The Yi Jing: A Daoist Glossary: L

YI JING OR ZICHOU
ONE INDIVIDUAL'S [ MIS - ] [ ? ] UNDERSTANDING
A Daoist Glossary: Letters L - M

A treatise on the Mean of the Middle School, founded by Nagarjuna and translated by Kumarajiva.

The upper magpie bridge ( Shang Ch'ueh Ch'iao ) is the nasal duct; the middle magpie bridge ( Chung Ch'ueh Ch'iao ) is the tongue; and the lower magpie bridge ( Hsia Ch'ueh Ch'iao ) is the anus.

Mahakasyapa

A Brahmin of Magadha, disciple of the Buddha, to whom was handed down the mind Dharma, outside of Scriptures; The First Patriarch of the Ch'an sect. Accredited with supervising the first compilation of the Buddha's sermons.

Maha-maudgayayana

Sanskrit:
Also called Maudgalaputra. He was one of the ten chief isciples of the Buddha, specially noted for his miraculous powers.

Mahaparinirvana Sutra

A sermon preached by the Buddha just before his nirvana.

Mahasattva

Sanskrit.
A perfect Bodhisattva, greater than any other being except a Buddha.

Mahasthama ( Mahasthamaprapta )

Sanskrit.
A Bodhisattva representing the Buddha wisdom of Amitabha. He is Amitabha's right with Avalokitesvara on the left. They are called the Three Holy Ones of the Western Paradise of Bliss.

Mahayana

Sanskrit:
The Great Vehicle which indicates universalism, or salvation for all, for all are Buddhas and will attain enlightenment.
CF: Himayana.

Maitreya

The Buddhist Messiah, or next Buddha, now in the Tusita heaven, who is to come 5 000 years after the nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha.

Maitri

Sanskrit.
Kindness, the first of the Four Immeasurables, that of bestowing happiness.

Male and female principle

The male ( Chien ) or positive and the female ( K'un ) or negative principle.

Manas

Faculty of thought. The sixth of the eight consciousness, or the last of the sixth means of perception.

Manjusri

A Bodhisattva who is the symbol of wisdom and is placed on the Buddha's left with Semantabhadra on the right. His Bodhimandala is on W'u T'ai Shan, or the Five Peaked Mountain of Chine.

Mantra

An incantation, spell, oath, mystical formulae employed in Yoga.
CF: Dharani.

Mara

Sanskrit:
A Demon.

Matangi

Name of a low-caste girl who seduced Ananda.

Ma Wang Dui

This is the site of a 1973 discovery of Daoist texts. THe tomb of the Marquis of Tai contained numerous Daoist manuscripts, including two versions of the Dao De Jing and what was then the oldest known version of the Yi Jing. The Marquis was buried in 168 BCE.

McClathie, The reverand Canon Thomas

First person to translate the Yi Jing into English. Published in 1876 in London and Shanghai. « ? - 1885 »

Mercury

A Daoist technical term meaning spirit.

Miao Men

Wade-Giles transliteration.
The aperture of Brahma on the top of the head.

Microcosmic Orbit ( Hsiao Chou Tien )

It begins at the base of the spine, called the first gate ( Wei Lu ) , rising in the backbone to the second gate between the kidneys ( Chia chi ) and then to the back of the head, called the third gate ( Yu ch'en ), before reaching the brain, to descend down the face, chest and abdomen to return to where it rose and so completes a full circuit.

Microcosmic Orbit, The Six phases of the ( Liu Hou )

Rising in the channel of control from the mortal gate A to D and G at the top of the head ( see figure 2 ) are the first, second and third portions in the ascent, and sinking in the channel of function from G to J and A which are the first, second and third positions in the descent.

Microcosmic orbit, The two phases of the ( Chin Yang Tui Yin )

Ascent of positive fire ( chin yang ) in the channel of control and descent of negative fire ( Tui tin ) in the channel of function.

Middle tan t'ien

See Tan t'ien.

Ming ch'iao

Wade-Giles transliteration.
CF: Cavity of life.

Ming Men

Wade-Giles transliteration.
Cf Cavity of Life.

Mo Ho Chih Kuan ( Maha-samatha-vipasyana )

A treatise by master Chih I, also called Chih Che, the Fourth Patriarch of the T'ien T'ai school.

Monkey heart and running horse of intellect

When one breathes in and out, one's concentration causes the generative force to rise and fall in the microcosmic orbit thus slowly turning the wheel of the law. By counting from one to ten and then from ten to one hundred breaths, with the mind following the counting to prevent it from wandering outside, the mind and the counting will be an unison; this is called locking up the monkey heart and tying up the running horse of intellect.

Moon

The right eye which stands for the negative yin. It also stands for the lower tan t'ien under the navel.

Mortal gate ( Sheng Szu Ch'iao )

The base of the penis by which generative fluid drains away.

Mrgadava park

Sanskrit:
A deer park north east of Varanasi, a favorite resort of the Buddha.

Mudita

Sanskrit:
Joy on seeing others delivered from suffering. The third of the Four Immeasurables.

Multiverse

Term used by Daoists to refer to the Universe. This term is used in preference to universe, as they believe that there are a multitude of universes, and that each one may have occasion to visit one, at some point or other,

Mysterious gate ( Hsuan Kuan )

The bright light which manifests when spirit is fully developed for the breakthrough, ie: the mysterious entrance to immortality.

Mysterious Pearl ( Hsuan chu )

The real generative force.
CF: Hsuan chu.

Naga

Sanskrit.
A Dragon.

Nagakanya

A Naga Maiden who, according to the Lotus Sutra, presented her precious gem to the Buddha who immediately accepted it in the presence of His disciples to bear witness of her realization of enlightenment with the speed of the gem passing from her hands to those of the World Honoured One.

Nagarjuna

The Fourteenth Patriarch of the Ch'an sect, he founded the Madhyamika or Middle School and is regarded as the First patriarch of the Tien T'ai School.

Nature, Essential

Man's real nature which is undying, the realization of which is the aim of Daoist Alchemy.

Nature, Ocean of essential ( hsin Hai )

Also celled tsu ch'iao or the original cavity of spirit between and behind the eyes.

Nature, True

Prenatal vitality in its cell ( Ch'i Pao ) on the top of the medulla oblongata.

Navasamjna

Sanskrit.
One of the meditations on filthiness, or the ninefold meditation on a dead body:

Its tumefaction<
Its blue mottled colour,
Its decay,
Its mess of blood, etc.,
Its rotten flesh and discharges,
Its being devoured by birds and beasts,
its dismembering,
Its white bones,
The cremation and return to dust.

Nayuta

Sanskrit.
A numeral, 100 000 or one million, or ten million.

Negative embracing the positive, The

CF: Positive embracing the negative and vice versa.

Nei Chiao Kou

Wade-Giles transliteration.
CF: Inner copulation.

Ni Wan

Wade-Giles transliteration.
Literally 'Ball of mud' ie: the brain or region of the brain. Frequently referred to as the original cavity of spirit between and behind the eyes, like the lower belly which is usually mentioned as the lower tan t'ien about one and half inches under the navel.

Nidana, The Twelve

Sanskrit.
The twelve causes or links in the chain of existence.

ignorance or unenlightenment,
action, activity, conception or disposition,
consciousness,
name and form,
the six sense organs,
contact or touch,
sensation or feeling,
desire or craving,
grasping,
being or existing,
birth,
old age and death.

Nine Sacred Mountain

These are the mountains that Chinese Folk Religion has considered to be sacred for millenia.

Daoist Mountains	Location
Heng Shan	Hunan province
Hengshan	Shanxi province
Hue Shan	Shaanxi Province
Song Shan	Henan Province
Tai Shan	Shandong province
Buddhist Mountains
Emei Shan	Sichuan province
Jie Hua Shan	An Hui province
Pu Tua Shan	Zhejiang province
Wu Tai Shan	Shanxi province

Nine Unsettled Breaths, The

by anger which lifts
by fear which lowers the breath
by joy which slows it down
by grief which disperses it
by terror which throws it out of gear
by thinking which ties it up
by toil which wastes it
by cold which collects it
by heat which scatters it

Nirmanakaya

Sanskrit.
Transformation body of a Buddha, that of power to transform himself at will into any form for the omnipresent salvation of those needing him. It is perceptible to men.

Nirvana

Sanskrit.
Complete extinction of individual existence, cessation of rebirth and entry into bliss.

Nisad

Sanskrit.
Going to the Source of the Phenomenal. name given by the Buddha to his disciple Upanisad, after the latter's attainment of arhatship.

Northern Sea

The lower tan t'ien cavity.
CF: Tan t'ien.

Nuclear Hexagram

Hexagram derived from making a trigram from lines 2, 3 and 4, and another trigram made from line 3, 4 and 5, and placing the later above the former. is used to indicate the innermost aspects of a given situation.

YI JING OR ZICHOU ONE INDIVIDUAL'S [ MIS - ] [ ? ] UNDERSTANDING A Daoist Glossary: Letters L - M

YI JING OR ZICHOU
ONE INDIVIDUAL'S [ MIS - ] [ ? ] UNDERSTANDING
A Daoist Glossary: Letters L - M