Page 525 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

HONG' EN ZH ENJ U N

arrangement to the Hetu and the *houtian arrangement of the trigrams (Baoyi
hansan bijue 1@ - i*I '=:: ~'~ ; CT 576, 3a- b). *Lei Siqi (1231- 1301?) also relates it
to the Hetu and strongly criticizes Chen Tuan, who instead associates it with
the Luoshu (Yitu tongbian ~ fi ill! ~ ; CT 1014, I.Ia-2b and 4.1a- 3a).

The Hetu magic square. This square arranges the numbers so that they form a
cross, or three concentric squares:

7

2
8 3 5 4 9

I
6
This arrangement highlights the center and distinguishes between the "genera-
tive" numbers (sheng 1:., from I to 5) and "performative" ones (cheng JJ.lt, from 6
to 10), with the number 5, representing the center, being the axis between them.
It emphasizes the verticality of the upright (zheng lE) pillar of the world, while
the Luoshu arrangement forms an oblique cross. This square does not seem
to have been used in ritual. *Neidan alchemists, however, refer to it probably
because it is more directly linked with the "maturation" (cheng) of numbers. It
assigns the numbers 3 to Wood / East and 2 to Fire / South, and the numbers 4 to
Metal/ West and I to Water / North, so that the sum of the numbers of the Yin
agents and the Yang agents is 5. With the center, also represented by the number
5, these form the "Three Fives" in the alchemical process (see *sanwu).

Isabelle ROBINET
m Cammann 1961; Cammann 1962; Granet 1934, 177-208; Kamitsuka Yoshiko
1999,379-85; Lagerwey 1987C, 126-34; Major 1984; Needham 1959, 55-62; Robinet
1995b; Saso 1978c; Seidel 1983a
* COSMOLOGY; NUMEROLOGY; TAOISM AND NEO -CONFUCIANISM

Hong' en zhenjun

Real Lords of Overflowing Mercy

The Real Lords of Overflowing Mercy, also known as Real Lords of Over-
flowing Mercy and Numinous Deliverance (Hong'en lingji zhenjun #t'~.t~