Yin Fu Jing, whose full names are Huangdi Yin Fu Jing or Xuanyuan Huangdi Yin Fu Jing, is also called Huangdi Tianji Jing. It, together with Dao De Jing and Zhouyi Can Tong Qi, is known as "the three fundamental classics of Taoism". Yin Fu Jing has a total of more than 300 characters, and its author cannot be verified. It is said that Yin Fu Jing was discovered by Li Quan, a famous Taoist priest in the Tang Dynasty, on the rock wall of the Tiger Mouth Rock in Shaoshi, Songshan Mountain, Luoyang, Henan Province. After that, it spread in the world through copying.
According to Yin Fu Jing Shu, Li Quan's explanatory work on this classic, its content can be summarized into two parts: first, it talks about observing the objective laws of nature and its development and changes. The operation of natural instincts is the law of nature, and the human mind should conform to the law of nature; second, it clarifies the changes in the creation and destruction of heaven, earth, and humans. The energy of creation and destruction in humans should be synchronized with nature to grasp the opportunity for the success of things.
Then, the book expounds the formation of people's acquired natural endowments of cleverness and clumsiness, and the correct use of ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. It mainly follows the principle of the mutual generation of the five elements in nature to practice and cultivate oneself. In the preface of Yin Fu Jing Zhu written by Liu Yiming, a famous Taoist in the Qing Dynasty, it is recorded: Yin Fu Jing has more than 300 characters. Its words are profound, and its principles are subtle. It opens up the chaos, analyzes the primeval universe, interprets the secrets of creation, and expounds the profundity of nature and fate. It is the first true classic for cultivating the Tao since ancient times.
Lu Guimeng of the Tang Dynasty said that it was written by Huangdi. Chen Yuan of the Song Dynasty said that Huangdi received it from Guangchengzi. Zhu Xi also said that Huangdi wrote it. Shao Yaofu said that it was a book from the Warring States Period. Cheng Yichuan said that it was a book either at the end of the Shang Dynasty or the end of the Zhou Dynasty. There are various opinions, each stating what they know, but there is no definite conclusion. In my opinion, the world all passes it down as Huangdi Yin Fu Jing. Alchemical classics and Taoist books all say that Yin Fu Jing was written by Huangdi. Examining the writing, it originated from Huangdi and flourished in the Tang, Yu, Xia, and Shang dynasties. Maybe Huangdi wrote it and it was passed down orally without written records. Later, true immortals wrote it down and spread it in the world. This is also possible. Judging from the handed-down sayings and the records in alchemical classics, it is acceptable to say that Huangdi wrote it. However, this book has been passed down with errors for a long time, and there is no good version. There are many wrong characters and sentences. Some people, by virtue of the saying that the Old Lady of Lishan expounded Tao, Dharma, and techniques in a hundred words each, disrupt the sacred Tao and mislead others like the blind leading the blind; moreover, some people deceive the world and confuse the people by borrowing the annotations of Yi Yin, Lü Shang, Zhang Guo, Zifang, and Kongming. Such practices, which mix fish eyes with pearls and call a deer a horse, greatly distort the wonderful meaning of the true classic.
In the 44th year of Qianlong (1779), in the depth of Nantai, I took the annotated versions of various schools, corrected the characters and sentences, carefully considered, briefly explained a few words, stated the main idea, eliminated heresies and corrected deviations to break the malpractice of wild and confused words. Those who are wise can distinguish it by themselves.
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