Luo Writing Explanation

大禹因洛書而作九疇。今以一三五七九居四方及中央正位，以二四六八居四維偏位，又隱其十，正表陽德為政，而陰德輔之。在人，則為知及仁守之學，智巧聖力之象也。左右前後縱橫斜直視之，皆得十五之數，以表位位法法之中，皆具天地之全體滿數，非分天地以為諸數也。物物一太極，於此可見。

Yu the Great based the Nine Categories of the "Huang Fan" on the "Luo Writing." Now the "Luo Writing" places the numbers one, three, five, seven, and nine in the central and cardinal positions, while the numbers two, four, six, and eight are placed in the corner positions. The number ten is omitted, which signifies that Yang Virtue governs the state, while Yin Virtue supports it from the side. In human terms, this is the study referred to in the "Analects" as "knowing how to reach it and keeping it with benevolence," and it is also a symbol of wisdom, skill, sainthood, and strength as mentioned in the "Mencius." Whether viewed from left and right, front and back, horizontal and vertical, or diagonal, the sum of any three numbers is fifteen. This represents that within each position and each principle, the entire nature of heaven and earth and the complete number are fully contained, not dividing heaven and earth into separate numbers. The saying "each thing possesses its own Taiji" is clearly evident here.

約出世法，則九界皆即佛界，故不別立佛界之十；又九波羅密皆即種智，故不別立種智之十。蓋凡數法若至於十，便是大一數故；數於此終，即於此始故。

In terms of the teachings beyond the world, the nine realms are immediately the Buddha's realm, so there is no need to establish another symbol representing the Buddha's realm as 'ten'; the nine kinds of Perfections are immediately all wisdom, so there is no need to establish another symbol representing all wisdom as 'ten'. Because whenever a number reaches ten, it equals returning to a greater 'one'; the counting here ends, and also begins anew here. The Luo Writing omits 'ten', precisely for this reason.

繫辭傳曰：易有太極，是生兩儀，兩儀生四象，四象生八卦。（太極非動非靜，雙照動靜，故必具乎陰陽。陽亦太極，陰亦太極，故皆非動非靜，雙照動靜，還具陰陽而成四象。四象亦皆即是太極，所以皆亦非動非靜，雙照動靜，還具陰陽而成八卦。然則八卦只是四象，四象只是陰陽，陰陽只是太極，太極本無實法，故能立一切法耳。）

The Great Treatise says: The Book of Changes contains the Taiji, from which the two principles (yin and yang) arise, from which the four images arise, and from which the eight trigrams arise. The original commentary notes: Taiji is neither motion nor stillness, yet it simultaneously reveals both motion and stillness, so it must contain both yin and yang. Yang is also Taiji, and yin is also Taiji, so they too are neither motion nor stillness but reveal both motion and stillness, and each contains both yin and yang to become the four images. The four images are all Taiji, so they too are neither motion nor stillness but reveal both motion and stillness, and each contains both yin and yang to become the eight trigrams. Thus, the eight trigrams are merely the four images, the four images are merely yin and yang, and yin and yang are merely Taiji. Taiji originally has no definite form, precisely because it has no form to grasp, it can establish all forms.

若從一生二，從二生四，從四生八，從八生六十四等，是為順數；若從六十四溯至八，八溯至四，四溯至二，二溯至一，一亦本無實法，是為逆數。順數則是流轉門，逆數則是還滅門。流轉從陰陽二畫出，還滅從陰陽二畫入，故曰乾坤其易之門。聖人作易，要人即流轉而悟還滅，超脫生死轉回，故曰易逆數也。

Zhi Xu explained: If one proceeds from one to two, from two to four, from four to eight, and from eight to sixty-four, this is called "shun shu" or ascending counting. If one goes from sixty-four back to eight, from eight back to four, from four back to two, and from two back to one, and this "one" originally has no real attainment, this is called "ni shu" or descending counting. Ascending counting represents the door of birth and death cycles, while descending counting represents the door of transcending birth and death. The cycle of birth and death flows out from the two trigrams of yin and yang, while the transcendence of birth and death flows back into the two trigrams of yin and yang. Therefore, the Great Treatise says, "Qian and Kun are the gate of the Book of Changes." The sages composed the Book of Changes to enable people to realize the transcendence of birth and death within the cycle of birth and death, thus escaping the cycle of rebirth and death. Hence, it is said, "The Book of Changes is descending counting." (The character "zhuàn" in "shengsi zhuàn huai" should be read as "lun.")

先天八卦，約體言之：乾南表天，坤北表地，離東表日，坎西表月。震居東北，動之初也；兌居東南，海之象也；巽居西南，入之初也；艮居西北，山之象也。須彌在此方視之，則居西北。日月星辰至西北，皆為須彌腰所掩，故妄計天缺西北也。

The "Earlier Heaven Trigrams" refer to the trigram positions established by Fuxi, describing the fundamental structure of the universe. This contrasts with the "Later Heaven Trigrams" (the trigram positions of King Wen, which describe the functions of the four seasons). "Approximating the essence" means discussing only the fundamental nature, not the functions. The four cardinal directions are as follows: Qian (Heaven) consists of three pure yang lines and symbolizes Heaven, located due south; Kun (Earth) consists of three pure yin lines and symbolizes Earth, located due north; Li (Fire) has outer yang and inner emptiness, symbolizing the sun, located due east; Kan (Water) has outer yin and inner solidity, symbolizing the moon, located due west. The four intermediate directions are as follows: Zhen (Thunder) has one yang line emerging from two yin lines, representing the beginning of movement, located in the northeast; Dui (Lake) has the top line open like a marsh, symbolizing the sea, located in the southeast; Xun (Wind) has one yin line hidden beneath two yang lines, representing the beginning of entry, located in the southwest; Gen (Mountain) has one yang line stationary above two yin lines, symbolizing a high mountain, located in the northwest. The eight trigrams are arranged in this manner to form a complete circle, completing the Earlier Heaven compass diagram. The following is a passage from Zhixu where he connects Buddhist teachings with the principles of the I Ching: Gen (Mountain) symbolizes a mountain, and in Buddhist teachings, the central mountain of the world, "Mount Sumeru" (translated as the Wondrous High Mountain), appears to be located in the northwest when viewed from our continent. When the sun, moon, and stars reach the northwest, they are obscured and hidden by the waist of Mount Sumeru. People do not understand this, so they wrongly conclude that "the sky is missing in the northwest" (as in the legend from the "Huainanzi" where Gonggong angrily collided with Buzhou Mountain, causing the pillar of heaven to break and the northwest to tilt). The original text of this section included a compass diagram, and the following text explains the diagram.

隨拈一陰一陽，必還具一陰一陽，故六重之而成六十四卦。其實卦卦無非太極全體，故得為四千九十六卦也。

Take any single line, whether yin or yang; within that line there must be both yin and yang. This process continues layer by layer, with the two principles (yin and yang) being folded upon each other six times (two becomes four, four becomes eight, eight becomes sixteen, sixteen becomes thirty-two, thirty-two becomes sixty-four), resulting in the sixty-four hexagrams. In reality, each hexagram is not a part of the Taiji, but rather the whole of Taiji. Since each hexagram contains the whole, each hexagram within the sixty-four also contains the sixty-four hexagrams. Thus, sixty-four multiplied by itself gives four thousand nine hundred and sixty hexagrams (the "Forest of Changes" by Jiao Yanshou of the Han dynasty established four thousand nine hundred and sixty hexagrams, using exactly this number).

約一天下，亦以此卦圖而分佈之；約一省一府一縣，亦各以此卦圖而分佈之；近約一宅，亦以此卦圖而分佈之；即單約一房一坐具地，亦以此卦圖而分佈之。大不礙小，小不礙大；大亦只是六十四卦，小亦全具六十四卦。一時一刻亦有此六十四卦，亙古亙今亦只此六十四卦。若向此處悟得，便入華嚴事事無礙法界，故李長者藉此以明華藏世界。不然，豈令福建在南，則有乾無坤；燕都在北，則有坤無乾；天竺在西，但為坎地；支那在東，惟是離方也耶？

In terms of the whole world, this map of the sixty-four hexagrams can be spread out to assign directions; when reduced to a province, a prefecture, or a county, each can also use the same hexagram map for orientation; even closer, for a single residence, the same hexagram map can be used; and even for a single room or a small area, such as the square mat used by monks for sitting, lying, and worshiping, which is no larger than a square foot, the entire sixty-four hexagram map is still applicable. A large scope does not hinder a small one, and a small scope does not hinder a large one: whether it is the whole world or a single seat, it is always the sixty-four hexagrams. This applies to space, and also to time: within a single moment or a single instant, there are the sixty-four hexagrams, and from ancient times to the future, it is still only the sixty-four hexagrams. The following is the integration of Buddhist teachings: if one can understand this, then one has entered into the concept of "the Dharma Realm of Mutual Inclusion Without Obstruction" mentioned in the Avatamsaka Sutra, where each particular phenomenon pervades and includes all others, without mutual hindrance, without the need to expand the small or reduce the large, and naturally corresponding with each other. The Tang Dynasty Avatamsaka scholar Li Tongxuan (known as "Li the Elder," author of the "New Commentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra") used this hexagram map precisely to explain the "Avatamsaka World" (the realm of Vairocana Buddha, a world of infinite layers of adornment). If we do not understand it in this way, would it not become the case that Fujian, being in the south, only has the Qian hexagram and no Kun hexagram; Beijing (Yandu), being in the north, only has the Kun hexagram and no Qian hexagram; India (Tianzhu), being in the west, is entirely the Kan hexagram; and China (Zhi Na), being in the east, is only the Li hexagram?

男即父，女即母。又父只是男，母只是女。坤體得乾為三男，有慧之定，即止而觀也：震為觀穿義，艮為觀達義，坎為不觀觀義。乾體得坤為三女，有定之慧，即觀而止也：巽為止息義，兌為停止義，離為不止止義。震動艮靜，坎能動能靜，乾非偏於動也；巽動兌靜，離能動能靜，坤非偏於靜也。又震動而出，巽動而入，艮靜而高，兌靜而深。坎兼動靜，而從上之下，上終不窮；離兼動靜，而從下之上，下終不盡。信知一一皆法界也。

The father and three sons, the mother and three daughters are not two separate things: the three sons are the father, and the three daughters are the mother; conversely, the father is merely the male, and the mother is merely the female. The trigram Kūn (Earth) consists of three yin lines, and when it receives the single yang line from the trigram Qián (Heaven), it produces three male trigrams—yang entering the first line forms Zhèn (Thunder), entering the middle line forms Kǎn (Water), and entering the top line forms Gèn (Mountain). This corresponds to the sequence of "one inquiry and obtaining the male" in the "Shuoguà Zhuan" (Commentary on the Trigrams). In Buddhist terms, this is equivalent to "wisdom arising from meditation," that is, from stillness leading to observation. The three sons correspond to the three meanings of "observation" in the Tiantai School's "Mogu Zhi Guan" (Great Contemplation of the Buddha): Zhèn represents the meaning of "penetrating observation," as it can penetrate confusion; Gèn represents the meaning of "attaining observation," as it can realize the true nature; and Kǎn represents the meaning of "non-observation," as it naturally illuminates without the arising of the observer and the observed. The trigram Qián (Heaven) consists of three yang lines, and when it receives the single yin line from the trigram Kūn (Earth), it produces three female trigrams—yin entering the first line forms Xùn (Wind), entering the middle line forms Lí (Fire), and entering the top line forms Duì (Lake). This corresponds to "wisdom arising from meditation," that is, from observation returning to stillness. These correspond to the three meanings of "stillness": Xùn represents the meaning of "cessation," as it extinguishes delusions; Duì represents the meaning of "stopping," as it remains unmoving; and Lí represents the meaning of "non-stopping," as it naturally stops without needing to stop. Now looking at movement and stillness: Zhèn is active and outward, Gèn is still and high like a mountain; Kǎn can both move and be still, as water flows downward from above, and the source at the top is never exhausted. Xùn is active and inward, Duì is still and deep like a marsh; Lí can both move and be still, as fire rises upward from below, and the root at the bottom is never exhausted. From this, we can certainly know that each trigram and its image is a complete and perfect "Dharma Realm" in its entirety.

《說卦傳》曰：帝出乎震，齊乎巽，相見乎離，致役乎坤，說言乎兌，戰乎乾，勞乎坎，成言乎艮。又曰：震，東方也。乃至艮，東北之卦也。此須約觀心工夫解釋，具在《說卦傳》解中。後天八卦，約用而言：離表火騰，故旺於南；坎表水降，故旺於北。交發立堅，溼為巨海，乾為洲潬。故坎雖居北，而水輪含十方界；坤艮之土亦遍四維。火勢劣水，抽為草木，故有震巽。木旺於春，故震居東方。巽亦屬木，又能生火，其象為風，故居東南。地性堅者名之為金，金旺於秋，故居西方。乾亦屬金，又表須彌是四寶所成，在此地之西北也。

The *Sayings on the Trigrams* says: The sovereign of all things originates from the trigram Zhen (Thunder), becomes orderly in Xun (Wind), is seen in Li (Fire), reaches its full nourishment in Kun (Earth), brings joy in Dui (Lake), brings conflict in Qian (Heaven), brings toil in Kan (Water), and completes the cycle in Gen (Mountain). It also says: Zhen is the trigram of the East, and following the sequence, it leads up to Gen, the trigram of the Northeast. This sequence itself determines the positions of the Later Heaven Trigrams: Zhen in the East, Xun in the Southeast, Li in the South, Kun in the Southwest, Dui in the West, Qian in the Northwest, Kan in the North, and Gen in the Northeast, arranged clockwise, which corresponds to the four seasons of spring growth, summer flourishing, autumn harvest, and winter storage. This is also the distinction between the Earlier Heaven and Later Heaven Trigrams: the Earlier Heaven discusses the fundamental nature of Qian (Heaven) in the South and Kun (Earth) in the North, while the Later Heaven discusses the function of all things in accordance with the seasons. This passage also explains the practice of 'observing the mind' (returning to self-awareness), which is thoroughly explained in the annotations to the *Sayings on the Trigrams* in this book, and is not repeated here. The Later Heaven Trigrams are explained in terms of their functional operation: Li represents fire, which rises upward, so it is strong in the South; Kan represents water, which flows downward, so it is strong in the North. The following passage from the *Sutra of the Great Compassion* explains the formation of the world: fire rising and water descending interact, condensing into solid forms, with moist areas becoming the sea and dry areas becoming islands and sandbanks. Therefore, although Kan is located in the North, the water element encompasses all directions of the world; Kun and Gen, both belonging to earth, are spread throughout the four cardinal directions and the four corners. Fire cannot overcome water, so when forced out, it becomes grass and trees, giving rise to the trigrams Zhen and Xun: wood is strong in spring, so Zhen is located in the East; Xun also belongs to wood and can generate fire, its image being wind, so it is located in the Southeast. The hard part of earth is called metal, which is strong in autumn, so Dui (metal) is located in the West; Qian also belongs to metal, and it represents Mount Meru, made of four precious substances: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal, located in the Northwest of our land, so Qian is located in the Northwest. As for Kun in the Southwest and Gen in the Northeast, the text only mentions 'earth spreads throughout the four cardinal directions' and does not elaborate on each one individually.

右圖說有八，或與舊同，或與舊異，只貴遙通儒釋心要而已。觀者恕之。蕅益敬識。

The above eight essays (the "Yellow River Chart Explanation," the "Luo Writing Explanation," the order and directions of the Eight Trigrams and the sixty-four hexagrams, and the order and directions of the King Wen trigrams, totaling eight essays) some of which agree with previous interpretations, others differ from them; what I value is merely to enable the essential teachings of Confucianism and Buddhism to be mutually connected, and I do not presume to establish a definitive conclusion. If readers notice discrepancies, please be lenient. Zhi Xu respectfully records.

（瑞）叨侍大師五年，每見久精易學之士，一聞大師拈義，無不傾服。遂發心募梓全集，輒以《易禪》居首。大師解易既畢，方出圖說，故並附於末卷。或有問曰：紫陽《本義》，圖說在前，謂聖人作易精微之旨，全在語言文字之先，今胡得倒置耶？

I have been serving Master Qiyi for five years, and often see those who have studied the Yi Jing for many years, all of whom are deeply convinced by Master's exposition of the meaning of the Yi Jing. Therefore, I resolved to raise funds to publish Master's complete works, and placed this book, The Buddhist Interpretation of the Yi Jing, at the beginning of the collection. Master first explained the entire text of the Yi Jing and its commentaries, and only then presented these several diagrammatic explanations. Therefore, the printed edition follows the order of the exposition, placing the diagrammatic explanations at the end. Some people have therefore raised a question: Zhu Xi (whose courtesy name was Ziyang) in his The Original Meaning of the Zhou Changes arranged the diagrams such as the Yellow River Chart and the Luo Writing at the beginning of the book, meaning that the subtle intentions of the sage in composing the Yi Jing were prior to the emergence of language and characters. Now, why do you place the diagrams at the end, reversing the order?

大師答曰：聖人悟無言而示有言，學者因有言而悟無言，所以古有左圖右書之說，何倒之有？且文字與圖皆標月指耳，不肯觀月而爭指之前後，不亦惑乎？問者默然。茲因校刻，並識此語。願我同志閱斯編者，了知文字與圖無非吾人心性註腳，不作有言會，不作無言會，庶不負法恩矣。門弟子通瑞百拜敬書。

The master replied: The sages first realized the state that cannot be spoken of, and then used spoken words to enlighten others. Scholars, on the other hand, rely on spoken words to return and realize the original source that cannot be spoken of. Therefore, ancients spoke of "left diagram, right text," meaning that diagrams and texts are used together, and how could they be reversed? Moreover, both words and images are merely "the finger pointing at the moon" (a phrase from the "Sutra of the Great Compassion," meaning that the finger is only to indicate the moon; if one mistakes the finger for the moon, it is wrong). If one does not look back at the moon but instead argues about the order of the finger, is it not very confused? The person who asked the question remained silent. Now, taking the opportunity of collating and printing, I have recorded this passage together. May those readers who share my aspirations, when opening this book, understand that both words and diagrams are merely annotations of our own nature. One should not cling to "spoken words" to seek understanding, nor cling to "unspoken words" to seek understanding. Only in this way can one not辜负 the master's teaching. A disciple of the master, Tongrui, respectfully bows and writes.