Discourse on the Secret Classics of the Spiritual Orchid

The Yellow Emperor asked: I wish to hear about the mutual coordination among the twelve internal organs, and how their positions of high and low, noble and base, are arranged. Qi Bo replied: How detailed your question is! Allow me to explain them one by one. The heart is like the organ of the sovereign; spirit and wisdom arise from it. The lung is like the organ of the prime minister who assists the sovereign; governance and regulation issue from it. The liver is like the organ of the general; strategy and deliberation arise from it. The gallbladder is like the organ of the upright judge; decisiveness arises from it. The chest center (dan zhong) is like the organ of the inner minister and envoy; joy and happiness emanate from it. The spleen and stomach are like the organs of the granary; the five flavors of food and drink are transformed from them. The large intestine is like the organ of the official in charge of transmission and transport; the transformation of food residues is discharged from it. The small intestine is like the organ of the official who receives and contains; the function of digestion and absorption is completed from it. The kidney is like the organ of strong labor; skill and wisdom arise from it. The triple burner is like the organ of the official who dredges waterways; the passage of body fluids throughout the body is managed from it. The bladder is like the organ of the regional capital; fluids are stored within it, and through the action of qi transformation, urine is excreted.

These twelve organs must not lose their mutual coordination. Therefore, if the sovereign (heart) is clear and enlightened, the subordinate organs are at peace. Following this principle to nourish life leads to longevity, and one will never be in danger throughout life; using it to govern the world results in great prosperity. If the sovereign (heart) is not enlightened, then all twelve organs become endangered, causing the functional pathways among the organs to become blocked and obstructed, and the body will be severely harmed. Using this condition to nourish life brings disaster; using this state to govern the world, then the ancestral temple and altars of the state are in great peril—be extremely vigilant! The profound principle is subtle and mysterious, with changes that are inexhaustible—who can know its origin? How difficult it is! Even those who diligently study it remain perplexed—who can know its essential points? Among those dark and ignorant views that presume themselves correct, which one is truly good? The faint and indistinct minute quantities arise from units as small as a hair’s breadth; the amounts of a hair’s breadth begin from even smaller measures; accumulating to thousands and tens of thousands, they can gradually increase; extending and expanding them, their form takes shape. The Yellow Emperor said: Excellent! I have heard the pure and brilliant principle—this is the enterprise of the great sage. To proclaim the great Way in this manner, if I do not undergo purification and select an auspicious day, I dare not receive it. Thus the Yellow Emperor chose an auspicious day and favorable hour, and stored these principles in the Orchid Chamber Treasury (Linglan Zhi Shi) for transmission and preservation.