Volume Nine

Page Seventeen

The Primordial Energy of the Supreme Ultimate original: "Taiji" (太極); the source of all existence contains the Three Powers Heaven, Earth, and Humanity as a unified whole; this is the very source of how we participate in the cosmic order. The "Great Man" An enlightened ruler or sage attains this principle to uphold Ritual and Music, thereby making the patterns of Heaven and Earth manifest to all.

Three times three is nine, and nine times nine totaling 81, the numerical value assigned to the length of the foundational pitch pipe represents the Fundamental Tone original: "Gong" (宮) of the Yellow Bell original: "Huangzhong" (黃鍾); the first and most important musical pitch. Just as the numbers four and five represent the center, and six and seven represent the conclusion, the numbers eight and nine contain the minor primordial sounds. Is this not the same numerical principle found in the Sacred Diagrams? Referring to the "Hetu" and "Luoshu," ancient Chinese cosmological maps of numbers

The numbers one, six, three, and eight are positioned in the North and the East. Here, the Supreme Ultimate moves and generates Yang the active, bright, and masculine principle. Water is born from Wood; Knowledge is lofty and Benevolence allows the "ten thousand transformations" all living things to emerge. The energy of the Winter Solstice, along with the Yu and Jue musical notes, constitutes the Yang sounds. The positions from the Yellow Bell to the Mean Pipe are the Yang positions; they follow this same principle.

The numbers seven, four, and nine are positioned in the South and the West. Here, the Supreme Ultimate is still and generates Yin the receptive, dark, and feminine principle. Fire is subdued by Metal; Ritual is humble and Righteousness allows the ten thousand transformations to enter back into stillness. The energy of the Summer Solstice, along with the Zhi and Shang musical notes, constitutes the Yin sounds. The positions from the Luxuriant Guest to the Responding Bell are the Yin positions; they likewise follow this principle.

Now, if Music stops at the number nine and the standard pitches do not use the number ten, then is not the number five the very center of Heaven and Earth? The movement of Heaven emerges from the East above the ground—which we designate as North—and enters below the ground at the South Pole. Its visible image is the system of Pitch-pipes original: "Lülü" (律呂); by harmonizing them through sound, they "contain the three" powers of the universe.