Sages & Saints Part XIV: 尹喜 Yin Xi – The Gatekeeper

-庄子•天下
Zhuang Zi •‘Under the Heavens’

Yin Xi [尹喜], style name Guan Yin Zi [关尹子] or Guan Ling Yin [关令尹], also known as Wen Shi [文始], was originally from Gan Xiprovince, Tian Shui prefecture. The following paragraph is an excerpt fromThe Comprehensive Mirror of True Immortals who Embodied the Dao of All Ages elucidating Yin Xi’s earlier life:

無上真人尹喜，字公文。初，母氏嘗晝寢，夢天下絳霄，流繞其身。及喜生時，家內陸地自生蓮花，光色鮮盛。眼有日精，姿形長雅，垂臂下膝，堂堂有天人之貌。少好學墳索，善於天文祕緯。仰觀俯察，莫不洞徹，雖鬼神無以匿其情。大度恢傑，不修俗禮。損身濟物，不求聞達。逸響遐宣，周康王時為大夫，後召為東宮賓友。結草為樓，仰觀乾象，精思至道，號為樓觀。

The Supreme Realized One Yin Xi, with the courtesy name Gong Wen. At the time of conception, when his mother once laid down during the daytime, in her dream purple-red clouds descended from the heavens, which flowed and surrounded her body. At the time when [Yin] Xi was born, on the dry soil within the home, a lotus flower blossomed, radiating in colours bright and magnificent. His eyes possessed the sun’s essences, his appearance and physique grew to be elegant, with his arms hanging to his knees, grand and majestic he possessed the appearance of a celestial being. When he was young he was fond of studying the ancient books by himself, and became adept in astronomy and divination. Looking up he observed [the sky], looking down he investigated [the topography], there was nothing which he did not understand penetratingly, even the ghosts and Spirits were unable to obscure their situations from him. He was magnanimous and truly outstanding, not caring about the observance of mundane customs and manners. When he injured his body for relieving [the plight] of other beings, he did not wish to be heard or known; nevertheless, his excellence resonated and spread far and wide. At the time of King Kang of Zhou, he served as a senior official, and later he became the crown prince’s guest and friend. There, he built a thatched tower, where he looked up to observe Qian, exquisitely contemplate the utmost Dao. The name [of the tower] was Lou Guan.

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Post-Scriptum: This article will be published in full as part of a book, entitled ‘Arts of Daoism’ about meditation, stillness cultivation, abstention from grains [bi gu辟谷], sleeping gong [shui gong睡功], dreams, vegetarianism and diet in Daoism, formulae for fasting and meditation incense, including several chapters from the alchemical classic The Essentials of the Shortcut to the Great Achievement [da cheng jie yao 大成捷要]. It will be a mixture of anecdotal and oral transmissions from my teacher Li Shi Fu and translations of a number of chapters from ancient texts. It is set to be released before Christmas 2020, and a first draft is already finalized.