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Chapter 2 of 10
大六壬心境
Preface to The Mind Mirror of Great Six Ren
In ancient times, during the era of the Yellow Emperor, the Dark Maiden descended and bestowed this divine divination system, transmitting three chapters of secret texts. Having obtained these arcane methods, the Yellow Emperor stored them in a golden cabinet, comprising two volumes in total. In later ages, wise scholars arose in succession, and speculative writings grew increasingly numerous—works such as the Ling Xia, Shen Shu, Lian Zhu Shi, Hua Ping Ji, Yuan Nu Qing Hua, Bi Yu, Long Shou, Jin Kui, Diao Ke, and others. Though they followed different paths, they converged on the same principle; yet their techniques were intricate and difficult to exhaust.
Undeterred by my own shallowness, I have surveyed the profound essences of various distinguished masters, compiled and arranged diverse miscellanea of divination methods, and edited their literary structure. In total, I have established one hundred and eighty-one standard patterns, divided into eight volumes, organized by category with clear headings and distinct entries. Should one thoroughly comprehend the essence of this work, discerning fortune and misfortune in divination becomes as clear as reflecting images in a bright mirror. Hence, I have named it Mind Mirror, for the reference of fellow practitioners.
Self-preface by Xu Daofu of the Eastern Sea, at the beginning of a certain year in the Great Tang dynasty.
Zheng's note: Originally, above "Daofu" there was the character "Yuan." It is suspected that "Daofu" was the given name, and "Yuan" perhaps the courtesy name? However, having consulted various sources, none refer to "Xu Yuan"; even the citations in Shen Ding use "Daofu." Therefore, I have not dared to delete it, and temporarily retain it, awaiting the judgment of learned gentlemen.
Weitang's note: In the edition collated by Cheng Pengnan, the title is clearly written as "Zhe Yuan"; the edition obtained by Lü Jun Hanfeng, however, is titled "Zhe Fu." One corresponds to the Suzong era name (Shangyuan), the other to the Xizong era name (Guangfu), separated by one hundred and sixteen years. The edition presented by Zhejiang further states "composed by Song Xu Pifa Fu," which is likely a scribal error.
This preface reveals three fundamental levels of the Great Six Ren divination system:
First, the theory of divine origin. The preface traces the source of the Six Ren method to the Yellow Emperor's reception of teachings from the Dark Maiden—a common "sacred narrative" in ancient divination literature, intended to establish its authority and orthodox lineage. 📜
Second, the distinction between complexity and simplicity. The author notes that although later Six Ren writings were numerous, they suffered from "increasingly speculative additions" and "techniques too intricate to master," emphasizing the necessity of organizing, editing, and categorizing. This reflects the predicament of "information overload" already facing Tang-dynasty divination literature, which the author sought to resolve by using the Mind Mirror as a guiding framework to reduce complexity.
Third, the mind as mirror. The name "Mind Mirror" embodies the core aspiration of Tang-dynasty divination philosophy—the highest realm of judgment lies not in the multiplicity of techniques, but in the clarity of inner awareness. When the mind is like a bright mirror, the fortune and misfortune of all things naturally reflect upon it.
Read through a contemporary lens, this preface resembles a "literature review plus methodology manifesto" written by a senior practitioner confronted with an overwhelming abundance of professional materials.
The author Xu Daofu faced the dilemma of a Tang-dynasty Six Ren scholarly community where "techniques were too intricate to master"—much like today's age of information explosion, where learners confront hundreds of introductory books and thousands of papers with a sense of bewilderment. His solution: return to the core, eliminate excess while retaining the essential, and reconstruct the knowledge structure through clear classification systems. This resonates profoundly with the "structured thinking" of modern knowledge management. 🗂️
The metaphor of the "mind mirror" is particularly insightful. Modern cognitive science indicates that experts' intuitive judgment (the so-called "sixth sense") essentially derives from the internalization of large quantities of structured knowledge. When rules are thoroughly understood and integrated, judgment becomes as natural and precise as images reflecting in a mirror—this is not mysticism, but pattern recognition capability developed through deep learning.
| Ancient Wisdom | Modern Application |
|---|---|
| Survey the profound essences of all distinguished masters | Integrative cross-disciplinary learning, not confined to a single school |
| Compile miscellaneous divinations, edit the literary structure | Establish personal knowledge management systems; distill essence from volume |
| Organize by category with clear headings and distinct entries | Classify and archive to form a cognitive framework for rapid retrieval |
| Clear in this mind, discerning fortune and misfortune like a mirror | Through deliberate practice, internalize knowledge into intuitive judgment |
The method learners can borrow is: first establish the overall framework (the eight-volume structure), then delve deeper into each category (the one hundred eighty-one patterns), and finally return to a unified mind (the mirror metaphor). This constitutes a "whole–part–whole" cognitive cycle.
The concept of the "mind mirror" derives from the combined influence of Daoism and Buddhism. Zhuangzi spoke of "the sage's mind as a mirror," and the Chan tradition likewise employs the metaphor of the "bright mirror stand." By infusing this philosophical image into divination practice, Xu Daofu elevated divination from the level of "technique" to that of "the Way."
In the author's view, the essence of divination lies not in revelations from external deities, but in the intrinsically inherent perceptive capacity of the human mind. Techniques are merely the tools for polishing the mirror; true judgment of fortune and misfortune arises from the clarity of the mind. This thought implicitly aligns with the Confucian notion that "all things are complete within me" and the Daoist epistemological tradition of "knowing the world without leaving one's door." 🔮
At a deeper level, the mirror metaphor suggests the relationship between the diviner and the subject of divination—the mirror does not alter external objects but simply reflects them truthfully. This demands that the diviner maintain objectivity and neutrality, unpolluted by subjective preferences. This attitude coincides remarkably with the "principle of observer neutrality" in modern scientific methodology.