The author of The History of Great Light, Huai-Nan-Tzu (sometimes called Lui An,

Liu Ngan, or Lew Gan), was a grandson of the Emperor Kao Ti (or Kao Tsu), the
founder of the Han Dynasty, who ascended the throne in 206 B.C. and died in 195
B.C.
The father of Huai-Nan-Tzu was prince Li and his mother a lady of the court of
the prince of Chao.
The date of his birth is not known, but he is said to have died in 122 B.C.
Huai-Nan-Tzu, although of royal lineage, preferred to devote his life to
scholarship and spiritual philosophy rather than to the occupations of a
courtier, and gradually he gathered about him a group of the most profound
exponents of Taoism and men of kindred interests.
He was a man of exceptional ability, with a widely extended mental horizon and a
deeply religious reverence for all that is Divine.
The Eight Sages, who are said to have been his companions, teachers and
collaborators, were especially venerated for their holiness and wisdom. In some
accounts they are identified with the Eight Taoist Immortals.
ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS IN TAO
(The History of Great Light)
PART 1
THE TAO AND ITS MANIFESTATIONS
TAO is that which encompasses the Universe and gives it dimension. Its height
cannot be measured nor its depths fathomed. It made visible what at first had no
form. Flowing like a fountain, its energies penetrated the void and filled
space.
By ceaselessly flowing, it transformed murky chaos into crystal clearness.
TAO is that which penetrates the Universe and touches every part of it. It
cannot be exhausted; it knows neither exuberance nor decay. If it could be
opened out it would fill the entire Universe; if it could be gathered together,
it would not even fill a child's hand.
Though it can be contracted, it can also be expanded; though it is obscure, it
can become clear; though it is weak, it can become strong; though it is soft, it
can become hard. TAO contains the balance of the masculine and the feminine, it
contains the balance of the light and the dark; it holds together the Universe
and Time, and supplies the great with inspiration.
It is so tenuous and subtle that it pervades everything like water soaked earth.
It is by TAO that mountains are high, and abysses deep; that beasts walk and
birds fly; that the sun and moon are bright, and the stars revolve in their
courses. All mysteries arise from it, and are resolved by it. When the wise
obtain the power inherent in TAO, and are established in the center, they walk
with the highest spiritual beings and all the Universe is at peace.
THE PERMEATION OF TAO
It is through TAO that the stars and the earth move, that processes of change go
on without end, and that water flows without stopping; for TAO is the beginning
and end of all creation. The rising of wind, the gathering of clouds, are as
they should be; so too the rolling of thunder, the fall of rain, and so on,
without end.
The operations of TAO are mysterious. They resemble the actions of the potter,
whose wheel forever goes round and round. In the natural succession of change,
creations are finished and polished, and afterwards dissolve again into their
pristine elements.
Those who do not interfere and leave nothing undone are in harmony with TAO;
those who speak with care understand power; those who know tranquillity and are
content, devoid of conceit, are in possession of harmony, even though they live
in the midst of a myriad diversities. All things are in accordance with their
various natures.
The energy of TAO operates in the smallest thing and yet compels the mighty
universe. Its power molds the universe and harmonizes the masculine and
feminine, the light and the dark; it forms the four seasons and brings the
elements of nature into accord.
The benign and gentle breath of TAO cherishes all things, both living and not
living; it enriches vegetation with moisture, and permeates stone and metal; it
causes the growth of all creatures, giving to one rich and glossy fur, to
another abundant plumage. Through its powers embryos mature and creatures are
born.
Because of TAO fathers do not mourn the untimely death of their children, nor
does the elder brother that of his younger brother; the young are not left as
orphans, nor is the wife a widow. The misplaced rainbow will never appear, nor
destructive comets cross the sky, because of the harmonious nature of TAO.
THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF TAO
TAO at its most sublime does not regard itself as the author of Creation, nor as
the power which completes, transforms and fashions all things.
Things which walk, breathe, fly or crawl, await the operation of TAO before they
come into being, without recognizing the power to which they owe existence; and
they await the operation of the same principle before they die, without feeling
any resentment. When people derive benefit from TAO, they render it no praise;
so when they misuse it and bring disaster upon themselves, they may not reproach
it. When they accumulate and store up riches, this may not be considered an
increase of their true wealth; nor when they distribute or scatter it, is it to
be considered any impoverishment.
TAO exists everywhere, yet it cannot be sought out. Subtle and intangible, it
cannot be overlooked. If it is piled up, it will not be high. If it is
overthrown, it will not be low. Add to it and it does not increase. Deduct from
it and it will not be reduced. Plane it and it does not become thin. Cut it, and
it will not be injured. Dig into it, and it will not be found deep. Fill it, and
it will not become shallow. Shadowy and indistinct, it has no form. Indistinct
and shadowy, its resources have no limit. Hidden and obscure, it reinforces all
things from the formless. Penetrating and pervasive, it never acts in vain. It
bends and straightens with the hard and the soft. It rises and falls with the
masculine and the feminine, with the light and with the dark.
PART 2
IDEAL PERSONS OF TAO
When the ideal person of TAO walks upon frost or snow they leave no footprints;
when the sun shines upon them they cast no shadow. Their many spiritual
achievements appear magical and mysterious to the common mind; the mystical path
leads them to know the TAO, and the people call them gods.
THE SERENITY OF THOSE WHO DWELL IN TAO
Those who come after these ideal people are unable to emulate them, no matter
how hard they try.
Wise and balanced people of TAO are always tranquil and without desiring; they
are always content, and have no cares. The Sky is their canopy, the Earth is
their vehicle, the four seasons give them power. Perfectly free and knowing no
restraints, they advance through the Empyrean; moving slowly or quickly as they
wish. They cause the rain to sprinkle moisture on the roads and the wind to
sweep the dust; lightning serves to drive them when lagging, and thunder
provides a path where there was none. Above they roam through the vastness of
space; below they pass through the Gate of Boundlessness. There is nothing that
does not pass before their vision in their travels, yet, on their return, their
fullness of spirit remains unchanged and is not unsettled by these wanderings.
Although everything within the four corners of the Universe is under their
control, they revert to their foundation. They are this way because they have a
firm grasp of TAO; and so they are enabled to travel through Infinity.
Even though the affairs of the world are not easily administered, they may be
directed by a comprehension of the course they naturally take; although the
transitions of the visible Universe baffle investigation, they may yet be
understood by knowing their actual origin and destiny.
QUIESCIENCE IN TAO
When a mirror and water are brought close to an object, they reflect it as
square or round, crooked or straight, as the case may be, because of their
perfect tranquillity. In like manner does the heart of a wise person naturally
reflect the principles of TAO. A wise person does not need to hear sounds or see
forms; for they are conscious of both, even in the midst of silence.
The natural quiescence of the nature with which people are born is implanted by
the Universal power; the influences which affect people and excite them
subsequently, may obscure their real nature. When a person responds to the calls
made upon them by natural concerns, that implies an excitation of the mind; and
when their faculties are bought into contact with externals, they become the
subject of desires and aversions. As soon as a person's desires and aversions
are aroused, their mind is enticed into action by external objects; if they are
unable to revert to their true self, the TAO is almost extinguished in them.
Those who are perfectly centered in TAO do not permit any change through an
external agency to take place in their nature. Though they undergo variations
outwardly in common with everything else, inwardly they never lose their
inherent actuality.
Utterly non-existent, TAO is always ready to respond to those who seek it; it
apportions the world naturally and for everything, great and small, long and
short, due provision is made.
If a person is identified with TAO, although a myriad things present themselves
before them, all prancing and rearing in excitement and utter confusion, they
are powerless to disturb them. Such people, when in positions of prominence and
authority, do not bring their weight heavily to bear upon the people at large,
nor do they injure them. Fine people come to them for protection, and the
depraved stand in awe of them; since they do not oppose the world, the world
does not dare to content with them.