7. As we have said already, to understand heaven-and-earth we must follow heaven-and-earth as it is, without attributing our own ideas to it, there is no teacher to equal heaven-and-earth.

Nevertheless, heaven-and-earth does not speak, it must be reached through human thought, and among those who try to investigate it there are a thousand differences and ten thousand divisions, verbal disputes are endless. The best way is to apprehend it directly. Direct apprehension notwithstanding, minds are numerous, but heaven-and-earth is the one supreme. Even when people do reach an agreement amongst themselves, they agree because they speak from the same viewpoint.

Therefore I do not press my own doctrine upon people. A short time ago, someone came and told me that people were denouncing my theories, and I replied that there is nothing wrong with that. Right is infinite and wrong is infinite, and we wander between these infinities.

Although we may reflect wisely on heaven-and-earth, enquiring about the past and examining the present, if our findings should be confirmed by heaven-and-earth, our humble words would merely have done their work as nets and snares for catching fish and rabbits.
 

7.1 And I will say once again, because the human world is confined, we shall not derive a basis for extending our knowledge from other people. So to develop our understanding we must adopt the method of sympathy and the method of opposition.

Investigation of human affairs from a human viewpoint is using the principle that one takes an axe to make an axe: by our own joy we know the joy of another, and by our own sorrow we know another's sorrow. But when it comes to investigating things whose attributes we do not share, we cannot hope to understand water by knowing fire, or to understand birds by knowing fish.

So unless we use the method of seeing opposites, we shall never understand those attributes that we do not possess. And unless we use the method of seeing by sympathy, we shall never have compassion for others. On the meaning of "sympathy" (jo), we have the saying that one can only know the pain of others by pinching our own flesh, and this summarises numerous other interpretations of the ancients.
 

7.11 Although I have already spoken about the method of seeing by opposition, I would like to say a little more about it in relation to animals and plants. "Animal" is a general name for birds and beasts, "plants" is a general name for herbs and trees. Animals have consciousness, they are warm and moving. Plants have no consciousness, they are cold and do not move. Because animals have hollows inside, they take in food from an opening above, and because plants are solid inside they take in food from roots below. The roots of an animal are above and their extremities hang downwards, the roots of plants are below, their extremities point upwards. After the mating of male and female, the offspring of animals are born from an opening below; by means of flowers and seeds, the fruit of plants are attached to their upper extremities. Animals go around detached from the ground, plants stand firmly attached to the ground. The limbs of animals are definite in number and hang downwards, the branches of plants are indefinite in number and point upwards. Animals are warm while they are alive and are cold when they die, plants are warm when they wither and cold while they are alive.

Likewise when we come to rivers and mountains, the base of a mountain is intact, it is divided at the foot and high at the centre; a river is divided at the source, it flows together into one at its end and is deep in the centre.

When we come to day and night, by day we can see things on earth but cannot see the heavenly bodies, at night the heavenly bodies appear and we cannot see things on earth. Taking heavenly objects and earthly objects, heavenly objects are dry and float, and radiate light at night. Earthly objects are encircled in a belt of moisture and sink, and cause shadows to gather on the earth by day.

All things between heaven and earth are like this. Because they all have opposites, and the number of objects is inexhaustible, one cannot count the pairs of opposites.
 

7.12 If one does not use the method of opposition, one will not understand heaven and earth, if one does not use the method of sympathy, one will not understand other people.

Because we are already born human, even if our talents were to surpass any ever before, or our eyes were to penetrate heaven and earth, we could never cast off our humanity. We may study at times, or learn new skills, but we are still human. Therefore wherever we live, wherever we go, whether we are born respected as lords or masters, or born of low station as menservants or maidservants, because we are all merely human, we all belong in the realm of filial piety, loyalty, etiquette and honour.

If someone should depart from the Way of mankind to impair human affairs, all mankind would condemn him. Therefore there can be no Way greater than that which puts human beings at peace, and there is no skill superior to that which benefits mankind. In this way, from the person of highest station to the multitudes below, whatever their differences in rank, everyone learns the power of the liveliness of heaven, and values the objects it bestows. If we are dedicated to caring for the manifold of creation, could we disregard the great power of heaven and earth?

It is because each person from birth possesses one heaven-and-earth, each body stable with its own static form, and each spirit active with its own dynamic flux, that authority is established to govern the masses. However, even if the people are controlled and governed, if this power should be lost, the feelings of the people well up and that authority will be lost.

Because the dynamic flux of each mind and the static form of each body are two separate things in the same dwelling, if a thousand faces are the same, a thousand minds are the same, if a thousand faces are not the same, a thousand minds are not the same.

Therefore, although the Way of mankind is learning in the light of wisdom, we must always be aware of a thousand varieties and ten thousand differences in the human condition. The saying that famine causes people to lose their virtue expresses this.

Sometimes the people are disturbed, sometimes they are calm, sometimes they are merciful, sometimes they kill one another. Joy and sorrow, songs and tears, all these are the work of dynamic flux. If people are able to appreciate fully the function of dynamic flux, they will control themselves well, and treat others well, and may live long in peace under heaven and destiny.