Hanzhong Verses

HANZHONG VERSES

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The Daoist religion and philosophy focus on the dualism in nature and relates it to

manifestations in the universe. In essence, the teachings view the human person in multiple

selves that are distinct from each other yet necessary for a harmonious coexistence. Primarily, the

overarching theme in Daoism is its understanding of macrocosm and microcosm aspects of

existence because it is from such features that balance exists in life. Daoists aspire to live a life

without end, which makes them opt for meditation and drug use to find the perfect state that

makes life eternal; however, their efforts at attaining nirvana are continuously unsuccessful. In

that regard, the Hanzhong Verses manifest the views of the early Daoists on the human body,

particularly, on its relationship with the state and the cosmos.

Early Daoists perceived the body to be identical to the state although on different cosmic

levels. From this perspective, both existences are microcosms that are very much related to one

another just as they are intertwined with the universe. Firstly, the body has the sense of order that

a successful government enjoys. In fact, a country would not be effective without internal

stability in the same way that a body cannot work without the concordant operation of its inner

components. Moreover, the state and the person are both self-perpetuating existences that can

continue to exist forever if well run. Lastly, both the government and the person function

bureaucratically. Subsequently, the state has orderly systems to adhere to, and the body has the

internal mechanisms that make it work normally. Similarly, the poem makes a comparison

between the body and the state when it mentions that within a person’s self are lords and vassals.

This association directly correlates the body to the state; consequently, it manifests the Taoist’s

views on the body.

Besides, Daoism placed a lot of emphasis on the connection between the self and the

cosmos. From a simple point of view, the philosophy perceived the body as the custodian of

another world that resembled the external universe. Allegedly, Laozi, the founder of Daoism

transformed himself from a human body into cosmic matter and back into corporeal form

multiple times throughout his existence. In other myths, Laozi’s body is taken to be the universe

itself. For instance, his left eye was believed to be the sun, and his right eye the moon. Likewise,

the Hanzhong Verses maintain this understanding of macrocosms and microcosms. From the

onset, the poem seamlessly transitions from a description of the heavens to a portrayal of the

living space in a human person. In specific lines, the author compares qi in the cosmos with a

similar force in the body. For example, in lines 28 and 29, the words, “When the Perfected One

within your heart comes up to Heaven, In scarlet and yellow unlined robes, capped with a

Tripartite Crown” are directly tied to Daoists’ views of the human person. Consequently, the

nexus between the universe and the self is apparent.

In general, the Hanzhong Verses are compatible with the religious philosophies from

which they accrue. Daoism is a worldview that emphasized the balance between various elements

of the universe owing to a belief that it was all fashioned by the same person. For that reason, the

philosophy professed a similarity between the body and the state, the self and the cosmos, and the

existence of an interrelationship between various spirits of a person. In stating that the human

body is home to lords and their vassals, this poem conformed to its underlying spiritual guides. In

the same way, the verses showed a connection between the self and the cosmos; therefore, it

demonstrated the underlying philosophies of Taoism.

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