Forging the Sword – Quotations
A sword is something to protect the body; here it means the tool of wisdom to become enlightened and immortal, the means to become a sage. This is what is called the restored elixir; there is no “sword” other than the restored elixir. This means restoration of the original innate awareness and innate capacity, the true consciousness which unites strength (yang) and flexibility(yin). — Liu Yiming, Commentary on Understanding Reality
Esoteric traditions use the the sword to represent a psychological tool to aid enlightenment.
“Let the wise man fight illusion with the sword of wisdom.” — Buddha
“Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” — The Bible
Sword of Light
The vajra symbol from Tibetan Buddhism and Japanese Esoteric Buddhism represents a flash of lightning that destroys ignorance. It is the self-awareness that cuts away the darkness in which a man spends his life.
“Arjuna, cut through this doubt in your own heart with the sword of spiritual wisdom.” — Bhagavad Gita, Krishna
Fudo Myo, the Immovable King of Light, holding a six-pointed Vajra sword, by Unkei (13th c. Japan)
Forging the Spiritual Sword
Taoist alchemy explains the forging of a spiritual sword with the symbols of yin and yang.
“Ever since adepts handed on
the secret of the sword,
The true imperative has been upheld
Completely, truly adamant.”“When students of the Tao
Know this secret,
The yang spirit is intensely powerful,
And the yin demons vanish.”“Setting to work when one yang comes back,
First have the six yangs pump the furnace bellows;
Then the six yins work the tongs and hammer.
When the work of firing is complete,
it produces the sword;
When it is first done,
It flashes like lightning.”
“This precious sword fundamentally has no form;
The name is set up because it has spiritual effect.
Learning the Tao and practicing reality
Depend on this sword;
Without this sword,
you cannot achieve the Tao.”
— Li Dao Chun, The book of Balance and Harmony
This poem explains in detail the method of forging the spiritual sword.
“The method of casting the sword is not easy to know; the combination of strength (yang) and flexibility (yin) is most difficult to understand. If you do not meet a genuine teacher and get personal instruction, you will just be indulging in vain guesswork.” — Liu Yiming, Commentary on Understanding Reality
Unifying Yin and Yang
Yin and yang can represent the inhalation and exhalation of the breath. Although this inhalation and exhalation do not relate to the physical breath but to the breath of life, the true breath–the yang breath–is timed with the physical breath. The yang breath is the fire or self-awareness that burns away the yin energy of acquired conditioning. The physical breath is needed for the physical body to live; the yang breath is needed for the original spirit to live.
“The yang of Heaven and the Yin of Earth are like the opening and closing of a door, breathing out and breathing in. Here breathing out and breathing in do not refer to exhalation and inhalation through the nose, but rather to the opening and closing of the true breath, the inner pulse of life, the movement of energy and stillness of the spirit.” — Li Dao Chun, the Book of Balance and Harmony
In Li Dao Chun, the ‘six yangs pumping the furnace bellows’ and the ‘six yins working the tongs and hammer’ are separate. They need to be combined or unified so they can become the inhalation and exhalation of the six yang breaths.
“The path of the Golden Elixir is the path of creation; the path of creation is the path of alternation between yin and yang.” — Liu Yiming, Commentary on Understanding Reality.
Crystallising the Elixir
“Now when Taoists speak of pumping the bellows, they do not mean pumping a bellows; they mean tuning true breathing. If you know the furnace and cauldron but not the bellows, then yin and yang are separate; even though furnace and cauldron be set up, they are useless. How will you snatch the wholesome energy of heaven and earth to crystallize the elixir?” — The seventh generation master of the Northern Branch of the Complete Reality School of Taoism
When you unify yin and yang, the spiritual yang fire is operating and you forge the spiritual sword, cutting away all thoughts and emotions that try to interfere with self-awareness. Whenever one is able to sustain self-awareness without interruption, it creates an empty space that enables the original spirit to return to its post.
“There are six cosmic breaths matched by the six breaths in man.” — Book of Salvation of the World by the Manifestation of the Tao
A sword with six branches, a gift to a Japanese emperor by a Korean ruler in the 4th century. Of possible Chinese origin.
“It is not that the immortals and real people haven’t spoken of the firing process, but what they say is not organized. If you do not meet an illumined teacher who will indicate the order for you, you will not be able to know it.” — Liu Yiming, Commentary on Understanding Reality
Walther Sell is the author of a website on Taoist teaching and the I Ching. For more on this topic, see http://www.taoistiching.org/sword_of_wisdom.html