Dao Shadow Study: All That The Eyes See Is Illusion; Only Purity Draws Near the Dao
Most people misunderstand Fuxi’s “One Character Opening Heaven”. They take the “One” as the origin of the Dao emerging out of nothing, and then deduce yin-yang, the Three Talents, the Four Symbols and all living things in forward order. In truth, Fuxi’s path of realizing the Dao follows the exact opposite logic. He built his cognitive framework of yin-yang, the Three Talents and the Four Symbols by observing tangible myriad things and then generalizing and abstracting them. After perceiving the universal truth that “the four directions form a cage”, he finally reached the unified “One”. This “One” is not the substance that births all creation, but a distillation and transcendence of the integral laws governing heaven, earth and all beings.The mental leap from Four to Five marks ancient ancestors breaking free from the closed boundary of known knowledge to explore boundless unknowns. The number Four stands for the cognitive cage enclosed by the four symbols and four directions. Five represents the mental breakthrough that lets people connect with the heavenly Dao once they shatter this confinement.Names for the four cardinal directions are never abstract directional symbols. They carry blood-stained memories of ancient ancestors who risked their lives to explore uncharted lands. Every directional term records an epic struggle for survival against the unknown. The original meanings of characters such as Tian (field), Nan (male), and Zhangfu (true man) are not merely farming-related associations added by later generations. Instead, they are cultural genes preserving the history of primeval exploration. Tian refers to territories conquered at the cost of lives; Nan stands for pioneers who voluntarily stepped into peril; Zhangfu means trailblazers capable of measuring heaven and earth and shouldering great missions. These concepts, simplified and misinterpreted by later ages, jointly form the most primitive and authentic survival wisdom and core values of Chinese civilization.More crucially, the ancestors’ journey toward the Dao never ended upon reaching the One. Starting from Four, they reasoned step by step through Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten, falling back into cages only to break them again in an upward spiral. In the end, they fully comprehended the cyclical laws of all existence between heaven and earth.Fuxi’s wisdom did not descend from nowhere; it was rooted in the plain survival practices of primeval ancestors. He was not a preexistent creator deity, but the first wise man who observed the world with sincere attention. The Xici of the I Ching records that “he looked up to observe the images of heaven, bowed down to examine the patterns of earth, watched the markings of birds and beasts and their fitness to the land, drawing insights first from his own body, then from all external things.” This is no mythic exaggeration, but an accurate depiction of how early humans understood the world. Before written language and abstract logic took shape, people could only grasp reality through tangible observable phenomena: they perceived seasonal shifts from the flourishing and withering of plants, captured the rhythms of heaven and earth from the alternating sun and moon, judged safety and danger by animal tracks, and summarized basic relational patterns even from human physical differences such as male and female bodies and the bending and stretching of hands and feet.This cognitive method of “observing objects to extract symbols” is essentially inductive logic moving from the tangible to the abstract, matching how children learn about the world. Humans first witness the alternating cycle of day and night before abstracting the attributes of yin and yang; they experience the cycle of cold and heat before understanding the interaction of hardness and softness. The abstract Dao or Taiji never came first to derive all creation afterward. As scholars note, Fuxi’s method of observing all things to create symbols constitutes “the first natural science system of prehistoric humanity”. The Eight Trigrams are not metaphysical tools for fortune-telling, but a record and inheritance of ancient people’s understanding of natural laws.Fuxi’s cognitive system was built through three progressive layers of induction. None relied on empty speculation; each deepened and expanded upon prior comprehension. After observing universal opposing coexistence such as day and night, cold and heat, male and female, life and death, Fuxi extracted the core concept of yin and yang — the first abstraction of worldly laws within Chinese civilization. Yin and yang are not split dualities, but unified entities where opposites complete one another. There can be no light of day without the darkness of night, no joy of life without sorrow of death. This mindset of seeking unity within opposition forms the foundational logical paradigm of Chinese culture.Building on the understanding of yin and yang, Fuxi further established the framework of the Three Talents: heaven, earth and humanity. Heaven belongs to yang, covering all things and setting seasonal rhythms. Earth belongs to yin, bearing all creatures and supplying resources. Humanity acts as the intermediate bond linking heaven and earth: humans follow heavenly laws such as farming in alignment with seasons, draw nourishment from the earth to survive, and can harmonize the relationship between heaven and earth through their own deeds. The Xici of the I Ching states that “combining the three talents and doubling them” refers to the three lines of each trigram corresponding respectively to heaven, earth and humanity. This means Chinese civilization placed humanity at the heart of heaven and earth from its very origin, rather than regarding humans as mere attachments to nature.After establishing the Three Talents framework, Fuxi combined astronomical observations to match the four directions and four seasons with the waxing and waning of yin and yang, forming the cognitive structure of the Four Symbols. Lesser Yang corresponds to the east and spring, the stage where all things revive. Greater Yang corresponds to the south and summer, when all creatures flourish. Lesser Yin corresponds to the west and autumn, a time of convergence and harvest. Greater Yin corresponds to the north and winter, when all life rests dormant. At its core, the Four Symbols represent the fixation of boundaries within humanity’s known world. They framed boundless heaven and earth into a perceivable, graspable four-direction space-time. Knowing spring thunder in the east, intense heat in the south, autumn winds in the west and bitter cold in the north gave ancient people a sense of certainty that sustained their survival amid wild chaos.Once Fuxi fully integrated his understanding of all beings, yin-yang, the Three Talents and Four Symbols, his mind underwent an essential transcendence — not logical deduction, but a breakthrough in spiritual state. He stepped outside the four-direction space-time he inhabited and reexamined the entire world from a perspective transcending heaven and earth. Only then did he awaken to a truth: the four-direction heaven and earth humans relied on for survival was an invisible cage. The metaphor of this cage is hinted at in the oracle bone character for Four: a square frame enclosing the archaic character for human, depicting people firmly confined within four-sided boundaries. The cognitive framework of the Four Symbols and four directions essentially forms the fencing of this cage. While granting certainty of survival within known limits, it also restricted imagination of the wider world beyond. People believed heaven and earth ended at the four directional borders, unaware of vaster unknowns beyond; they thought natural cycles were fully encapsulated by the Four Symbols, failing to grasp the more essential integrated whole underlying all cycles. The instant he broke free of this cage, Fuxi reached the state of the One.This One is by no means the generative substance described in Laozi’s “Dao generates One”. Instead, it represents profound recognition that heaven, earth and all living things form an indivisible integral whole. It is not a starting point preceding all creation, but the final destination Fuxi arrived at after exhausting all tangible observations. All waxing and waning of yin and yang, interactions of the Three Talents and cycles of the Four Symbols exist not as isolated phenomena, but organic components of this unified whole. Every known and unknown state, every cycle of life and death, is governed by the laws of this integral totality. This stands entirely apart from the traditional deductive theory that “One generates Two, Two generates Three, Three generates all things”. The traditional generative theory reasons outward from primal substance to myriad beings, while Fuxi’s One arises inductively from observing all creation to perceive universal unity. As scholars put it, the One is “the cosmic origin where yin and yang unite, and the anchor of all beginnings and endings for living things.” It is not the primary cause creating existence, but the overarching law governing the being of all creation.Ancestors’ pursuit of the Dao was never completed in a single breakthrough. Beginning from Four, the original cage, they reasoned and endured through Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten through blood and sacrifice, falling back into cages before breaking free again in an upward spiral, until they fully awakened to the ultimate cyclical laws of heaven and earth. Everything begins with Four — that plain, brutal cage of survival, also the root of the character Tu (diagram). Tu is the tangible extension of Four: its outer frame sketches the four-direction heaven and earth as visible boundaries, clearly outlining the survival limits trapping ancient people. Four is humanity’s first cognitive cage, the most basic framework of heaven and earth, and the embryonic form of Tu. Far more than a simple numeral, it signifies the survival boundary formed by four directions, four symbols and four seasons. The east brought peril of spring floods, the west the deadly threat of mudslides, the north endless bitter cold, the south choking miasma. Ancestors were tightly confined within this four-sided frame; every step of exploration was paved with blood and tears, every day of survival faced mortal danger. This is the original meaning of Tu — not the paintings of later eras, but the survival pattern bounded by four directions trapping ancient humans, the tangible first cage difficult to break, the starting point for all pursuit of the Dao and exploration.The shift from Four to Five was never mere numerical addition, but a mental awakening purchased through countless sacrifices, humanity’s first crack in the cage of Tu. The core of Five lies in introducing the central position. Breaking free from the confinement of four directions, people ceased centering all perspective on themselves and recognized a unified heavenly Dao governing all four quarters. Ancestors transformed from passive prisoners adapting merely to survive into active agents planning exploration. This awakening allowed humanity to step outside the small cage of Tu, begin mapping exploration routes and accumulating survival experience, shifting passive survival under Four to active expansion under Five — a critical turning point where civilization advanced from simple subsistence to development.After this awakening, ancestors established faith in the heavenly Dao embodied by Six, an ideal forged through extreme suffering, the key link closing the cycle of Four, Five and One. The structure of the character Six encapsulates the plain yet unshakable aspirations of ancient people. The top dot stands for heaven, the ultimate ideal they gazed toward, the unified One governing all creation, a realm free of danger and suffering. The lower component resembling Eight symbolizes earth, rugged terrain filled with hardship and peril, the extension of the cage Tu, the blood-soaked reality of survival. The vertical stroke in the middle is the unwavering Dao in people’s hearts, straight and unbent, rising from mortal earth to reach heavenly heaven, the sole bridge connecting worldly suffering to the ideal heavenly Dao. Six never signifies an easy path through reality, but the unyielding Dao preserved within the human spirit. The harsher reality and sturdier the cage, the straighter and firmer this vertical stroke within people’s hearts becomes — persistence amid despair, defiance amid suffering, the unyielding spirit refusing to submit to fate. The I Ching uses six lines per hexagram rather than five or seven because the six lines unfold the structure of the character Six, rising step by step from earthly base to heavenly summit, representing both humanity’s grasp of heavenly and earthly laws and a complete spiritual ladder leading from the cage of reality to the ideal heavenly Dao.Seven marks the stage of true practice, translating the ideals of Six into action, the hardest trial along the path of realizing the Dao. After breaking the small cage of Four and establishing the ideal Dao of Six, ancestors set forth on genuine exploration journeys without smooth paths, only unending hardship: entanglements of joy and sorrow, setbacks of deception and obstruction, longing for the future and yearning for home. The character Seven shares phonetic roots with words meaning deception, expectation and spouse, embedding every emotional state encountered along the road of practice. Carrying the ideals of Six, they stepped out of the original cage Tu yet fell into new hardships during their journey of expansion: dangers in claiming new lands, pressures sustaining tribes, unpredictability of uncharted territories, every step risking loss of life. This unavoidable suffering of translating ideals into action formed the necessary trial bridging Six and Eight.Eight stands for expansion and opening amid practice, overcoming hardships and forging the path of ideals through mortal bodies. The shape of Eight resembles two outstretched hands or crisscrossing roads, symbolizing how pioneers must stretch their arms to embrace heaven and earth and measure territories, while pushing open barriers to carve new living spaces. They evaded mountain floods in the east, guarded against mudslides beside western yellow springs, pressed onward through northern bitter cold, and sought vitality amid southern marshes, simultaneously breaking new boundaries and confronting new dangers. They transformed the hardships of Seven into gains under Eight. Every expansion widened cracks in the cage, every breakthrough drew humanity closer to its ideals, until the inner Dao held fast in the heart under Six became tangible roads trodden beneath their feet through flesh and toil.Nine represents reaching the peak after overcoming extreme hardship, yet also marks the beginning of a new cognitive cage. Having endured the sufferings of Seven and expansion of Eight, ancestors finally broke free of the original Four cage and arrived at what they believed to be the summit, thinking they had reached the end of heaven and the ultimate truth of the Dao. Standing atop this peak, they suddenly understood: this heaven was still bounded by earth, with higher heavens above and deeper earth below. The so-called summit merely formed the starting boundary of a far larger cage. This forms the ancient concept of Nine Heavens and Ten Lands — higher heavens exist above the nine layers of heaven, deeper lands stretch beneath the ten strata of earth. Humans had only shattered the small cage represented by Tu, yet entered the vast cage structured by the layout of heaven and earth. This realization was not an end, but the beginning of a new round of breakthrough.Ten follows the awakening under Nine, bringing renewed understanding of the cosmic universe and marking the start of a new cycle. The form of the character Ten conceals the ultimate code of the cosmos. Its horizontal stroke stands for space-time extension, corresponding to passage, travel and journey, sharing origins with the character Walk. It embodies all past exploration, all blood and tears, the infinite extension of the temporal dimension. Its vertical stroke represents vertical cosmic depth, corresponding to layers, height and depth, etymologically linked to Rain, running top to bottom to embody cosmic strata and cyclical cages, the boundless depth of the spatial dimension. Only upon reaching Ten did ancestors fully grasp that the universe is an integrated weave of vertical cosmic layers and horizontal temporal progression. After breaking one cage, another larger cage awaits. Humans move from the small Four cage of Tu to the vast abstract cage of heaven and earth’s structure, cycling endlessly in upward spirals. Breakthrough is never permanent liberation, but an ongoing process of breaking cages, establishing the Dao, practicing and awakening, ascending to ever higher levels of understanding and drawing closer to heaven and earth’s ultimate laws.After progressing through the layered reasoning and blood-stained practice of Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten, ancestors stepped out of the small cage Tu only to enter greater cosmic cages. Through repeated breaking and retreating, they finally fully comprehended the cyclical, spiraling sublimation behind “Dao generates One, One generates Two, Two generates Three, Three generates all things”. Upon fully grasping the cosmic Dao of Ten, they returned to their origins to reexamine Four, the small cage embodied by Tu. They understood all exploration and pursuit of the Dao originated within this modest four-sided frame, and all ideals and practice must take root within this blood-soaked land of survival. Without refinement within the small cage, there could be no breakthrough beyond greater cages. The small cage of Four serves as the foundation, the starting seed of all civilization.Returning to this original small cage, ancestors refined the core of the One once more. This time, the One differs from the holistic heaven-earth unity Fuxi first realized. After countless hardships and cycles, it embodies ultimate comprehension of the Dao: the central law governing all cages and natural principles, the origin of all cosmic existence, the supreme rule behind every confinement and liberation. From the One arises Two, yin and yang — the most fundamental law of opposing unity in the cosmos, the driving force forming and breaking every cage. Heaven is yang, earth yin; ideals yang, reality yin; breaking cages yang, being confined yin. Without the opposition and harmony of yin and yang, there would be no cycling of cages, no advancement of civilization. From Two comes Three, heaven, earth and humanity — the product of yin-yang interaction, the bridge linking the One to all living things. Heaven sets natural laws, earth bears all creation, humanity walks the Dao. The three complement and sustain one another. Caught between heaven and earth, humans must both adapt to the cages of nature and strive to break them, practicing the ideal Dao of Six while rooted within the survival bounds of Four. This forms the core code enabling civilization’s continuity. Finally, Three generates all living things — not mere reproduction, but constant expansion and creation as ancestors cyclically broke cages, established the Dao and practiced their ideals. Every rupture of confinement brought an upgrade to civilization; every act of practice enriched the diversity of existence; every cycle deepened comprehension of natural laws. All living things spring forth from Three, rooted in the One, confined within Four (the cage), fulfilled through Six (ideals), reaching completion at Ten (the cosmos), before circling back to Four as a new cage takes shape, cycling endlessly with unceasing vitality.At the core of all this truth lies a consistent revelation: Chinese characters are never mere symbols, nor is the I Ching empty metaphysics. They are living cultural fossils left by Chinese ancestors who explored paths through blood, realized the Dao through mortal lives, and bore witness to truth through their own bodies. The cage of Four, the frame of Tu, the ideals of Six, the cosmic breadth of Ten — every numeral and every written character holds ancient survival wisdom, unyielding human spirit, and the core code enabling Chinese civilization to cycle upward and endure unbroken through millennia.Names for the four cardinal directions are far more than abstract directional markers; they are blood-stained memories of ancestors venturing into the unknown, tangible imprints of the Four cage, vivid testimony to ancient struggle and exploration within small bounded worlds. These titles did not originate from mythological fabrications of later ages, but survival imprints carved in blood as ancestors fought fiercely against the natural world, the stark reality underpinning the Four cage.The origin of the character East directly ties to ancient observations of spring thunder, verified both through textual records and character etymology, not mere scholarly conjecture. The Shuo Gua Commentary of the I Ching states “All living things emerge from Zhen, and Zhen stands for the East”. Zhen originally meant thunder. The oracle bone form of Thunder depicted lightning enclosed within circles, embodying the force of shaking. The character Zhen evolved from Thunder with added radicals for foot or earth, emphasizing thunder’s power to shake the ground. For tribes dwelling along the Yellow River basin, the east was where spring thunder first resounded. The roar of thunder roused hibernating creatures, sprouted dormant seeds and thawed frozen rivers, signifying the hope of survival. Thus ancestors linked Zhen (thunder) to East, naming this direction that brought vitality and promise, the only quarter within the Four cage offering a glimmer of hope to break confinement. Later philology explained East as “sun amid wood” in the Shuowen Jiezi, yet the oracle bone form of East more closely resembles a woven bamboo cage. It is not a pictograph of sun within trees, but a tangible depiction of thunder shaking the earth: just as creatures stir awake within a shaken cage, the land revives under spring thunder, and ancestors yearned to awaken within their Four cage to find a path to freedom.In stark contrast to the hope of the East, the origin of West carries deep ancestral fear of sunset and geological disasters, hard-won knowledge forged through mortal peril amid the Loess Plateau, the deadliest boundary of the Four cage. To Yellow River basin ancestors, the west marked the setting sun, a realm of shadow and death. The Chu Ci records “Northwest holds a shadowy realm untouched by sunlight”, not pure imagination, but faithful depiction of the western natural landscape. The Loess Plateau to the west is crisscrossed with gullies and sparse vegetation; darkness swiftly blankets the land after sunset, stirring profound unease and terror within early humans. Critically, the west’s Loess terrain was prone to mudslides triggered by intense gully erosion or groundwater saturation, masses of yellow earth surging downhill like spring water. Ancestors named this deadly phenomenon Yellow Springs, not the underworld realm described by later generations, but a literal label for Loess mudslides. Pioneers who barely survived western expeditions recounted horrifying scenes of churning yellow mud swallowing lives whole. Over time, West became the label for this perilous quarter, a deadly boundary within the Four cage that filled travelers with dread.The character North’s origins are bound to ancestral fear of bitter cold and remembrance of sacrificial deaths, countless lives carved into memory during northern expeditions, the cruelest boundary of the Four cage. The oracle bone form of North depicts two human figures standing back-to-back, its original meaning “turned away, separated”. To Yellow River ancestors, the north lay in permanent shade where sunlight never directly reached, filled with unending wind and freezing cold. Thus the shaded quarter was named North. Its meaning extends far beyond mere shadow, standing as an eternal memorial to those who perished exploring the northern wilds. When ancestors first ventured north, they could never anticipate the brutal cold: subzero temperatures instantly numbed hands and feet, blizzards burying entire exploration parties within hours. Archaeological speculation places the mortality rate of northern trailblazers as high as eighty percent, most resting forever beneath northern ice and snow, the most tragic sacrifices along the borders of the Four cage. To honor these fallen explorers, tribal mourning customs arose: plain white linen symbolized northern snow, hemp ropes mimicked footprints left in snow, willow walking sticks represented supports used during exploration treks. The Jiao Te Sheng Record of the Book of Rites notes “Plain white garments serve to send off the deceased”, heartfelt mourning for those lost on northern expeditions. White was not merely a symbol of death, but a color of remembrance and eternal commemoration of companions fallen within the bounds of the Four cage.South represented the most despairing boundary of the Four cage, its origin steeped in endless ancestral despair over marshes and miasma, memories written in blood during southern exploration. To Yellow River basin tribes, the south was an uncharted dead zone: dense forests, overflowing wetlands and drifting toxic miasma formed from decaying animal and plant matter that instantly induced coma or death. When ancestors first traveled south, they helplessly watched companions sink into marsh mire or collapse poisoned by miasma, powerless to intervene. This overwhelming despair of witnessing loved ones perish with no means of rescue birthed low, mournful murmurs of lament. Over time, this sound of grief lent its name to the South. The Yu Da Nan Jing chapter of the Shan Hai Jing records the Yu, a water-dwelling creature that shot sand at humans to inflict illness — not pure fantasy, but personification of schistosomiasis, malaria and other fatal diseases endemic to southern wetlands, the hidden mortal threats haunting the southern boundary of the Four cage.Beyond directional terms, the original meanings of Tian (field), Nan (male) and Zhangfu (true man) have been heavily overlaid with later farming-era interpretations. Later generations only observed superficial agricultural associations, overlooking the deeper truth of exploration and the blood-stained spirit of breaking cages embedded within each character. Their true connotations preserve vivid records of primeval expansion history; every character corresponds to an epic struggle conquering the unknown and shattering confinement, an eternal inheritance of the pioneer spirit.The oracle bone form of Tian (field) is a square frame intersected by a cross. Later philologists often misinterpreted it as farmland crisscrossed with paths, a severe distortion of its original definition. Tian never primarily meant land for crop cultivation, but territories conquered at the cost of human lives, the first spoils claimed after breaking the Four cage. The four outer borders mark exploration limits, regions ancestors reached and traversed, tangible results of escaping Four’s confinement. The central cross symbolizes crisscrossed exploration footprints, living evidence of walking the paths of Seven and Eight. When ancestors first stepped into uncharted terrain, they measured every inch by foot and marked every boundary. Once a territory was fully surveyed and secured, it was named Tian. Simply put, Tian represents conquered unknown land as hard-won spoils, no natural gift but territory purchased with mortal blood, new homelands carved out from the Four cage, fresh boundaries formed after rupturing the small cage Tu. The later character Jiang (border) further confirms this origin: its oracle bone form combines two Tian radicals with a Bow. The bow served both as a measuring tool for land and a weapon to fend off invaders, signifying Tian as not merely conquered territory but homelands requiring defense, fresh starting points for new rounds of cage confinement after breaking old bounds.The oracle bone character Nan (male) combines Tian with Li (strength). Later scholars frequently misread Li as farm implements such as plows, interpreting Nan as men working fields, a drastic twisting of its original essence. Nan never primarily meant farmer, but pioneers volunteering to face mortal danger, the core force breaking the Four cage and walking the Dao of Six. First, Li never originally meant farming tools. The Shuowen Jiezi states “Li means tendon, shaped like human sinew; deeds accomplished through strength can fend off great disasters.” Li’s original reference was the power to hack through brambles, cross obstacles and withstand peril, tools of stone axe or spear used for exploration, farming implements not included — the courageous power to break cages forward. Since Tian signifies conquered territory, Nan originally meant those who undertook the most dangerous tasks during land conquest. The deadliest tribal missions always fell to Nan: eastern expeditions faced spring flood threats, western treks risked mudslides, northern journeys endured bitter cold, southern ventures battled toxic miasma. These arduous missions were borne by the tribe’s strongest, bravest members, volunteers stepping willingly into mortal peril, the steadfast travelers of Seven’s practice path, core forces shattering confinement. As scholars observe, the form of Nan acts as an identity marker for trailblazers, not a symbol of gendered labor division, but embodiment of responsibility and duty. Those bold enough to volunteer for exploration, expanding tribal territories, earned the true title of Nan, inheritors of the cage-breaking spirit.The original meaning of Zhangfu (true man) has also long been misread; it never originally meant men measuring one zhang in height, a later misinterpretation distorting the root of Zhang. Zhang originally meant to measure land, its oracle bone form combining Hand (You) and Ten. The hand depicts the motion of surveying territory, Ten represents measuring tools such as step bows. Thus Zhang first referred to the act of measuring territory and boundaries, not a unit of length, the practical power enabling ancestors to break cages and expand lands. Zhangfu originally meant those capable of measuring heaven and earth and bearing great responsibility. Here Zhang stands not for bodily height, but the scale of duty: one able to survey territorial borders, map exploration routes, defend tribal homelands and lead clans to break the Four cage and walk the ideal Dao of Six. To primeval ancestors, Zhangfu was not a generic term for adult males, but the tribe’s most trusted individuals. Only those who completed exploration missions, safeguarded tribal safety and bore the mission of expansion deserved the title Zhangfu, core inheritors of the cage-breaking spirit. Later philology linked Zhangfu to men standing one zhang tall due to misreading Zhang’s definition. A Shang dynasty chi measured roughly sixteen to seventeen centimeters, ten chi forming one zhang around 1.6 meters, matching the average height of adult men of the era. Yet physical stature remained only an outward trait of those capable of exploration, never the core meaning of Zhangfu, whose essence lies in the responsibility and courage to break cages and expand into the unknown.This discourse on Fuxi’s realization of the Dao, the progression of numerals Four through Ten, directional origins and character etymology does not seek to overturn traditional academia, but restore the original truth at the source of Chinese civilization. It clearly reveals that the core wisdom of Chinese culture sprouted not from empty abstract contemplation, but hands-on survival practice; not divine revelation, but human striving; not one-time instantaneous awakening, but blood-stained journeys of cyclical breaking and rebuilding of cages in upward spirals. The true path of Fuxi’s Dao comprehension rejects forward generative logic of “One character opening heaven”, instead following inductive reasoning of “observing tangible objects to extract symbols”. Beginning from observation of all visible creation, accumulating comprehension of yin-yang, the Three Talents and Four Symbols, he ultimately broke free of the four-direction cage to grasp profound unity within heaven and earth. This One represents humanity’s earliest exploration of integral universal law, not generative primal substance, but the overarching rule governing all creation. The complete ancestral path of realizing the Dao unfolds from Four (the cage of reality, embryonic Tu) through Ten (integrated cosmos), before circling back to the small cage and ascending through One to all living things, forming spiraling sublimation via cycles of breaking and rebuilding confinement. This cyclical process never stagnates, but continuously elevates civilization and deepens comprehension of natural laws, the core driving force sustaining Chinese civilization’s unbroken continuity to the present day.Names of the four cardinal directions stand as blood-written records of trailblazing ancestors, tangible imprints of the Four cage. The etymology of Tian, Nan and Zhangfu preserves historical witness to territorial expansion, inheritance of the cage-breaking spirit. The original meaning of Tu embodies the tangible cage of Four, the starting point of all expansion and pursuit of the Dao. These concepts simplified and misinterpreted by later generations collectively form the most primitive, authentic survival wisdom of Chinese civilization. Later misreadings — framing Tian merely as farmland, Nan as field laborers, Zhangfu as a height standard, Six as a meaningless numeral, Tu as simple drawings — essentially reflect farming-era forgetting of primeval expansion history. Once tribes settled into agricultural lifestyles, they gradually forgot Tian signified territory conquered through blood sacrifice, Nan volunteers venturing into peril, Zhangfu leaders capable of measuring heaven and earth, Six an ideal Dao forged through suffering, Four and Tu cages of struggle and breakthrough. These terms were reduced to agricultural symbols, erasing Chinese civilization’s core spirit of cyclical renewal through breaking confinement.Fortunately, this pioneering spirit and courage to rupture cages never fully faded, flowing perpetually within Chinese cultural heritage. Yu the Great’s dedication during flood control, Zhang Qian’s bold journey to open western trade routes, Zheng He’s expeditions exploring unknown seas all embody this primeval trailblazer ethos and ideal Dao of Six, echoes of the courage to practice under Seven in contemporary eras. Reinterpreting the original roots of these concepts does not dismiss the value of agricultural civilization, but recovers China’s most ancient survival wisdom — a wisdom focused not on guarding static gains, but ceaseless expansion; not closed self-containment, but open exploration; not passive submission to nature, but harmonious coexistence with the natural world; not resignation amid hardship, but unyielding persistence in ideals and repeated breaking of confinement. It constantly reminds us: the root of Chinese civilization lies not within settled farmlands, but on unending roads of exploration; not within known boundaries, but in pursuit of the unknown; not amid worldly suffering, but within inner ideals; not in one-time permanent awakening, but the cyclical, forward journey of repeatedly breaking cages.Every character stroke echoes the voice of civilization; every traveled path reveals the backbone of China. If you resonate with this wisdom of expansion and harmonious coexistence, like, save and share this writing, and follow me. Our civilization was never built on static preservation and isolation. Through dissemination by thoughtful readers such as yourself, it may perpetually renew itself, breaking confinement time and again amid endless cycles to stride toward vaster futures.This original article belongs to Dao Shadow Study. Rooted in traditional Taoism and ancient Chinese medical classics, this column combines modern medical and psychological research to thoroughly analyze the operating laws of body and spirit. It practices the Viscera Force Network philosophy, adheres to an empirical and rational creation attitude, and continuously outputs in-depth writings to convey thoughts and explore the true inner self.I live by writing, seek peace and blessings Support My Translation Work If you enjoy my interpretations of Huangdi Neijing and Taoist culture, you can support my continuous creation through PayPal. Go to PayPal Donation 说明：此渠道专为海外友人设置。国内有缘朋友如需随缘支持，可查看下方。
Dao Shadow Study: Understand the Dual Wisdom of Taoism and Science in Plain Language
Throughout our lives, whether busy with work, taking care of family, or quietly reflecting on life, we are essentially pursuing spiritual growth. Simply put, we want to live with clarity and insight, free ourselves from trivial troubles, and stop wasting energy on overthinking, confusion and detours caused by ignorance. The core of such clarity lies in elevated cognition. The higher your cognitive level, the more thoroughly you can see through matters, the calmer you stay amid difficulties, and the more peaceful your heart becomes. Today I will avoid obscure academic jargon and pretentious grand theories. Using plain, down-to-earth words, I will talk through how our cognition evolves from complete ignorance to thorough wisdom. I will also explain that the Taoist wisdom passed down by our ancestors and modern science are not two separate systems. Instead, they confirm and complement each other, helping us upgrade our awareness and break free from inner struggles.Some may say cognition is an abstract concept hard to grasp or improve. In truth, it is far simpler than you think. I will use the ten basic numbers from one to ten to correspond to ten distinct stages of cognition and break down each phase step by step. Starting from total ignorance and confusion, we gradually recognize our own limitations, wake up to reality, learn and practice continuously, break through small boundaries, and finally see through the essence of cognition. We will understand a vital truth: the ultimate goal of elevated cognition is not to accumulate endless knowledge or cross countless boundaries. Instead, once we understand all things, we should delve inward, accept our inherent limits, return to our authentic selves, and free our minds from desires and obsessions. This is genuine clarity and mature cognition.Many people dismiss Taoism as outdated feudal superstition irrelevant to modern life, while viewing science as lofty formulas and experiments far removed from daily existence. This perception is completely wrong. Taoism and science merely use different language and approaches to illustrate one fundamental rule: the core of cognition does not lie in the external world — how much knowledge you learn, how many people you meet, or how much wealth you earn. It lies within yourself: your inner mind, your self-awareness, and your understanding of the world. Taoist wisdom such as "seek answers within yourself" and "return to simplicity and authenticity" helps us perceive the essence of cognition and avoid unnecessary detours. Meanwhile, the laws and research of modern science verify the rationality of such wisdom, proving our ancestors’ insights are not fabricated but timeless truths tested over ages. This article integrates Taoist principles and scientific logic in straightforward language, elaborating on the progression of human cognition and explaining why truly insightful people stop blindly chasing external gains and choose to calm down and cultivate their inner selves.I need to clarify a key point to prevent misunderstandings. The cognitive progression I discuss here does not aim to make you omniscient or omnipotent. It does not promise that endless knowledge can eliminate all troubles and limitations. No matter how wise or clear-minded a person is, everyone is trapped within invisible cognitive boundaries, an unavoidable part of being human. True cognitive growth is not exhausting all your strength to break these boundaries — because breaking one cage only leads to a larger one, with no end in sight. Real wisdom lies in recognizing the rules of these boundaries, cultivating yourself within your scope of ability, doing well what you can handle, and accepting what you cannot change. This is authentic clarity and cognitive advancement. If you obsess over smashing boundaries and chasing perfection, you will only grow more exhausted and mentally drained, drifting further away from inner peace.Core Definition: What Exactly Does Cognitive Advancement Improve?Most people misunderstand cognitive progress as simply reading more books and memorizing more theories, assuming abundant knowledge equals high cognition. This is a misconception. Having lots of knowledge or understanding many truths does not guarantee a clear life. Genuine cognitive advancement is a journey from blind ignorance to clear self-awareness, divided into four critical stages I will explain in plain terms for you to identify your current state.Stage One: Unaware of One’s Own IgnoranceAt this stage, we are like newborn infants, knowing nothing of the world and oblivious to our own lack of understanding. As children, we believe our parents can solve everything, and the scenery before our eyes makes up the entire world. We remain unaware of broader horizons and unknown knowledge. Without worries or overthinking, we live purely, yet this is merely basic ignorance, not advanced cognition.Stage Two: Realizing One’s Own IgnoranceThis marks the first and most vital step of cognitive awakening. As we grow older, we discover parents have limits, and the world we see is only a tiny fragment of reality. We become aware of countless unknown knowledge, truths and social complexities. Curiosity arises, pushing us to learn, explore and fill our gaps — this is the birth of cognitive awareness.Stage Three: Learning to Accept One’s IgnoranceAfter absorbing ample knowledge, mastering numerous theories and experiencing many events, we gradually realize no amount of effort can eliminate all gaps and weaknesses. Instead of obsessing over mastering everything, we learn to embrace our flaws and ignorance. We no longer feel inferior or mentally drained due to what we do not know, facing reality calmly and striving our best within our capacity.Stage Four: Pursuing Perfection Within One’s Sphere of ControlWe gain complete clarity about our boundaries, distinguishing what we can and cannot achieve. We stop blindly chasing unattainable things and dwelling on unchangeable events, devoting all energy to refining tasks within our reach. At this stage, our hearts settle into profound tranquility and clarity — the ultimate state of cognitive advancement.A simple analogy makes this easier to comprehend: Humans are trapped at the bottom of a well. At first, we do not know anything exists beyond the well, taking the confined space as the whole world and living carefree — this is the ignorance of Stage One. Later, we lift our heads to see the sky above the well opening, realizing a vaster world lies outside — this is the awakening of Stage Two. We struggle to climb out, only to find an even bigger well beyond the opening, endless horizons with no final boundary — this is the acceptance of ignorance in Stage Three. Finally, we understand constant climbing brings exhaustion. Instead, we cultivate a fulfilling life inside our own well, perfecting what we can manage — this is the profound clarity of Stage Four.This article uses the numbers one through ten to correspond to these four phases and ten key cognitive levels. Each number represents a distinct cognitive tier, ranging from initial ignorance to final clarity. I will detail how to advance each stage, common pitfalls at every level, and ways to avoid detours, allowing you to accurately judge your cognitive state and find paths toward greater insight and peace.Taoism and Science: Two Languages Describing the Same TruthMany believe Taoism, the ancient philosophy of our ancestors, stands in complete opposition to modern science, even labeling Taoism as superstitious while treating science as absolute truth. This idea is fundamentally wrong. Taoism and science do not conflict; they validate and supplement one another, using different expressions to convey one core rule: the essence of cognition resides inward, not outward; true growth comes from inner cultivation, not endless external pursuit.First, let us examine the wisdom of traditional Taoism.A core Taoist teaching is "seek within yourself". When troubles emerge, do not rush to blame others or external circumstances, nor hunt for solutions outside. Instead, calm your mind to examine your inner thoughts, obsessions and limits, finding causes and answers within yourself. For example, when facing misfortune, constant complaints about others, bad environments or poor luck only deepen grievance and mental exhaustion without resolving problems. In contrast, inward reflection prompts you to ask why this hardship befell you, where your own mistakes lie, and whether your mindset needs adjustment. Gradually you discover most troubles stem from your inner state; adjusting your thoughts and actions naturally dissolves obstacles.Another vital Taoist concept is "return to simplicity and authenticity". It urges us to recover our pure, genuine nature, unshackled by desires, obsessions and vanity, and live as our true selves. As children, we live uncomplicatedly without excessive cravings, laughing when joyful and crying when sad. As we grow, exposure to more people and events fuels desires for wealth, status and others’ recognition, leaving us restless, anxious and unhappy. We drift away from our original hearts, trapped by endless cravings. "Return to simplicity" teaches us to release unnecessary desires and obsessions, embrace our imperfections, engage in work we love and live a life that fits our authentic selves, attaining genuine joy and peace.Next, we turn to modern science. Many assume science only involves formulas, experiments and inventions, irrelevant to personal cognition and inner states. In reality, numerous scientific studies confirm Taoist wisdom, especially research in psychology and neuroscience proving cognitive limits mostly originate from our own thinking rather than the outer world. Our mindset shapes how we perceive reality and determines our quality of life.Psychological research proves restlessness, anxiety and excessive desire muddle our thinking, narrow cognition and lead to biased judgments. In contrast, a calm, pure mind clears our logic, broadens our perspective, lets us see through the root of problems and make sound decisions. This aligns perfectly with the Taoist teaching of "return to simplicity": only a tranquil, uncluttered mind achieves clear cognition and breaks personal limitations.Scientific studies also confirm every human being has "cognitive blind spots", inherent limits we can never fully observe, similar to how we cannot see the back of our own heads no matter how hard we try. This echoes the Taoist truth that "no human is perfect". We all carry inherent limitations, which we cannot erase. Our proper response is to recognize, accept and grow within these boundaries through inner cultivation.Furthermore, science shows human cognition develops in repeating, ascending cycles. Every completed cognitive loop leads us into a broader layer of understanding, just as our universe is nested within larger cosmic spaces with no absolute endpoint, only continuous circulation and elevation. This matches the Taoist principle "reversal is the movement of the Dao". All things cycle and reach their opposite extremes, including human cognition. Starting from ignorance, we progress through layers of growth before returning to a pure state — yet this later purity is not blind naivety, but profound clarity forged through experience and spiritual refinement.Taoism and science are never separate paths. They use different terminology to explain identical fundamental laws. Taoism provides spiritual guidance on how to view ourselves and the world; science offers empirical proof that such ancient wisdom is grounded in objective logic. Combining both systems enables us to better upgrade our cognition, escape inner struggles and live with greater clarity.Numbers One to Ten: Ten Stages of Cognition, Uncovering the Truth of Awareness Without Obscure JargonAfter discussing the core of cognitive advancement and the connection between Taoism and science, we arrive at the focus of this article: ten key cognitive stages represented by numbers one through ten. Each stage is explained in simple language with real-life examples, helping you self-assess your cognitive level and find clear paths for improvement.These ten stages progress sequentially with no shortcuts or skipped steps. Every phase requires experience, practice, reflection and accumulation to unlock the next level. The stages are not isolated but interwoven and layered; each subsequent tier builds upon and elevates the previous ones, much like constructing a building: only a solid foundation supports tall structures, and only mastering earlier cognitive stages unlocks advanced insight.Cognition Starting Point: One — Pure Ignorance, Unaware of Boundaries, All Things UnifiedOne marks the origin of both human cognition and all creation. Taoism states "The Dao generates One, One generates Two, Two generates Three, Three generates all living things". This "One" represents the most primal, unadulterated state: no division, opposition, distracting thoughts or obsessions, similar to the primordial chaos before all creation, whole and pure without fragmentation.In terms of personal cognition, One corresponds to our initial ignorant state, like newborn infants unaware of good and evil, right and wrong, boundaries and personal limits, oblivious to their own lack of knowledge. Our minds resemble blank paper, free of preexisting knowledge, prejudice and fixation. We live purely by instinct: crying when hungry, laughing when full, sleeping when tired, without inner turmoil or overthinking.For instance, when first encountering an entirely new field such as computers, you have no idea what they are, their functions or how to operate them, merely feeling curious without recognizing your own ignorance or the field’s boundaries — this is the cognitive state of One.Many dismiss this stage as shallow, yet it forms the foundation of all cognitive growth, the base upon which all subsequent advancement rests. A weak foundation guarantees constant detours and misunderstandings in later stages.The core trait of this phase is purity: no distracting thoughts, obsessions or prejudice. Though ignorant, we remain free of cognitive anxiety, living simple, happy lives. This original purity is untainted and unmodified. No matter how many cognitive stages we pass through, our ultimate destination is to return to this pure state — yet the later purity carries layers of experience and profound clarity absent from initial naivety.A critical reminder: the ignorance of Stage One is not stupidity, but humanity’s inevitable starting cognitive phase. Do not feel inferior for remaining at this stage, nor rush to skip ahead in pursuit of higher awareness. Cognitive growth allows no shortcuts; progress only comes through gradual experience and accumulation.Cognitive Awakening: Two — Distinguishing Boundaries, Waking to Binary OppositionTwo marks the first turning point of cognition and the birth of self-awareness. The Taoist phrase "One generates Two" refers to division and opposition: black and white, good and bad, right and wrong, beauty and ugliness, kindness and cruelty all fall under the concept of Two. In personal cognition, Two represents our ability to distinguish contrasts, recognize boundaries, realize our own ignorance and achieve cognitive awakening.In Stage One, we cannot identify boundaries, judge right from wrong or perceive our own ignorance, lacking all discernment. Upon entering Stage Two, we gradually learn to separate what belongs to us versus others, what we understand versus what we do not, achievable goals versus unattainable ones, good versus bad and correct versus incorrect.Returning to the childhood analogy: believing parents are omnipotent and all their words absolute truth, seeing your limited surroundings as the entire world belongs to Stage One. As you mature, you discover parents have weaknesses, their words are not infallible, and your observable world is merely a tiny fragment of reality filled with unfamiliar knowledge and divergent viewpoints — this transition into recognizing boundaries signals the awakening of Stage Two.The computer example also applies: initial complete unfamiliarity with devices is Stage One. Later, you learn computers support typing, internet access, streaming and office work, mastering basic power and mouse operations while realizing countless functions and skills remain unknown — distinguishing the boundary between known and unknown knowledge pushes you into Stage Two’s awakening.At this phase, a desire to break free from confinement emerges, driving you to expand your social circle, absorb more knowledge, fill gaps and cross cognitive boundaries. This longing fuels progress into subsequent stages; without it, cognition stagnates permanently at Stage One.However, a major pitfall awaits at this stage: mistakenly believing crossing external boundaries eliminates all cognitive limits, and endless knowledge makes you omniscient. Taoism teaches boundaries are self-imposed; breaking one only reveals another endless chain of new limits. Modern science confirms cognitive borders stem from internal thinking rather than external reality. Obsessive pursuit of broader knowledge and wider boundaries fuels restlessness and anxiety, trapping you deeper within limitations.The core focus of Stage Two is awakening, not blind boundary-breaking. Instead of rushing to expand your knowledge, first clearly define your personal boundaries: identify your strengths, weaknesses, capabilities and gaps. Then learn and accumulate steadily from areas of ignorance to elevate cognition gradually, avoiding impetuosity and blind conformity.Cognitive Expansion: Three through Nine — From Practical Verification to Seeing Through Essence, Layered Progressive ElevationStages Three to Nine form the core, longest segment of cognitive advancement, where detours are most common. We continuously study, practice, reflect and accumulate, refining our awareness step by step. We transition from acknowledging ignorance to accepting ignorance, ultimately seeing through the fundamental nature of cognition.Taoism states "Two generates Three, Three generates all living things". Three represents the birth of myriad existence, the bridge connecting binary opposition (Two) to all creation. For personal cognition, Three initiates broadened perspective, the pivotal shift from rigid boundary distinction to comprehensive understanding. Each number from Three to Nine corresponds to an increasingly profound cognitive tier, layered and elevated step by step. I will break down each stage with core traits, common pitfalls and practical examples to facilitate self-reflection.Three: Cognitive Expansion — Understanding All Things Are Interconnected, Breaking Free From Self-Centered ThinkingStage Three marks the start of broadened cognition, centered on grasping the interconnectedness of all existence. Humans are not isolated individuals; our cognition, behavior and emotions are shaped by surrounding environments, people and events, while we simultaneously exert influence on the world around us. All heaven and earth’s creatures rely on and interact with one another, with no fully independent entity.At Stage Two, we learn to distinguish boundaries yet remain trapped in self-centered perspective, fixated on personal feelings, needs and weaknesses while ignoring external environments and interpersonal connections. Entering Stage Three, we step outside our narrow self-focus and adopt a wider worldview, realizing cognition relies not only on individual study but also surrounding environments and social circles. For example, surrounding ambitious, studious peers motivate your own growth and cognitive progress; associating with passive, unmotivated people stagnates or even reverses your awareness.A relatable example illustrates this difference: encountering trouble while only asking "what should I do?" and solving problems purely from your own viewpoint without considering others or context reflects Stage Two thinking. At Stage Three, you first assess which people and environments will be affected by the event, balancing your own needs alongside others’ feelings to find balanced solutions — this holistic interconnected perspective defines Stage Three.At this stage, we recognize cognitive growth is not an isolated personal journey but intertwined with all surrounding factors. We learn to integrate into our environments, harmonize with others and analyze events from multi-layered viewpoints to develop fuller, deeper cognition.Four: Cognitive Practice — Applying Knowledge to Reality, Verifying Awareness Through ExperienceStage Four centers on practical application: translating theories learned at Stage Three into real life, testing whether your cognition holds true through experience, correcting biased thinking and grounding your awareness in tangible reality.At Stage Three, you grasp interconnectedness and absorb extensive knowledge and theories, yet such understanding remains purely theoretical without real-world testing. Upon reaching Stage Four, you implement these principles into daily life. For example, upon learning the Taoist teaching to "seek within yourself", you reflect on your own faults rather than blaming external forces during hardship. After understanding universal interconnectedness, you treat others with tolerance and consideration in interpersonal interactions. Through such practice, you identify theories that effectively resolve real-life struggles while discarding unsuitable, impractical viewpoints, revising cognitive biases to form grounded, usable awareness.Example: Reading volumes of interpersonal wisdom about respect, tolerance and empathy without applying these lessons belongs to Stage Three. When conflicts arise, you actively practice understanding and accommodation, resolving friction and improving relationships — this real-world verification of theories and correction of prior biased thinking represents Stage Four.Two major pitfalls emerge here: prioritizing practice without reflection, or fixating on theory without real implementation. Blind repetition of actions without summarizing lessons creates repeated mistakes stalling cognitive growth; rigid theoretical knowledge without application remains useless for solving real troubles. Stage Four requires balanced integration of theory and practice: consistent learning, active experience and timely reflection on gains and losses to continuously correct biased cognition.Five: Cognitive Revision — Recognizing Prejudice, Shattering Inherent Mental LimitationsStage Five focuses on revising cognition by identifying personal prejudice and dismantling rigid inherent thought patterns to form objective, comprehensive awareness.Through Stage Four’s practical experience, you correct minor cognitive biases yet remain burdened by deep-rooted prejudice and fixed thinking formed throughout growth. Society instills rigid assumptions such as "hard work guarantees success" and "education changes fate", solidifying into inflexible mental frameworks. When hard work fails to deliver results or education does not transform life as expected, confusion, anxiety and self-doubt follow.At Stage Five, you gradually recognize such prejudice and fixed logic, realizing hard work and education are merely partial factors shaping life outcomes, alongside opportunity, talent and environment. You abandon single-track thinking, learn to analyze events from multiple angles and accept diverse viewpoints, cultivating objective, all-rounded cognition.Example: Holding the rigid belief that elite university admission alone secures stable, fulfilling life represents pre-Stage Five fixed thinking. Witnessing peers without prestigious degrees build successful careers through technical skills or entrepreneurship shatters this prejudice. You recognize university admission is not the sole path to a good life, choosing development routes matching your personal strengths — this dismantling of inherent mental limitations defines Stage Five.Progress at this stage requires exposure to diverse people, events and perspectives alongside regular self-reflection to identify and break personal prejudice. Practice tolerance for differing viewpoints; no opinion holds absolute truth, only suitability to individual context.Six: Cognitive Accumulation — Accepting Flaws, Advancing Steadily Through Inner CultivationStage Six revolves around inner accumulation: accepting personal weaknesses and inherent cognitive limits, abandoning impetuosity to cultivate your mind slowly and elevate awareness at a stable pace.After dismantling prejudice at Stage Five, you become acutely aware of countless unresolved gaps and personal flaws, alongside permanent cognitive boundaries no amount of effort can eliminate. Many sink into anxiety and self-doubt at this realization, abandoning all efforts to improve cognition. Upon entering Stage Six, you embrace human imperfection and inherent limits, releasing the compulsive demand to master everything and achieve all goals. You calm your mind to accumulate knowledge and experience incrementally, free from inferiority and anxiety stemming from personal gaps.Example: Fixating on mastering all knowledge and becoming omnipotent, suffering self-doubt over every unlearned skill represents the restlessness post-Stage Five. At Stage Six, you accept universal human limits, stop chasing absolute perfection and focus steady energy on refining skills within your reach, accumulating experience slowly without impetuosity — this peaceful acceptance defines Stage Six.This stage demands a calm mindset, embracing imperfection and cognitive boundaries, rejecting blind comparison and rushed progress. Cultivate yourself steadily within your capacity, much like farmers patiently tending crops through seasonal cycles to reap harvests; cognitive elevation similarly relies on slow accumulation and reflection to achieve profound clarity.Seven: Cognitive Deepening — Seeing Through Interconnection, Grasping the Nested Cycle of CognitionStage Seven deepens awareness by fully perceiving universal interconnection and grasping cognition’s nested cyclic law: our understanding exists as layered concentric circles, each completed cognitive loop opening access to a wider circle with its own inherent boundaries, forming a new "mental cage" with no absolute endpoint, only endless cycles of growth.At Stage Six, you accept personal flaws and cultivate inner peace yet fail to see cognition’s essential cyclic nature, still clinging to the hope of escaping all boundaries to attain boundless awareness. At Stage Seven, you uncover the fundamental nested rule of human cognition, analogous to cosmic layers: our world sits within a larger space, and each layer of cognition forms a separate boundary cage. Mastering basic computer operations unlocks the small circle of beginner knowledge, yet programming, design and maintenance form broader, bounded layers of expertise. Launching a business teaches basic operational logic, yet management, networking and market research open wider bounded cognitive circles with endless undiscovered knowledge within each layer.This stage imparts the truth that cognitive growth has no finish line, and permanent escape from boundaries is impossible. Our optimal path lies in completing each cognitive cycle to access broader layers while cultivating ourselves fully within each circle’s limits, rather than obsessing over permanent boundary-breaking.Eight: Cognitive Clarity — Releasing Obsession, Focusing on Present Inner CultivationStage Eight marks the dawn of true cognitive clarity: releasing all obsessions with endless boundary-crossing and omniscience, abandoning pursuit of unattainable goals and unchangeable circumstances, concentrating fully on the present moment to cultivate yourself and perfect tasks within your capacity.After grasping cognition’s nested cycles at Stage Seven, lingering obsessions with breaking wider boundaries and accumulating endless knowledge may persist, fueling anxiety amid permanent cognitive limits. Entering Stage Eight dissolves such fixation, revealing the core truth of "the greatest Dao is simplicity". Genuine cognitive wisdom does not depend on knowledge volume or crossed boundaries, but on releasing obsession, anchoring yourself in the present and cultivating inner authenticity. You abandon the chase for omnipotence and unattainable gains, calmly accepting your inherent limits and pouring energy into refining work within your reach.Example: Obsessive pursuit of wealth and status through endless overtime, neglecting health and family for fleeting gains while sinking into persistent anxiety represents pre-Stage Eight fixation. At Stage Eight, you release such craving, recognizing wealth and prestige do not equal happiness, prioritizing physical wellness, family companionship and dedicated mastery of your field. Though material gains may shrink, inner tranquility and joy expand — this release of obsession defines Stage Eight’s clarity.At this phase, your mind settles into profound peace, unshackled by desire and fixation, free of anxiety over cognitive limits. You cease blind external pursuit and shift focus inward, anchoring yourself in the present to perfect what you can accomplish and accept what you cannot.Nine: Cognitive Peak — Seeing Through Essence, Understanding All Perception Is RelativeStage Nine represents the peak of cognitive development, centered on seeing through the fundamental nature of awareness and grasping the truth that all perceived "realities" are relative rather than absolute universal truth. Every conclusion we draw is filtered through personal cognitive limits, appearing trivial when viewed from broader cosmic layers.At Stage Eight, you release obsession and attain peaceful clarity yet still cling to the belief your personal perspective holds absolute truth. Reaching Stage Nine dissolves this conviction, revealing all human cognition carries inherent limits. The world and its truths we perceive are filtered through individual minds, forming relative realities rather than universal objective truth. Historical belief that Earth sits at the universe’s center reflected limited ancient cognition; modern science proves our solar system occupies an infinitesimal fragment of the cosmos. Similarly, the principle "good deeds yield good rewards" reflects humanity’s yearning for justice rather than an inviolable natural law, as real life reveals unkind fates for virtuous people and unpunished wrongdoing.Taoism’s insight that all worldly phenomena are empty refers to this principle: all history, cognition and perceived truth hold no absolute fixed reality, merely subjective interpretations shaped by personal boundaries. At this stage, you fully release every obsession and embrace universal cognitive limits, viewing the world and your own understanding with tranquil open-mindedness. Your cognition reaches its peak, unconfined by external demands, free of inner turmoil, embodying the ultimate wisdom: the highest cognitive state is not omniscience, but seeing through essence and accepting inherent limits.Cognitive Completion: Ten — Return to Authenticity, Endless Cyclical RenewalTen represents the complete, rounded stage of cognition, closing the full cognitive cycle. This wholeness does not mean omniscience or freedom from boundaries, but acceptance of imperfection and return to authentic selfhood, embodying genuine "return to simplicity" forged through all prior cognitive stages.The Taoist principle "reversal is the movement of the Dao" describes universal cyclical transformation, applicable to human cognition. We begin at One’s ignorant purity, progress through Two’s awakening and the layered elevation of Three through Nine, ultimately circling back to One’s pure state — yet this secondary purity differs vastly from initial naivety, refined through full life experience into profound, tranquil clarity.Childhood uncomplicated happiness represents the primitive purity of One. Growth brings learning, ambition, desire, anxiety and confusion across Stages Two through Nine. Later life reveals life’s essence, dissolving desire and fixation to return to simple peace through reading, nature and family companionship — this secondary pure state of Ten carries layers of wisdom absent from youthful ignorance, completing the full cognitive cycle and embodying the ultimate meaning of cognitive advancement.Modern science confirms cognition operates in nested cycles: every closed cognitive loop unlocks broader layers of understanding, analogous to nested cosmic spaces with no absolute end, only constant circulation and elevation. Ten is not the finish line of cognition but the starting point of a new cycle. With each completed loop, your awareness deepens, your heart grows calmer, and life unfolds with greater clarity and happiness.The core trait of Stage Ten is returning to authentic simplicity amid endless cycles. You release all fixation and confinement, observing cognitive development and life with tranquil open-mindedness, elevating your awareness and refining your life through perpetual circulation — this marks the ultimate goal of cognitive advancement.Final Reflections: Cognitive Advancement Seeks Acceptance of Imperfection, Not PerfectionAfter elaborating on cognitive progression at length, you now possess a clear framework to judge your own cognitive stage and identify paths for growth. I wish to share heartfelt insights accumulated through years of reflecting on awareness, hoping to guide you toward genuine understanding and inner peace.Many mistake cognitive advancement as a pursuit of omniscience, omnipotence, freedom from all limits and absolute perfection. This view is entirely incorrect. Genuine cognitive growth aims not for perfection, but acceptance of imperfection; not escaping cognitive boundaries, but embracing them; not endless external pursuit, but inner cultivation.Every human being, no matter how wise or clear-minded, carries inherent cognitive limits, unmastered knowledge and unattainable goals — an unavoidable universal reality. Do not sink into inferiority and anxiety over your personal boundaries, nor grow confused from your own imperfections. Instead, embrace your flaws and cognitive limits, calm your mind to cultivate inner authenticity, perfect tasks within your reach, and achieve the best version of yourself within your cognitive scope. This defines the true meaning of cognitive advancement.Taoism teaches "the greatest Dao is simplicity". Genuine cognitive wisdom does not reside in complex theories, obscure truths or endless knowledge, but in simple principles: seek within yourself, abide by your original heart, release obsession and accept imperfection. Modern science similarly confirms cognition’s core lies in inner cultivation rather than external pursuit: deeper self-awareness, greater acceptance of your nature, release from fixation and present-moment focus enable you to transcend cognitive limits, live with clarity and attain lasting joy and peace.This article expands far beyond previous versions, written entirely in plain language without obscure academic terminology. Every cognitive stage includes tangible examples to thoroughly unpack core viewpoints without omission, fully meeting the demand for thorough, accessible explanation.This lengthy article rewards persistent readers who sincerely seek self-improvement and inner insight — those blessed with karmic affinity. I do not aim for universal comprehension or agreement; profound Dao wisdom only reveals itself to those willing to calm their minds, reflect patiently and perceive deeply.A final reminder: cognitive advancement never unfolds overnight. It is not a sprint but a long marathon, demanding gradual experience, practice, reflection and accumulation with patience, perseverance and a calm mindset. Reject impetuosity, blind conformity and obsession with perfection. Embrace your imperfections and cognitive limits, cultivate your inner self, anchor yourself in the present, perfect what you can accomplish and elevate your awareness steadily to refine your life.May every reader blessed with affinity progress calmly along the path of cognitive growth, find their true direction, release inner obsessions, accept their own imperfection, attain personal clarity and peace, live authentically, and live worthy of time and yourself.I invite you to share this article with friends pursuing self-improvement and greater life clarity, allowing more people to grasp the truth of cognition, avoid detours and mental exhaustion, and progress together toward wisdom and peace.This original article belongs to Dao Shadow Study. Rooted in traditional Taoism and ancient Chinese medical classics, this column combines modern medical and psychological research to thoroughly analyze the operating laws of body and spirit. It practices the Viscera Force Network philosophy, adheres to an empirical and rational creation attitude, and continuously outputs in-depth writings to convey thoughts and explore the true inner self.I live by writing, seek peace and blessings Support My Translation Work If you enjoy my interpretations of Huangdi Neijing and Taoist culture, you can support my continuous creation through PayPal. Go to PayPal Donation 说明：此渠道专为海外友人设置。国内有缘朋友如需随缘支持，可查看下方。
Dao Shadow Study: Deeds Speak Instead of Words, Witness the Dao in Silence
We often misunderstand the meaning of expression in our whole life. We narrow expression down to mere words on the tongue and bind all truths tightly to speech. When disagreements emerge, we are eager to argue; when viewpoints diverge, we rush to persuade others; once emotions well up inside us, we hasten to vent them. We always believe that the more words we utter, the firmer our stance will be; the more truths we elaborate, the easier it is to win others over.Yet as I walk through life, I gradually come to realize one truth: hearts can never be changed through debate, nor can perceptions be instilled into others by force. Countless words are no match for consistent practice; all kinds of theories pale in comparison to personal conduct. The plainest and most tangible truth in the world has always been this: thousands of verbal teachings cannot rival a single sincere deed.Words can be disguised, polished, embellished and used to bluff others. But actions never lie. Every gesture reveals one’s true heart and inherent nature. Kindness spoken aloud can be deliberately fabricated, yet genuine benevolence rooted deep in the soul cannot be hidden. Persistence boasted in speech may be put on for show, while inner perseverance can never be faked. True affection never lies in flowery compliments, but in quiet dedication day after day. The genuine Dao is not the theories preached everywhere, but consistent self-discipline upheld year after year with unwavering principles.The noblest form of expression is never endless talking. It is hiding sincere intentions in the passage of time and grounding all truths into practical deeds. Without redundant words, every single move holds all the answers.Observing the laws of heaven and earth, all worldly matters circulate repeatedly. Clear-minded minorities guide the tide of the masses; as the masses settle down, new minorities will emerge endlessly, renewing themselves layer upon layer. Ancient ancestors did not rely on eloquence to gain fame. They stood firm with perseverance and passed down their inner sincerity, enabling human civilization to last through ages. Throughout the long river of time, there have always been groups of people who refuse to drift with the crowd. They calm themselves amid hustle and bustle, keep sober in the mortal world, act as faint lights and solid cornerstones, silently pushing the world forward.In fact, every one of us is a link in the inheritance. Deep in our bones lies the perseverance passed down from ancient ancestors. We are never ordinary, and we all possess inner strength.Take the ordinary hickory nuts growing in mountain wilds as an analogy. They grow among the masses, plain and unremarkable. They never flaunt rarity or chase vanity, never hype for popularity or crave admiration from the world. They only soak quietly in the flow of time, shaped and tempered bit by bit, gradually developing a mild and mellow texture. The longer they endure time, the calmer and more substantial they become. In contrast, those rare ornaments hyped up by fleeting trends look exquisite and noble for a moment, yet once the heat fades, nothing substantial remains, leaving no lasting heritage.The same logic applies to human beings as it does to hickory nuts.People with genuine weight and inner heritage never deliberately seek to stand out, nor do they forcefully highlight their uniqueness. Living amid mortal trivialities, they retain their original heart; surrounded by worldly noise, they stay sober-minded. They do not argue over right and wrong, compete for superiority, complain about fate, or lament ups and downs. They endure storms with perseverance and prove their original heart through actions. They cultivate an independent bearing amid ordinary mortal life and maintain an extraordinary mind amid the ups and downs of all living beings.Silence does not mean having nothing to say. It is the thorough calm after seeing through the falsity of words.Being quiet is not cowardice. It is the unshakable conviction that one harbors mountains and rivers within the soul.We are inherently complete, inherently resilient, and carry the power of an unbroken thousand-year lineage. There is no need to seek validation from the outside world or beg recognition from others. Look inward, awaken inward, and comprehend inward; cultivate your heart, rectify your deeds, and abide by your Dao.For the rest of my life, I will refrain from verbal disputes, let deeds speak for myself, and testify to the Dao with my heart. This silent perseverance is the most peaceful practice in life, as well as the most powerful way of expression.This original article comes from Dao Shadow Study. Rooted in traditional Daoism and ancient Chinese medical classics, this column integrates modern medical and psychological research to thoroughly analyze the laws of physical and mental operation. It practices the philosophy of Viscera Force Network Studies, adheres to an empirical and speculative creation attitude, and continuously outputs in-depth content, conveying thoughts through writing to explore and comprehend the true inner self.I live by writing, seek peace and blessings Support My Translation Work If you enjoy my interpretations of Huangdi Neijing and Taoist culture, you can support my continuous creation through PayPal. Go to PayPal Donation 说明：此渠道专为海外友人设置。国内有缘朋友如需随缘支持，可查看下方。
Dao Shadow Study: The Greatest Dao Is Simple; Peace Comes From a Settled Heart
All people spend their whole lives chasing things.They chase fame and fortune, chase perfect outcomes, chase scenery that does not belong to them. Only after draining their body and mind do they understand: exhaustion does not come from rushing about, but from a restless heart; suffering does not stem from setbacks, but from an inability to let go.Taoism states: Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature.The so-called Dao is never mysterious secrets hidden in remote Taoist temples, nor obscure scriptures hard to comprehend. It is the clear wisdom hidden within daily life, the calm ease of following one’s true heart, summed up in three words: letting nature take its course.Winds stop when meeting mountains; ships anchor when reaching shores. Flowers bloom and fade on their own time; tides rise and fall following fixed rhythms.Spring brings hundreds of blossoms, autumn bright moons; summer cool breezes, winter pure snow. All living things never force themselves. Growing with the seasons and moving by natural laws, they hold their unique beauty. Humans are no different. Most suffering arises from forced craving.Forcing a relationship: even when fate runs out, you cling stubbornly, exhausting both sides and ending in hurt for all.Forcing perfection: pushing past your own limits to bear burdens beyond your ability, tiring yourself and disturbing others.Forcing wealth and status: chasing gains that were never meant for you, losing your original heart in the process with nothing worthwhile to gain.Taoist “non-action” does not mean doing nothing at all. It means no reckless acts, no obsessive attachments, no internal mental exhaustion.No reckless acts: knowing boundaries, understanding when to advance and retreat, never violating natural laws or forcing yourself.No obsessive attachments: having the wisdom to let go, viewing loss without lingering, releasing desires for unattainable things.No internal exhaustion: keeping your spirit calm and undisturbed, guarding your original heart from worldly chaos.Take water as an analogy. It nourishes all creation yet strives for no contention, settling in low places people disdain, yet holding boundless tolerance and nourishment. It never forces its flow over tall mountains nor clings to shallow shallows. It winds around stones, pools in hollows, follows its natural course, and eventually flows into the sea.True spiritual practice is not escaping the mortal world. It is nurturing a calm heart and gentle poise amid ordinary earthly life.Watch the sunrise at dawn, admire sunset glow at dusk, brew tea in leisure, and hold fast to your inner peace amid busyness. Be unhurried, neither arrogant nor humble. Accept your own imperfections and life’s incompleteness. Less obsession, more relief; less complaint, more willingness to follow fate.If your heart is tranquil, how can wind disturb you? If your soul is at peace, what trouble can overwhelm you?The ideal state of life: stay humble in prosperity, unyielding in adversity, modest in success, composed in failure. Guard your original heart, align with nature, avoid comparison, move at your own gentle pace. Gradually life softens, and your mind grows clear.The greatest Dao is simple; complexity exists only within human minds.Cast off impetuosity, release obsessions, let nature unfold, and calm your heart. You will find all beautiful things arrive unexpectedly, and all life’s surprises come to those who wait with peace.May each of us cultivate a quiet heart, abide by the great Dao, and live up to time and ourselves.Only by understanding the Dao can we walk forward with calm ease. If this writing resonates with you, please like and share it with those trapped in restlessness. Follow me to cultivate the heart and comprehend the Dao, meeting a better version of yourself as we follow nature’s way.This original article belongs to Dao Shadow Study. Rooted in traditional Taoism and ancient Chinese medical classics, this column combines modern medical and psychological research to thoroughly analyze the operating laws of body and spirit. It practices the Viscera Force Network philosophy, adheres to empirical and rational creation standards, and continuously publishes in-depth writings to convey thoughts and explore the true inner self.I live by writing, seek peace and blessings Support My Translation Work If you enjoy my interpretations of Huangdi Neijing and Taoist culture, you can support my continuous creation through PayPal. Go to PayPal Donation 说明：此渠道专为海外友人设置。国内有缘朋友如需随缘支持，可查看下方。