Library

I have heard from former Confucian scholars say: "Heaven and Earth divide creation within the 'One'; Humanity establishes its principles upon the 'Mind'." Great is the Mind! It is likely the pivot of all affairs. Before a thousand or hundred generations, establishing the mind for Heaven and Earth, and securing life for the people, was this Mind. After a thousand or hundred generations, continuing the lost learning of past sages, and allowing successors to inherit the teacher's transmission, was also this Mind. This Mind, when applied to treating children, manifests as true compassion. As it is said, "Suddenly seeing a toddler about to fall into a well," everyone experiences alarm and compassion; these emotions all originate from this Mind.

Dai Kechen (courtesy name Yaodao) of the Song Dynasty, an Imperial Hanlin Scholar and Physician by Hereditary Office, was a grandmaster in treating children. He gained trust in his time and had a reputation in both the court and the folk. Passing the Mind through the Mind, only Liu Maoxian of Xigao Yuan (personal name Si, pseudonym Guchong Shansou) grasped its subtleties. The fifth-generation grandson of Liu Maoxian, with the courtesy name Zhifu (personal name Sidao), deeply inherited this essence. Extending what he had acquired, he applied it and achieved immediate effects, which could reveal his dedication. However, the learning of former sages was indeed transmitted via the Mind, but without books, the Mind of former sages could not be propagated. Moreover, since the Kaiqing era, their books have become scattered and disordered, and the mind-to-mind transmission of Dai and Liu has almost disappeared.

Born after these two masters, I did not share a tacit understanding of their Minds. In my early years, I served as a disciple to Zhifu, and for many years now, receiving face-to-face instruction and mind-to-mind transmission, I have comprehended much. Yet, considering that the medical texts of this lineage require resolution regarding prescriptions and theories, and as years pass, the volumes are incomplete, making them difficult to consult in emergencies. Alas! Those who have obtained the Mind, how dare they not investigate the Mind? Under a bright window with incense burning during the day, and by a short lamp listening to night rain, I compiled and edited their remaining writings. I deleted the redundant, supplemented the missing. If a book was not useful, I dared not record it; if a prescription was not effective, I dared not collect it. What remained was but one part in a thousand, seeking upwards the legacy of the sages before the Three Sovereigns, and downwards the dedication of Kechen and Maoxian. This is essentially the inherent principle within my own Mind, alongside seeking the discussions of contemporary renowned physicians, merely as an aid for treating children. Thus, I named this book *Huoyou Xinshu* (Heart Book for Saving Children).

When the book was completed, a guest challenged me saying: "Medicine is intention (Yi). One need only observe the form and feel the pulse, using intention to infer the will/pathology, and one has attained it. Why seek everything in books, and why name the book with 'Mind'?" I replied: "Not so. I do not intend to write for the sake of being different from others. I merely extend the pure heart transmitted through several generations of the Liu family, seeking to align with the original heart of the Dai family. Zhu Xi stated: 'Intention is the emission of the Mind.' Is what is described in the book not the flow and manifestation of the Mind?" The guest nodded and withdrew. Thus, this preface was written.

Recorded by Zeng Shirong, courtesy name Dexian, a junior scholar from Hengyang, on the Chrysanthemum Festival of the Jiawu year of the Zhiyuan era.