit to our longevity. When asked about the gold or cinnabar process, they prove totally ignorant.» — Ko Hung fija su criterio de examen: quienes muestran fantasmas y milagros, preguntados por el proceso del oro o del cinabrio resultan del todo ignorantes.

«He dared claim for himself four thousand years, and told fables without ever a blush: “I personally met Yao, Shun, Yu, and T’ang the Victorious.”» — voz de Ku Ch'iang, que Ko Hung cita para oponerle en seguida el testimonio de quienes conocían esas historias: se atribuía cuatro mil años y decía haber conocido en persona a Yao, Shun, Yü y T'ang el Victorioso.

«Those of us who knew the stories he told treated them as laughing matters. The crowd, how¬ ever, believed everything it heard from him.» — Ko Hung separa dos públicos de esos relatos: quienes conocían las historias que Ku Ch'iang contaba las tomaban a risa, y la multitud creía todo lo que le oía.

«He was interested in the divine process but did not succeed in getting the essentials from a good teacher. Completely neglecting the livelihood of his family, he spent days and nights reciting such classics as Huang-f ing, T’ai-ch’ing, and Chung-huang, and looking for lucky signs in the stars. He devoted himself to the quite nonessential writings of various authors, and claimed that the divine process was there in all fullness.» — abre el caso de Ts'ai Tan: se interesó por el proceso divino sin conseguir lo esencial de un buen maestro, descuidó a su familia recitando clásicos y buscando signos en los astros.

«But he was totally ignorant of anything practical; he merely deluded others by lauding the vague, flowery language of these texts and teaching that one’s heart’s desire could be had merely by reciting them a thousand times.» — Ko Hung nombra la doctrina que Ts'ai Tan enseñaba: que el deseo del corazón se cumple con solo recitar mil veces esos textos de lenguaje vago y florido.

«When he could stand it no longer, he returned home black and emaciated, a standing skeleton, not at all like a human being.» — Ko Hung consigna el desenlace material del caso: Ts'ai Tan volvió a casa negro y demacrado, un esqueleto de pie.

«Nobody asks how high heaven is; one just looks up at it. Well, Mount K’un-lun is only a little more than two rods lower. Tree-like grain forty-nine feet tall grows there, a single spike filling a cart. There are trees of pearls and jade; pear, precious-stone, and jasper trees. Jade plums, jade squashes, and jade peaches, where the fruit resembles what we have here in the world, only the sheen is more penetrating, and they are harder. They are eaten only after being softened by washing in jade well water. Whenever the wind begins to blow, the branches, flowers, and leaves of the pearl-jade trees pro¬ duce impressive music by knocking against one another.» — voz de Ts'ai Tan describiendo el monte K'un-lun: grano arbóreo de cuarenta y nueve pies, árboles de perla y jade, frutos de jade que se ablandan lavándolos en agua del pozo de jade, y música al chocar las ramas con el viento.

«When people heard Ts’ai Tan’s clear account they tended to believe him.» — Ko Hung cierra el relato del K'un-lun con el efecto que tuvo: al oír el relato claro de Ts'ai Tan, la gente tendía a creerle.

«After we had been giving serious thought to our task for three years a genie came to meet us, and we all mounted to heaven on a dragon. After a while I lowered my head to look at the earth which was far, far away and invisible.» — voz de Hsiang Wan-tu, que vuelve de la montaña tras diez años: un genio salió a su encuentro, montaron todos al cielo en un dragón y desde arriba la tierra ya no se veía.

«There are many liars of this class in the world, and they come in various types. I cannot list them all. This is exactly how their mad talk goes, and yet some people still do not feel that it is all imagination.» — Ko Hung generaliza los tres casos: hay muchos mentirosos de esa clase y de varios tipos, y aun así hay quien no siente que todo sea imaginación.

«What can they do, therefore, about subtle lies where there is a grain of verisimilitude with facts ? Without being very intelligent, how can they make a distinction on the spur of the moment ?» — Ko Hung nombra el problema que de veras le importa: si la mentira burda ya engaña, qué hará el poco inteligente con las mentiras sutiles donde hay un grano de verosimilitud.

«It has already been shown how the Five Classics and the whole mass of our older books are “ straw dogs,” effigies of the past. What we call footprints were of course produced yb by feet, but they are not actually the feet (Chuang 14.30, 75). In the same way, books were written by sages, but they are not the sages.» — Ko Hung cierra el libro con la fórmula que subordina los libros a los maestros: los Cinco Clásicos y la masa de los libros viejos son perros de paja, y las huellas las hicieron los pies pero no son los pies.

«If the Confucianists carry their books for thousands of miles in search of a teacher, shouldn’t the divine process, conferring Fullness of Life, so valued by God’s Men, be earnestly sought where our inquiries may be addressed ?» — Ko Hung remata con un argumento a fortiori dirigido a sus adversarios: si los confucianistas llevan sus libros mil millas en busca de un maestro, cuánto más habría de buscarse el proceso divino donde se puedan hacer las preguntas.

«It is indispensable, however, that you most carefully dis¬ tinguish true teachers from the false, for I fear that there will never fail to be Ku Ch’iangs, Ts’ai Tans, Hsiang Wan-tus, and Pai Hos in our world. An examination of this book of mine by curiosity-seekers may help them somewhat to sort the good from the bad.» — Ko Hung declara para qué sirve su propio libro en la última plana: para que quien lo examine distinga a los maestros verdaderos de los falsos, porque nunca faltarán los Ku Ch'iang, los Ts'ai Tan y los Hsiang Wan-tu.

«Then suddenly we thought of home, with the result that in going before the Emperor of» — sigue Hsiang Wan-tu explicando su vuelta: por pensar de pronto en casa cometieron un error de ceremonial al presentarse ante el Emperador del Cielo.

«I have been shep¬ herding several head of dragons for Lao Tan. A dappled, variegated one was the best and the one which Lao Tan normally rides. They had me guard and look after it, but I became careless and merely played backgammon with genii who had been promoted after me, and suddenly I lost sight of this dragon.» — sigue la explicación de Ts'ai Tan: pastoreaba dragones de Lao Tan, le encargaron el mejor y lo perdió de vista por jugar al backgammon con genios ascendidos después que él.

«For this mistake I was reprimanded and escorted to the foot of Mount K’un-lun to weed thirty or forty acres of herbs growing there very close together and including many bad weeds. It took an incalculable amount of hard work to keep the place in order. After ten years of this punishment I was pardoned. “At that point, the genii Wo-ch’iian tzu and Wang Ch’iao came to inspect my conduct. Since I turned to them with a plea to exert themselves in my behalf, I have been released for return here. Now I must retrain myself and seek to depart once more.” Whereupon he died of old age.» — cierra el caso de Ts'ai Tan: dice haber sido castigado diez años a desherbar treinta o cuarenta acres al pie del monte K'un-lun, y luego murió de viejo.

«Quitting the governorship, he joined Chai Yi, Governor of Tungchun [S. Hopei] in raising troops to punish Wang Mang, but they were defeated and subsequently pardoned. Thereupon, alleging ill¬ ness, he withdrew from public life.» — Ko Hung consigna en su genealogía el gesto que le importa: un antepasado dejó la gobernación por no servir a un bandido, se alzó contra Wang Mang, fue derrotado y perdonado, y luego alegó enfermedad para retirarse de la vida pública; el impreso parte *Tung-chun* a fin de renglón y la extracción por programa lo une en *Tungchun*.

«They deliberately accumulate currency to make it dearer, or they corner markets to usurp profits belonging to the people. They cut off slices from people’s farms and 6a seize the patrimonies of orphans.» — Ko Hung enumera las prácticas económicas que censura en los hombres sin principios: acumular moneda a propósito para encarecerla, acaparar mercados y arrebatar el patrimonio de los huérfanos.

«Yin and yang are highly inscrut¬ able, and man is only a temporary sojourner in them. With all the glorious prosperity of a short-lived mushroom, he tumbles to ruin within a day. With all the momentary glory of a spring flower, he succumbs to the frost within a week.» — Ko Hung contesta al objetante de su autobiografía con la brevedad de la vida: yin y yang son sumamente inescrutables y el hombre es solo un huésped temporal en ellos, con la prosperidad de un hongo de un día.

«A century is to be likened to the smoke ridden by a meteor; whitening hair comes with all the speed of an arrow passing by a crack. Man appears like a perishing bamboo shoot before he has even sprouted; he meets his autumn and tumbles to pieces.» — sigue la respuesta: un siglo se compara al humo que cabalga un meteoro, el pelo encanece con la rapidez de una flecha que pasa por una rendija, y el hombre se deshace antes de haber brotado.

«genii and sages are maligned, harm is inflicted on processors, flying birds are shot with pellets, the pregnant disemboweled and eggs broken;» — muestra del catálogo de faltas del capítulo sexto, que incluye las que tocan a su propio oficio: denigrar a genios y sabios y dañar a los processors, junto a matar aves al vuelo y destripar preñadas.

«Gnats are reared by vinegar; mushrooms grow on wood and stone; waterbugs multiply in wet places; lichens flourish on pines, but none of these hosts fashion their parasites.» — Ko Hung refuerza con parásitos el argumento de que el cielo y la tierra no engendran lo que contienen: el vinagre cría mosquitos y los pinos dan líquenes, y ninguno de esos anfitriones fabrica a sus parásitos.

«If man cannot keep his ears and eyes constantly keen and prevent his blood and breaths from diminishing, neither can heaven prevent eclipses and diminishings of the sun and moon, or departures from the proper sequence of the four seasons.» — Ko Hung extiende al cielo la impotencia del hombre sobre su propio cuerpo: como el hombre no evita que se le mermen la sangre y los alientos, tampoco el cielo evita los eclipses ni los desórdenes de las cuatro estaciones.

«The man occupied with God wanders freely on the rainbow and soars in the cinnabar firmament. He en¬ larges his boundaries to include all of space; goes where he wills. On the grand scale he moves about playing host; he never knows sorrow.» — cierra el capítulo décimo con el retrato del ocupado en Dios: recorre libre el arcoíris, vuela en el firmamento de cinabrio, ensancha sus fronteras hasta abarcar el espacio entero y nunca conoce el pesar.

«At the assemblage point for the sacrificial pigs, even though the animals have been adorned with greenery and embroideries and we discuss their joy, how do they com¬ pare with the solitary unicorn who, quitting the herd to travel alone, abounds in prosperity as he basks in the light of peerless good fortune!» — la imagen final del capítulo décimo: los cerdos de sacrificio adornados de verde y bordados frente al unicornio solitario que deja la manada y viaja solo.

«The rock-cinnamon type grows in the caves of famous mountains. It resembles a cinnamon tree, but is really a rock. It is about a foot high, and the large ones are a foot in diameter. It glistens and has an acrid taste. It is branched. Pestle and take a pound of it, and you will live to a thousand.» — muestra del catálogo de excrecencias de roca: la del canelo de piedra, que parece un canelo y es realmente roca, brillante, de sabor acre y ramificada.

«If pure, unadulterated lacquer is taken, it will put a man in communication with the gods and let him enjoy Fullness na of Life. Directions: Mix it with ten pieces of crab. Take it with mica water, or mixed with jade water. The Nine Insects will then drop from you, and the bad blood will leave you through nose-bleeds. After a year, the six-chia gods and the Traveling Canteen will come to you.» — muestra de la farmacopea del capítulo undécimo: la laca pura pone al hombre en comunicación con los dioses, hace caer los Nueve Insectos y expulsa la sangre mala por la nariz.

«He claimed that while in the mountains his body became so light that he wanted to dance. He mounted to heights and passed precipitous places without being ex¬ hausted at the end of the day. He walked on ice and snow without feeling cold.» — voz del bisabuelo de un tal Wen, que sobrevivió en la montaña comiendo cardo: en el monte su cuerpo se volvió tan ligero que quería bailar, y andaba sobre hielo y nieve sin sentir frío.

«One day he noticed several men sitting facing one another on a lofty peak playing backgammon. One who was reading happened to look down and notice Mr. Wen. Then he overheard them sizing him up. When it was asked, “Is this man ready to be summoned on high?” one of them replied, “Not yet.”» — cierra ese relato con el juicio que los genios hacen del hombre sin que él lo pida: al preguntarse si ya está listo para ser llamado arriba, uno responde que todavía no.

«Directions for Nibbling the Elixir (4.1769). Take one pound of cinnabar, pestled and sifted, three quarts of strong vinegar, and two quarts of clear lacquer. Mix these three thoroughly and cook over a slow fire until the compound can be shaped into pills.» — muestra de las tres recetas que el capítulo undécimo repite del capítulo cuarto: una libra de cinabrio molido y cernido, tres cuartos de vinagre fuerte y dos de laca clara, a fuego lento hasta poder hacer píldoras.

«But bringing our knowledge of today to bear against these opinions, I feel that enlightenment is possible.» — Ko Hung declara posible la ilustración contra la creencia en la omnisciencia de los sabios: basta traer a cuento el saber de hoy.

«When the pursuit of the divine process is unsuccessful and death occurs while life was in the plan¬ ning, there was no lack of inner breaths and blood, but the roots and sources for the making of breaths and blood were gone, and there remained only the flow in the smaller branches.» — Ko Hung explica la muerte que sobreviene en pleno plan de vida: no faltaban alientos ni sangre, sino que se habían ido las raíces y las fuentes que los hacen, y solo quedaba el flujo en las ramas menores.

«It resembles the situation where submersion into water terminates a fire; there is an extinguishing, but the smoke does not cease immediately. Or we might compare it 6b with the growth of branches and twigs after a tree has been cut down. In these cases it cannot be denied that smoke and leaves are present, but it is still a fact that their source has already perished.» — Ko Hung ilustra esa muerte con dos imágenes de resto: el fuego que se apaga bajo el agua y sigue humeando, y las ramas que brotan del árbol ya cortado.

«When there is no careful forethought and there are no initial offerings, we speak of flattery and deception. To expect such a person to believe is the same as giving mirrors to the blind or diverting the deaf with music.» — cierra el capítulo decimotercero: sin previsión cuidadosa ni ofrendas iniciales solo hay adulación y engaño, y esperar que tal persona crea es dar espejos al ciego o distraer al sordo con música.

«When an inch-square spoonful of this is taken three times daily until a little more than a peck has been consumed, it becomes possible to see any object at night. Another method is to use dog-gall extract and lucerne, abalone, motherwort, and Pai-hua powders. If the milk, juice, or extract of Aquilaria or yellow lotus are put into the eyes, any and all eye disease will be cured and one’s vision will be twice as good as before.» — muestra de las recetas oftálmicas del capítulo decimoquinto: nabos cocidos en vinagre fuerte, secados y molidos, que permiten ver cualquier objeto de noche.

«There was a processor at Lo-yang by the name of Tung Ching, who normally stayed at Pai-she and ate absolutely nothing. Ch’en Tzu-hsu provided him with protection and service, and in return acquired his recipe after studying the process under him for a very long time. Pestle to a powder about ten substances, such as licorice, Bidens, and amaranthus seeds. After taking an inch-square spoonful of this, swallow twelve pebbles the size of a sparrow’s egg.» — muestra de las recetas para pasar sin almidones: doce guijarros del tamaño de un huevo de gorrión tragados tras una cucharada de diez sustancias molidas.

«Method for preparing realgar solution. Prepare and place one pound of realgar in a tube of green bamboo, placing two ounces of saltpeter as a bed, and cover. Seal the tube with a globule of hard lacquer. Immerse the whole in strong vinegar and bury three feet deep in the earth. After twenty days it will have liquefied. Malachite solution and kalinite solution are made in this same way, but separate tubes must» — muestra de las soluciones minerales del capítulo del oro: una libra de rejalgar en un tubo de bambú verde sobre un lecho de salitre, sellado con laca, sumergido en vinagre fuerte y enterrado tres pies.

«In the first place one enters mountains only during the third or ninth moons (11.7611), these being the times when mountains are open. Then you must choose a propitious.day and a good hour in one of those moons. If your business is of long standing and cannot permit long waiting for one of these two moons, you will merely pick a good day and hour. Before entering the mountain ordinary folk must first fast and purify themselves for seven days» — Ko Hung repite en el capítulo decimoséptimo el calendario de la entrada a la montaña: solo la tercera o la novena luna, cuando las montañas están abiertas, y siete días de ayuno y purificación para la gente común.

«As a general rule, times marked by the six cyclical combinations containing kuei are the times when heaven is storing; the six containing chi are the times when earth is serving as a door.» — Ko Hung traduce a horas concretas la fórmula del Tun chia: los seis binarios con kuei son los tiempos en que el cielo almacena y los seis con chi, aquellos en que la tierra sirve de puerta.

«If any are accompanying you, no matter what number, have them all take up regular positions 8a and then blow on them with your breath. After that, even though they were to tread upon a snake, it would not dare move, and indeed no snakes will normally be met after taking these precautions.» — el conjuro por aliento se extiende a la comitiva: se los coloca en posiciones regulares y se sopla sobre ellos, y después la serpiente pisada no se atreve a moverse.

«The mixture will then automatically divide into two parts. The part that rises and protrudes is the male mixture; the part that forms a hole and sinks is the female mixture.» — el modo de saber si una mezcla es macho o hembra, en la receta de las dagas contra los dragones: la parte que sube y sobresale es la macho y la que se hunde formando un hoyo es la hembra.

«Some people use a very potent charm. After swallowing 360 breaths, they shout angrily from left to right at the tigers, so that they do not dare appear.» — muestra de los conjuros contra el tigre: tragar trescientos sesenta alientos y gritarles con furia de izquierda a derecha.

«Interlocutor: Face to a wall and bound to Confucianism, I have hitherto recognized only the existence of the Five Classics, the Three Histories, and the philosophers of anti¬ quity, plus, of course, light, flowery poetry and short, profit¬ less compositions. For years now I have thought only of preserving such things as these.» — abre el capítulo decimonoveno con la confesión del Interlocutor, que cambia de posición: de cara a la pared y atado al confucianismo, solo había reconocido los Cinco Clásicos, las Tres Historias y los filósofos antiguos.

«The fact that he asked Lao Tan about the ceremonies of antiquity (SC 63.161) indicates that there was something he did not understand about them. Since he had to ask the Lord of T’an about official offices that had the names of birds (KTCY 4.409), there was something he did not know about officialdom.» — sigue la lista de lo que Confucio no sabía: preguntó a Lao Tan por las ceremonias de la antigüedad y al Señor de T'an por los cargos con nombre de ave.

«Initial one foot forward, Initial two side by side, Prints not enough. Nine prints are the count, Successively up to snuff. One pace (or three prints) equals seven feet; total, twenty-one feet; and on looking back you will see nine prints.”» — la cuarteta que mide el Paso de Yü, con la cuenta que el texto adjunta: un paso equivale a siete pies, el total es de veintiún pies y al mirar atrás se ven nueve huellas.

«Some people carry dried ginger and aconite at their elbows; some smoke their persons in burned buffalo’s, ram’s, or deer’s horn. Others carry at their belts Wang Yuan’s 8b realgar pills; still others place boar’s cerumen and musk pills under their toenails. All of these things are effective. Since musk deer and wild boars both eat snakes, they may be used to keep them in check.» — muestra de los remedios contra las serpientes: jengibre seco y acónito al codo, humo de cuerno quemado de búfalo, carnero o ciervo, píldoras de rejalgar al cinto y cerumen de jabalí con almizcle bajo las uñas de los pies.

«These five are Lao-chiin enter-mountain amulets. They are to be written in large, red letters on peach-wood plaques in such a way that they fill the whole plaque.» — Ko Hung describe el soporte material de los amuletos de entrada a la montaña: letras rojas grandes sobre tablillas de madera de durazno, que han de llenar la tablilla entera.

«If anyone is suffering from illness or on the point of death, let someone believing in the process with all his heart give this text to the patient to hold, and he will be sure not to die.» — muestra de los poderes que el clásico se atribuye a sí mismo como objeto: basta que un creyente ponga el texto en manos del enfermo a punto de morir.

«the kite, as it flies ever higher and higher, merely relaxes its two wings and does not flap them again at all, but 11a advances automatically by agitation, because it gradually comes to ride upon stronger air. Similarly, as soon as the dragon mounts above the clouds to forty miles, it travels automatically. This is a statement coming from genii, but its transmission not having continued among the laity, the fact is not known to ordinary folk» — voz de Cheng Yin sobre el aire que sostiene a cuarenta millas: el milano deja de batir las alas y avanza solo porque va montando aire más fuerte, y lo mismo el dragón sobre las nubes.

«To rout snakes and dragons while crossing rivers and seas. Processors finding themselves obliged to travel on or across large rivers against their own better judgment should break one egg and mix it in a water-drawing vessel» — abre la sección de los conjuros de agua del capítulo decimoséptimo: el practicante obligado a cruzar ríos grandes contra su propio juicio rompe un huevo en un recipiente de sacar agua.

«be carved on a plaque two inches square, made from the pith of the jujube. Bow twice and then wear it. It will prove very effective. It was also the amulet of the genie Ch’en An-shih.» — el sello de Lao Tan contra fantasmas, serpientes, tigres, lobos y dioses: tallado en una tablilla de dos pulgadas cuadradas hecha del corazón del azufaifo, y llevado tras dos reverencias.

«There you will find the tuan-hu (also called yu, she-kung, or she-ying), which is in fact a water insect. It resembles the cicada and is the size of a three-gill cup. It has wings and can fly; no eyes, but sharp hearing. In its mouth there is something horizontal, like a horn or a crossbow. If it hears a human voice, it makes an arrow of its breath by means of this object in» — descripción del insecto acuático que el capítulo decimoséptimo tiene por el peligro mayor del sur: sin ojos y de oído agudo, con algo horizontal en la boca como un cuerno o una ballesta, con que hace flecha de su aliento al oír voz humana.

«My grandfather, Ko Hsi, was a profound student of everything. As a man of letters he was without peer in his day.» — Ko Hung retrata a su abuelo Ko Hsi dentro de la autobiografía: estudioso profundo de todo y hombre de letras sin par en su día.

«Most certainly, if men and creatures were the products of heaven and earth, they should all be fair and free from un¬ pleasantness; they should all be perfect — no failures.» — Ko Hung razona por el resultado contra la creación providente: si hombres y criaturas fueran producto del cielo y la tierra, todos serían bellos y perfectos y no habría fallos.

«Medicines commonly used by physicians are quite humble things known to all, but even the effective prescriptions in ordinary use are kept secret.» — Ko Hung extiende el secreto a la medicina corriente: sus remedios son cosas humildes que todos conocen y aun así las prescripciones eficaces de uso ordinario se guardan.

«Thus such ingredients of pre¬ scriptions as wandering ladies of the rear palace [lightning bugs], sideways gum, Lord Seal’s nirvana [?clay pills], wooden ghost [?Vitex], gold merchant’s mushroom [?catalpa, Jew’s-ear], flying lord’s root [bee-sage], vanquished dragon’s liver [old cinders], white horse’s sweat [raspberry juice], floating-cloud lees [mica], dragon’s offspring elixir [frog’s skin], night-clothing luminous bones [torch ashes], white-flower wine [honey], and Mr. Tsou’s winter fast are all familiar materials, but without the secret oral directions one would never know them.» — muestra de los nombres cubiertos de la medicina corriente, con los descifrados que el traductor pone entre corchetes: damas errantes del palacio trasero por luciérnagas, hígado de dragón vencido por cenizas viejas, sudor de caballo blanco por jugo de frambuesa y heces de nube flotante por mica.

«Ko Hung’s Autobiography (.Pao-p’u tzu waip’ien, 50) (Writing around a.d. 320:) My family name is Ko, my personal name Hung, my sobriquet Chih-ch’uan, and I am a man of Chii-jung in the metropolitan district of Tan-yang [near modern Nanking].» — abre la autobiografía que Ware incorpora a la Introducción, con el encabezado que la identifica como el capítulo 50 del Wai p'ien y con la fecha que el impreso le pone: Ko Hung se nombra por apellido, nombre personal y sobrenombre, y se sitúa en Chü-jung, en el distrito metropolitano de Tan-yang.

«In Memoriam MARCEL GRANET Directeur d’Etudes a VEcole des Hautes Etudes Professeur a VEcole des Langues Orientates Administrateur de VInstitut des Hautes Etudes Chinoises de Paris and TENNEY L. DAVIS Professor of Organic Chemistry Massachusetts Institute of Technology» — Ware dedica el volumen a dos muertos que marcan sus dos linajes de lectura: el sinólogo Marcel Granet, de la Escuela de Altos Estudios de París, y Tenney L. Davis, profesor de química orgánica en el MIT.

«In references to China’s Dynastic Histories, I have used the T’u-shu-chi-ch’eng yin-shu-chii edition.» — Ware declara en el prefacio qué ediciones chinas usa para las Historias Dinásticas.

«The publications of the late Professor H. Maspero (Journal Asiatique, Vol. 229 [1937] and Le Taoisme, Paris, 1950) and TT 900 (Synonyms for Minerals and Medicines) were indispensable, and the notes of Y. Ishijima (Tokyo, 1942) and Father E. Feifel (Monumenta Serica Vol. 6 [1941] et seq.) have been helpful.» — Ware nombra su deuda con la sinología previa: Maspero y el TT 900 de sinónimos de minerales y medicinas como indispensables, y las notas de Ishijima y del padre Feifel como útiles.

«The late Professor T. L. Davis also worked with this text (Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Vol. 70 [1935] et seq.) out of his interest in the history of alchemy.» — Ware consigna que Davis, el químico a quien dedica el libro, había trabajado ya sobre este mismo texto, y por interés en la historia de la alquimia.

«minerals and plants can only be, for the present translator, the definitions found in available dictionaries and vocab» — Ware acota el límite de su propia traducción: los nombres de minerales y plantas solo pueden ser, para él, las definiciones de los diccionarios disponibles. La frase arranca en la plana anterior, donde el troceo intercala la nota al pie y el folio.

«In Chinese personal names the surname or family name is given first; thus Ko Hung is Mr. Ko, and Shen-t’u P’an is Mr. Shen-t’u. The rest of the name corresponds to our first name.» — Ware explica el orden de los nombres chinos: el apellido va primero, de modo que Ko Hung es el señor Ko.

«For actual publication of this translation, his first deep bow of gratitude must be to Professor Nathan Sivin.» — Ware agradece la publicación de la traducción, ante todo, a Nathan Sivin.

«A: Ko Hung’s autobiography = ch. 50 of his Wai p’ien.» — la tabla de abreviaturas identifica la autobiografía incorporada a la Introducción como el capítulo 50 del Wai p'ien, la otra mitad de la obra de Ko Hung.

«SHC: Shen hsien chuan, Ko Hung’s Biographies of Gods and Genii (Kuang Han Wei ts’ung-shu, 1592).» — la tabla de abreviaturas registra otra obra de Ko Hung, las Biografías de dioses y genios, citada por la edición de 1592.

«A Something, chaotic in formation, was begotten before nature. Quiet and uncommitted, It exists of Itself, never changing. Since It never tires of moving everywhere, we may well think of It as the world's mother. Its rightful name I do not know, but I give It the sobriquet Tao ( = God). If a rightful name is insisted upon, I would call It Maximal.» — voz del Tao te ching, verso 25, en la versión de Duyvendak que Ware reproduce en su Introducción: algo caótico engendrado antes que la naturaleza, quieto y sin compromiso, que existe de sí mismo y no cambia, y a lo que se da el sobrenombre de Tao.

«Then, upon noticing that Tao Te Ching, verse 34, is willing to call the Something “Minimal,” every schoolman would have understood that the Chinese author was talking about God, for only in God do contraries become identical!» — Ware apoya en el verso 34 su equivalencia de Tao con Dios: quien llama Mínimo a lo que ya llamó Máximo habla, para un escolástico, de Dios, porque solo en Dios los contrarios se identifican.

«In two Chinese texts dating from around 300 b.c., Tao Te Ching and Chuang tzu, we meet the thought, and sporadic¬ ally the practices, of men who rejected the normal human and materialistic descriptions of God. Impressed by the evanescence of the material universe and yearning for perma¬ nency, they were impelled to postulate, through intuition, that the phantasmagoria was reducible to Unity.» — Ware fecha hacia el 300 a. C. los dos textos, Tao Te Ching y Chuang tzu, en que sitúa el rechazo de las descripciones humanas y materialistas de Dios y la postulación por intuición de que la fantasmagoría se reduce a Unidad.

«In all this he lays no claim to originality; he says in his book that he is merely transmitting things learned from his teacher who also did not originate them (4.202).» — Ware resume la posición que Ko Hung se da a sí mismo: no reclama originalidad y dice transmitir lo aprendido de su maestro, que tampoco lo originó.

«Thanks to its redness and permanency gold is the one ideal available material that seems to embody Life or God. Since man becomes what he eats, man would become Life by feeding upon gold.» — Ware expone el silogismo que ordena el tratado: el oro, por rojo y permanente, es la materia disponible que parece encarnar la Vida o Dios, y como el hombre se vuelve lo que come, comiendo oro se volvería Vida.

«Ko has no interest in gold as a medium of exchange (16.469), but only as a medicine or food that will endow him with a Fullness of Life comparable with God.» — Ware acota que a Ko Hung el oro no le interesa como moneda sino como medicina o alimento que dé Plenitud de Vida comparable a la de Dios.

«At any rate, he did produce mixtures and oxida¬ tions from cinnabar, realgar, malachite, sulphur, mica, salt, saltpeter, and orpiment.» — Ware enumera los reactivos que da por efectivamente trabajados: cinabrio, rejalgar, malaquita, azufre, mica, sal, salitre y oropimente.

«As preliminary and ancillary pro¬ cedures, our author recommends calisthenics, breathing exercises, a pharmacopoeia of herbs and minerals for the treatment of illnesses, and correct sexual procedures where an ultimate goal is the development of the sperm and its retention within the originator’s body to repair his brain.» — Ware ordena lo que rodea a la obra del elixir: calistenia, ejercicios de respiración, farmacopea de hierbas y minerales contra las enfermedades, y procedimientos sexuales cuyo fin último es retener el esperma para reparar el cerebro.

«It is clear that the word tao appears frequently in this text not as a designation of God but of the process by which God is to be approximated or attained. In such cases I shall trans¬ late it as “the divine process.” In instances where either this or “God” would be appropriate, a translator is obliged to be arbitrary.» — Ware distingue los dos usos de tao y avisa de la arbitrariedad que se impone: cuando no designa a Dios sino al proceso por el que se lo aproxima o alcanza, lo traduce the divine process, y donde caben los dos el traductor tiene que elegir.

«The term tao shih is rendered “processor”; hsien is translated “genie” rather than “immortal.”» — las otras dos decisiones de vocabulario que gobiernan el libro entero: tao shih queda en processor y hsien en genie, no en immortal.

«At this juncture, however, a great diffi¬ culty looms: Those in possession of sufficient gold are either atheists or — and faith is of the essence — they simply do» — Ware señala la dificultad que empuja el tratado hacia la fabricación: quien posee oro suficiente o es ateo o, y la fe es lo esencial, *simply do not believe in the doctrine*, como sigue la frase en la plana siguiente.

«The Taoism represented by Ko Hung peopled the uni¬ verse with gods, ghosts, and genii. What was merely “sky” in the old Chinese state cult had become by his day an or¬ ganization and a vast country, populated and governed like China itself.» — Ware describe el mundo que el libro supone: el taoísmo que Ko Hung representa puebla el universo de dioses, fantasmas y genios, y lo que en el viejo culto de Estado era solo cielo pasa a ser una organización y un país vasto, poblado y gobernado como la propia China.

«Further, the Chinese of the fourth century a.d. were accepting a detailed correlation between heaven, earth, and man, which was handled through equations using the sexagenary cycle (with its denary and duodenary cycles), the Five Agents (wood, fire, earth, water, metal), the seasons, the cardinal points, the colors, the musical notes, and the stars.» — Ware enumera la rejilla de correspondencias que el siglo IV chino daba por buena y que el tratado usa: ciclo sexagenario, cinco agentes, estaciones, puntos cardinales, colores, notas musicales y estrellas.

«The author of the present book, Ko Hung, can be assigned only the approximate dates of a.d. 280-340, since sources other than Chin shu (Chin History) 72.704, which records for him the ideal Taoist age of 81, give his age as 60.» — Ware fecha al autor sin resolver la discrepancia de las fuentes: solo caben las fechas aproximadas 280-340 d. C., porque el Chin shu le da la edad taoísta ideal de 81 años y las demás fuentes, 60.

«Breath (ch’i), that sure sign of vitality, was classified into ten sorts, three of them subtle (hun) and seven coarse (po) (2.10a6).» — Ware da la anatomía que el libro presupone: el aliento, señal cierta de vitalidad, se clasificaba en diez clases, tres sutiles y siete gruesas.

«Anatomically the body fell into the three divisions of top, bottom, and median (5.208), in each of which there were a governing bureau and branch offices operated by inhabiting divinities. Late sources claim that these numbered 36,000. It was the function of the physician to know which of these might be causing illness. A correct knowledge of their names and uniforms was indispensable if they were to be controlled.» — Ware describe la burocracia interna del cuerpo: tres divisiones con oficina rectora y sucursales atendidas por divinidades residentes, y el oficio del médico consiste en saber cuál causa la enfermedad y conocer sus nombres y uniformes para controlarlas.

«Ctieng 10.5: The patient dreamed that his illness was two lackeys, one of whom remarked, “The physician whom Ch’in is sending is first class. I’m afraid that he will harm us. Where shall we run to?” The other replied, “Let’s go and stay above the diaphragm and below the heart, then he will be unable to do anything about us.” After examining his patient the physician said, “Nothing can be done about this illness, because it lies above the diaphragm and below the heart where we cannot reach it. Medicines are ineffective when they do not reach the illness.» — voz del Tso chuan, clásico confuciano que Ware reproduce en su Introducción porque es el marco médico que Ko Hung evoca: la enfermedad soñada como dos lacayos que se esconden entre el diafragma y el corazón, adonde el medicamento no llega.

«There are six breaths in nature, and they produce all savors, colors, and musical chords. Excess causes the illnesses. The six breaths are: yin, yang, wind, rain, darkness, and light. They are apportioned among the four seasons and arranged into the five musical chords. Excess on the part of any of the six breaths causes damage. Too much ym, there will be chills; too much yang, fever; too much wind, illness in the extremities; too much rain, digestive troubles; too much dark¬ ness, delusion; too much light, illness for the heart and mind.» — voz del Tso chuan citado por Ware: los seis alientos de la naturaleza son yin, yang, viento, lluvia, oscuridad y luz, repartidos entre las cuatro estaciones y ordenados en los cinco acordes, y el exceso de cualquiera de ellos causa su daño propio.

«In the preceding excerpt two untranslatable terms were encountered: yin and yang. They are a succinct product of Chinese culture which the rest of the world might well adopt in classifying its own observation and experience con¬ veniently. Yin is dark and feminine; yang is light and mascu¬ line; thus these words denote the whole gamut of antagonistic, complementary pairs of which our universe is composed.» — Ware declara intraducibles los dos términos y los explica como clasificación: yin es oscuro y femenino, yang claro y masculino, y entre los dos abarcan la gama entera de pares antagónicos y complementarios.

«Since Taoism is by no means nihilistic in outlook, its cardinal dynamism can be stressed by using positives to translate some other technical terms which, literally, are overtly or implicitly negative because they deny the popular assumption that empiric existences constitute reality. Yu designates these empirical existences with their bound and discreet forms. Wu is the antithesis of yu, and to underscore its lack of bonds, “perfect freedom” is used for its translation. Hsu, to all essential purposes, is a synonym of wu, but to preserve the verbal distinction it will be trans¬ lated “uncommitted.” Ch'ing (pure) is best rendered “unprejudiced.”» — nota al pie de Ware con el resto de su vocabulario: contra la lectura nihilista traduce en positivo los términos que en chino niegan la realidad de lo empírico, de modo que wu queda en perfect freedom, hsu en uncommitted y ch'ing en unprejudiced.

«For Sui, Ch’in, and the fish, Ko Hung seems to have had in mind Chuang 28.29; 32.25; and 19.50. The reference to the nests remains unidentified.» — nota de Ware al capítulo primero: conjetura de qué pasajes del Chuang salen tres de las imágenes y declara sin identificar la de los nidos.

«The references here are to I ching. See R. Wilhelm, Buck der Wandlungen (Jena, 1924), Vol. 1, pp. 82, 147; Vol. 2, pp. 118, 208. These are all references to stories of mean or futile desires.» — nota de Ware que remite las imágenes de la viga alabeada y la sopa derramada al I ching por la traducción alemana de Richard Wilhelm, y las lee como historias de deseos mezquinos o fútiles.

«This could be a reference to Ana 18.5 and Lieh tzu 4.20.» — nota de Ware que propone, en condicional, las dos referencias clásicas del pasaje sobre los dichos de locos y las cantinelas de niños.

«This is a quotation from The Poems 35.1. Feng and fei are not identifiable. The point, as in the previous sentence, is that the seemingly useless is not to be ignored.» — nota de Ware que declara no identificables dos plantas del verso citado y explica el punto: lo que parece inútil no ha de ignorarse.

«This includes what is now North Vietnam, Kwangtung, and Kwangsi.» — nota de Ware que sitúa geográficamente los estados costeros del sur donde, según el texto, ya se fabricaban las copas de cristal.

«Translator’s note: Since in composing the above resume Ko Hung reports nothing about the actual preparation of any of the nine cinnabars, I translate here what TT 884.1.40-56 says about the first: Recipe.» — Ware interviene con nota de traductor para suplir lo que el texto omite: como Ko Hung no informa de la preparación efectiva de ninguno de los nueve cinabrios, él traduce del canon taoísta lo que este dice del primero.

«Place the cinnabar in a crucible (which is placed mouth-to-mouth with another crucible). Seal the joint hermetically with Six-One lute. Examine it carefully to see that there is no crack even as fine as a hair, for otherwise all the medicine will evaporate and its essence be lost. In such a case no benefit can be derived from taking the residue. When the sealing has been completed, dry it for some ten days before using the reaction vessel.» — en esa nota Ware traduce el sellado del vaso: dos crisoles boca con boca, junta hermética con el mortero Seis-Uno, y revisión de que no quede grieta ni de un cabello, porque si no la medicina se evapora y se pierde su esencia.

«First, warm the vessel for nine days and nights with a fire of dried horse manure kept five inches from it; then move the fire closer for another nine days and nine nights. After this, surround the bottom half of the vessel with fire for another nine days and nine nights. After thirty-six days in all, one may halt the firing and allow cooling for one day in order that all the medicine may sublime into the upper crucible. It will resemble either mottled serpentine, shooting stars, or frost. It will be pure red like cinnabar, blue, or scarlet. Remove only one pound minus four ounces of it by brushing with a feather.» — sigue la nota de Ware con el régimen de fuego: nueve días y nueve noches con fuego de estiércol seco de caballo a cinco pulgadas, otros nueve más cerca y otros nueve rodeando la mitad inferior, y al cabo de treinta y seis un día de enfriamiento para que la medicina sublime al crisol superior.

«When you are ready to take it, wash and bathe both body and hair, and burn incense for five or seven days, then at 6 o’clock in the morning bow eastward and, while kneeling, take a dose the size of a large grain of wheat or millet, or even of a gram. If a truly superior processor takes it thus for seven days, he will rise to heaven. If a lesser one takes it for seventy days, he will also attain geniehood, but an uninitiate would require a whole year for this same result.» — la nota de Ware da el rito y la escala de la toma: lavarse cuerpo y cabello, quemar incienso cinco o siete días y a las seis de la mañana inclinarse al este y tomar de rodillas una dosis del tamaño de un grano de trigo; siete días bastan al processor superior, setenta al menor y un año entero al no iniciado.

«Finally, she added, “ Gold is formed, to last you’re able. Gold not formed, your life’s unstable. Effort in vain, protection whence able?”» — cierra la nota de Ware con la cuarteta de la Hembra Celeste que hace del oro la prueba de la vida: formado el oro se puede durar, no formado la vida es inestable.

«The Chinese alchemists prepared solutions of a large number of minerals, usually by dissolving them in weak nitric acid made from niter and vinegar» — nota firmada por Nathan Sivin dentro del volumen, no por Ware: explica que los alquimistas chinos preparaban soluciones de minerales disolviéndolos en ácido nítrico débil hecho de nitro y vinagre.

«this solvent being called hua ch’ih (“flower trough”). One of their manuals has been ably translated by Ts’ao T’ien-ch’in, Ho Ping-yu, and Joseph Needham in Ambix 7(1959). 122-155 [N. Sivin],» — sigue la nota de Sivin, que nombra el disolvente y remite a la traducción de uno de esos manuales por Ts'ao T'ien-ch'in, Ho Ping-yu y Joseph Needham; el tramo es referencia bibliográfica y se extrajo con la guarda anticosido apagada, releído entero en el crudo.

«In the words of the Celestial Female (from whom Yellow Emperor received the divine process), “After Flowers of Cinnabar has been made, test it by projection to make gold. If the gold succeeds, the medicine is ready; otherwise, not.» — voz de la Hembra Celeste, de quien el Emperador Amarillo recibió el proceso, en la nota que traduce Ware: hecho el Flores de Cinabrio se prueba por proyección para hacer oro, y si el oro sale la medicina está lista.

«One scruple of Flowers of Cinnabar added to one pound of mercury or lead will produce gold if a strong fire is gradually increased to very intense heat through the use of a bellows. You must be careful to see that the quantities are not exceeded, else the gold will be too hard. If not enough is used, the gold will become too soft; neither of these types is malleable.”» — sigue la Hembra Celeste con la advertencia de dosis: un escrúpulo por libra de mercurio o plomo da oro con fuego creciente, y pasarse endurece el oro mientras quedarse corto lo ablanda.

«Y 109.126; cf. H. Maspero, Le Taoisme, 48: fragrant foods served in plates of gold and cups of jade.» — nota de Ware sobre la Cantina Viajera, que remite a la enciclopedia taoísta y a Maspero para describirla como alimentos fragantes servidos en platos de oro y copas de jade.

«Literally, “king and prime minister days.” These are the two days of each ten which correspond to the same one of the Five Agents as does the season. For example, in spring the lucky days are the first and second, for they, like spring, belong to wood. [N. Sivin].» — segunda nota firmada por Nathan Sivin: explica que los días de suerte del texto son los dos de cada diez que corresponden al mismo de los Cinco Agentes que la estación, y pone de ejemplo la primavera y la madera.

«The cycle of Five Agents can be viewed as creative or destructive. Its creative order is wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The destructive order is wood, earth, water, fire, and metal.» — Ware da los dos órdenes del ciclo de los Cinco Agentes que el libro presupone: el creativo, madera, fuego, tierra, metal y agua, y el destructivo, madera, tierra, agua, fuego y metal.

«A cycle of sixty disyllabic terms has been employed in China since before 1000 b.c. Used for the hours, days, months, and years, it is formed by revolving a cycle of ten monosyllables concomitantly with one of twelve. The denary list is chia, i, ping, ting, wu, chi, keng, hsin,jen, and kuei. The duodenary is tzu,» — nota larga de Ware sobre el ciclo sexagenario que el libro usa sin explicar: sesenta términos disílabos en uso en China desde antes del año 1000 a. C., formados al girar una lista de diez monosílabos junto con otra de doce.

«There are probably some words missing from the text in the latter part of this sentence.» — nota de Ware que declara probablemente perdidas unas palabras del texto chino en la parte final de la frase sobre el método de conjuro de Wu-Yueh.

«The following seems to be out of place; it appears logically in 4.1766—; but Ko Hung may have repeated it here for the convenience of his readers.» — segunda nota de traductor de Ware, que consigna la repetición de recetas dentro del volumen: las tres que siguen aparecen lógicamente en el capítulo 4 y Ko Hung pudo repetirlas aquí para comodidad de sus lectores.

«In Monumenta Serica, Vol. n (1946), pp. 28-30, Father Feifel has described this system. The Six Regulators are numbers 7,8,5,6,3, and 4 of the denary cycle in that order. Used twice, they form a series of pairs with the duodenary cycle, namely, keng-tzu, hsin-ch'ou, wu-yin, chi-mao, ping-cW en, ting-ssu, and also keng-wu, hsin-wei, wu-shen, chi-yu, ping-hsu, and ting-hai. This is used as a table of reference by which a given binary from the sexagenary cycle can be altered to a binary consisting solely of elements from the denary cycle. For example, chi-ch’ou becomes chi-hsin because the above table pairs ch’ou with hsin. Hsin is number 8 in the denary cycle and chi is number 6. Then by counting the number of places in the denary cycle from hsin to chi one obtains the number 9, which equates with the musical note chiieh. Thus the client’s sexagenary number will classify him as a one, three, five, seven, or nine, all of which is highly useful to the fortune-teller.» — nota de Ware que reconstruye la mecánica adivinatoria que el texto usa sin explicar, remitiendo al padre Feifel: cómo un binario del ciclo sexagenario se convierte en otro del ciclo denario y de ahí en una nota musical que clasifica al cliente; el tramo lleva año entre paréntesis por ser referencia bibliográfica y se extrajo con la guarda anticosido apagada, releído entero en el crudo.

«Index {Page references to Sun Hsing-yens Edition) abdominal surgery» — encabezado del índice de Ware, que declara el sistema de referencia de todo el aparato: sus remisiones van a la edición china de Sun Hsing-yen y no a las páginas del libro inglés.

«astrology A.306; 7.1^5; 8.707—; 12.3*6; 15.507—; 18.305—; 19-8*5; 20.367, 461» — muestra del índice de Ware, que mide por remisiones el peso de una materia en el tratado: la entrada astrology reúne siete lugares del texto chino, empezando por la autobiografía.

«Buddhist influence (?) 2.701; 3.864—; 5.204; 6.268, 504, 861; 7.202; 8.866; 14.963; 18.367; A.561» — entrada del índice de Ware sobre la influencia budista, marcada con interrogación por él mismo, que reúne nueve lugares del Nei p'ien y uno de la autobiografía.

«elixir 3.768; 4.1064; 8.208 (taboos of preparation 4.563—)» — muestra del índice de Ware, donde la entrada elixir remite además al tramo de los tabúes de preparación.

«Yii-han fang (by Ko Hung: SS 34.14331) 15.7610» — entrada del índice en que Ware documenta contra la Historia de Sui el título médico que el propio Ko Hung se atribuye en el capítulo 15, el Yü han fang.

«Wu-yiieh chen hsing t'u jJJ (TT 879.1.1108) 17.269; 19.667, 765; see Po Ho» — muestra del índice de Ware con su aparato de concordancias: la entrada de uno de los dos libros que Cheng Yin ponía por encima de todos remite al canon taoísta, a dos capítulos y a un nombre propio.

«A Taoist Library (19.3 a6—)» — encabezado del primer apéndice de Ware, que declara su fuente dentro del propio texto: el catálogo de escrituras del capítulo 19, que él alfabetiza y saca del cuerpo.

«The Chinese Dynasties Chinese prehistory is a mythology of euhemeristic heroes gradually developing Three Augusti, Five Emperors, Yao, Shun, and Yu the Great, the last being founder of the first dynasty.» — abre el tercer apéndice de Ware, escrito por él para el lector no sinólogo: la prehistoria china es una mitología de héroes euhemerizados que van produciendo a los Tres Augustos, los Cinco Emperadores, Yao, Shun y Yü el Grande.

«First Han 202 b.c.-a.d. 8 — Buddhism arrives» — el cuadro dinástico de Ware fecha en el Primer Han la llegada del budismo a China, dato que el volumen no desarrolla en el cuerpo.

«Chou: The Annals (Chyun-cKiu) 722-481 b.c. Warring States 403-250 b.c. Ch’in (or Ts’in) 221-207 b.c. — Founding of the empire» — el cuadro dinástico de Ware pone al lado de cada dinastía el hecho por el que la nombra el libro: los Anales para los Chou y la fundación del imperio para los Ch'in.

«Chinese Republic (Chinese) 1912» — el cuadro dinástico de Ware, escrito para el lector de 1966, corre hasta el presente de su escritura: tras la República China de 1912 consigna todavía la marcha de Chiang a Formosa y la República Popular China, ambas desde 1949.

«On the five preceding pages of the Chinese text five enter-mountain amulets are illustrated. They have been so distorted by repeated copying over the centuries that there is no point in reproducing them here.» — nota de Ware que declara una omisión del volumen: los amuletos ilustrados en el texto chino están tan deformados por siglos de copia que no tiene sentido reproducirlos.

«The file is provided for non-commercial use through the Internet Archive under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. For more information please visit www.creativecommons.org.» — aviso del editor digital en la segunda plana del escaneo, no voz de la obra: el archivo se provee para uso no comercial a través del Internet Archive bajo licencia CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0.

«All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 66-23548 Printed in the United States of America» — la página de derechos del volumen, que reserva todos los derechos salvo para reseñistas de la prensa pública y consigna el número de catálogo de la Biblioteca del Congreso, sin ISBN en ninguna plana del troceo.

«TT: Commercial Press’s photographic edition of Taoist Canon of a.d. 1450 (Weng Tu-chien’s numberings).» — muestra de la tabla de abreviaturas de Ware, que declara por qué edición cita el canon taoísta: la fotográfica de la Commercial Press del canon de 1450, con la numeración de Weng Tu-chien.

«Contents Foreword vii Abbreviations ix Introduction i Autobiography 6 The Nei P’ien of Ko Hung 23 Author s Preface 25 i God (the Mystery) Defined 28 2 Genii 33 3 Rejoinder to Popular Conceptions 53 4 Gold and Cinnabar 68 5 The Ultimate System 97 6 The Meaning of “ Subtle ” 109 7 Objections Countered 124 8 Resolving Hesitations» — el índice de contenidos del volumen, que reparte el libro en prefacio, abreviaturas, introducción, autobiografía y los veinte capítulos del Nei p'ien, cada uno con su título propio.

«9 What We Mean by “God” 151 io Clarifying the Basic 165 11 The Genie's Pharmacopoeia 177 12 The Discussion Period 200 13 The Ultimate in Speech 212 14 Seek Diligently 226 15 Miscellanea 243 16 The Yellow and the White 261 17 Into Mountains: Over Streams 279 18 Truth on Earth 301 19 Looking Farther Afield 309 20 Allay Your Doubts (-K> 1—1 OO Index 329 A Taoist Library 379 Amulets 384 The Chinese Dynasties» — sigue el índice de contenidos con los capítulos 9 a 20 y los tres apéndices que cierran el volumen, A Taoist Library, Amulets y The Chinese Dynasties.

«Ch’i liieh pieh lu A: ’^^’]^A.30ii» — muestra de la retícula del índice de Ware: la entrada del catálogo bibliográfico que Ko Hung cita en su autobiografía va con su carácter chino, ilegible en la capa de texto, y con la remisión precedida de A, que marca la autobiografía.

«chu shui (boly water) 9.509; 15.301» — entrada del índice de Ware para el agua bendita, con la errata *boly* por *holy* que la capa de texto arrastra y con las dos remisiones al texto chino.

«huan ching (revert sperm) 3.1610; cf. huan nien, pao ching, and huan yin» — entrada del índice de Ware que reúne bajo una sola noción los términos técnicos de la reversión del esperma y los remite unos a otros.

«ming men ^ J3^ (belly: Y ii.i*jb) 6.8*34» — entrada del índice de Ware para la Puerta de la Vida, que la sitúa en el vientre apoyándose en la enciclopedia taoísta de 1019.

«Mo-ni j^yf^ (?Mani: Manichaeism) 8.866» — entrada del índice en que Ware conjetura, con dos interrogaciones, que el Mo-ni nombrado en el capítulo 8 sea Mani y remita al maniqueísmo; es la segunda vez que lo sugiere en el volumen y ninguna de las dos pasa de conjetura.

«Ssu-ming ^ My- (fate god) 3.868; 4.18*31; 6.468; 15.861» — entrada del índice de Ware para el Director de los Destinos, que reúne sus cuatro apariciones en el texto chino.

«Chin hua shan ching Jji \b\» — muestra del apéndice A Taoist Library: cada título del catálogo de escrituras del capítulo 19 va con sus caracteres chinos, que el escaneo deja ilegibles, y con la remisión a la página y columna de la edición china.

«LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY» — el sello de propiedad que abre el escaneo y documenta de qué ejemplar viene: la biblioteca del Instituto Tecnológico de Massachusetts.

«SIGN THIS CARD and leave it at the CIRCULATION DESK MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY LIBRARIES» — la última plana del escaneo es la tarjeta de préstamo del ejemplar, con su signatura y su número de registro, y no texto de la obra.

«Amulets (ig.Saio-sbio) Chen chung fu sh Ch’i chi fu -fc -If 5^3 Ch’i fu -Ac |f 564» — encabezado del segundo apéndice de Ware, que remite al capítulo 19 de donde saca la lista, y sus tres primeras entradas: cada amuleto va con su nombre en Wade-Giles, sus caracteres chinos ilegibles en la capa de texto y su remisión a la edición china.

«two mountains 6.7*311 Tzu-ch’an ^ ^ (Kung-sun Ch’iao) 20.4*31» — muestra del índice de Ware: la entrada de las dos montañas del capítulo sexto remite al único lugar del texto chino donde aparecen, y junto a ella corre la entrada de un nombre propio con su identificación entre paréntesis.

«Hung pao ching ^ 4&7 I men tzu chi ^ ^ 5*5 I tsai ching 406» — muestra del apéndice A Taoist Library: el catálogo de Ko Hung incluye el Hung pao, uno de los dos manuales de hacer oro que el capítulo 16 nombra en el relato de Ch'eng Wei, con sus caracteres chinos y su remisión.

«P eng tsu ching *&<{£ ibi P ing heng ching 3^5 P’ingtuchi 3^9» — muestra del apéndice A Taoist Library: el Clásico de P'eng-tsu que el capítulo 13 cita sobre la desaparición de Old P'eng figura en el catálogo de escrituras del capítulo 19, junto al P'ing heng que el capítulo 12 nombra.

«Tao yin ching, to ibi Teng ming shan tu chiang hai ch’ih ti shen fa, 3 4611» — muestra del apéndice A Taoist Library con la cifra que el catálogo antepone a algunos títulos para indicar el número de rollos.

«Ta han o fu 5^4 T’ai hsiian fu, 3 || 5010 T’ien shui fu 562 T’ien shui shen fu ^ 562» — muestra del apéndice Amulets, donde cada amuleto del capítulo 19 va con su nombre en Wade-Giles, el número de rollos cuando lo tiene y su remisión a la edición china.

«T’ung t’ien fu ^ ^ 5^11 Tzu lai fu ^ ^ 5*110 Wan pi fu jjfc || 566» — muestra del apéndice Amulets: el amuleto que lleva el mismo nombre que el cuerno de rinoceronte T'ung-t'ien del capítulo 17, seguido de otros dos de la misma serie.

Decknamen (nombres cubiertos) — El capítulo 16 declara que los Antiguos guardaron en secreto sus procedimientos y escribieron en una lengua conocida solo por los iniciados, de modo que keng-hsin quiere decir oro; el capítulo 4 avisa de que los nombres originales de muchos ingredientes están cambiados y el texto no se lee al pie de la letra; y el propio Ko Hung enumera los nombres cubiertos de la medicina corriente —damas errantes del palacio trasero por luciérnagas, hígado de dragón vencido por cenizas viejas, sudor de caballo blanco por jugo de frambuesa— junto con el malentendido que producen en el no iniciado, que toma Hiel de Dragón y Cola de Rata por animales.

Secreto (lo que se jura no fijar por escrito) — Es la condición de todo el libro y se enuncia una y otra vez: las instrucciones secretas nunca pueden escribirse, la receta no se transmite aunque sí la medicina terminada, los clásicos del oro se guardan en el cuello o la cintura en una seda de ocho pies por uno, la doctrina se transmite untándose los labios con sangre, y el propio Ko Hung dice haber recibido los rollos bajo juramento ante un altar. Su reverso es la pérdida: a la muerte del poseedor el texto no pasaba, y de ahí que ni uno entre miles de practicantes sepa del oro y el cinabrio.

Cadena de transmisión (quién tomó de quién) — El capítulo 4 traza la cadena entera con nombres: un dios dio los clásicos del oro y el cinabrio a Tso Tz'u en las montañas T'ien-chu, Tso Tz'u los transmitió al tío paterno de Ko Hung, Ko Hsuan, este a su discípulo Cheng Yin y Cheng Yin a Ko Hung, que dice tenerlos desde hace más de veinte años; el capítulo 16 añade que Cheng Yin logró las recetas del oro en el monte T'ung junto con Tso Tz'u, y el 19 cierra la cadena con la desaparición del maestro en el 303.

Iniciación (recepción por grados / metamorfosis del ser) — La recepción de cada corpus tiene su rito y su precio: una estatuilla humana de oro y un pez de oro arrojados a una corriente que fluya al este, juramento con los labios untados en sangre de pollo blanco, día propicio, gasa blanca y plata blanca, y una tarja de oro muescada y partida; quien no es del tipo adecuado no puede ni observar el proceso, y el término que el volumen opone a los iniciados es *uninitiated*.

Crítica de fuentes (criterios de inclusión y descarte) — Ko Hung discute atribuciones en lugar de heredarlas: niega que el Tao chi ching venga del Gobernador Hsi y lo adjudica al general Wang T'u entre 220 y 265, explica el fracaso de Liu Hsiang por falta de maestro y no por falsedad del arte, objeta que solo se crea el libro que pasó por manos de Confucio, y su maestro atribuye la poca eficacia de los amuletos a los errores acumulados al copiarlos durante siglos.

Microcosmos (el hombre-mundo) — La Introducción de Ware describe el cuerpo repartido en tres divisiones con oficina rectora y sucursales atendidas por divinidades residentes, y el capítulo 18 lo dice en forma de analogía política: el cuerpo es un Estado, con el diafragma por palacio, los huesos por funcionarios, los dioses interiores por soberano, la sangre por ministros y el aliento por población, de donde quien sabe regular su cuerpo puede regular un Estado.

Evocación (llamar y constreñir espíritus) — El capítulo 15 da el método del espejo para hacer aparecer dioses y genios, que pide aprender antes en secreto sus nombres, títulos, ropas y sombreros; el 17 describe al practicante que convoca a los dioses de la montaña y presenta sus respetos al dios de la tierra del Estado; y el 19 declara que, tras cien días de purificación, cabe mandar sobre los dioses del cielo y sobre el Director de los Destinos.

Círculo mágico (circulus) — El recinto trazado aparece tres veces y siempre como defensa: entre las prácticas que disipan algo de mal figura trazar un círculo alrededor de la propia persona; ante una serpiente se hace un círculo con la mano y se dibuja una prisión en el suelo para confinarla; y contra el tigre se toma un cuchillo con la mano izquierda y se traza un cuadrado en el suelo mientras se recita una oración.