《太上老君内观经》

The Supreme Lord Lao (Taishang Laojun) says: Heaven and Earth conjoin, Yin-Yang transforms and gives rise to life, and the myriad things are thereby produced. A person bears the karmic conditions of the past and receives a share of the numinous nature of the Dao (the Way); after father and mother unite, the person is born from this.

In the first month of pregnancy the embryo first forms, and Jing (essence) and blood congeal; in the second month the fetus gradually takes shape; in the third month the yang Shen (spirit) stirs and the three hun begin to move; in the fourth month the yin numina settle and the seven po begin to guard the bodily form; in the fifth month the Qi (vital energy) of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) is distributed among the five viscera, so that Shen has a place of repose; in the sixth month the Qi of the six pitches harmonizes the six bowels and nourishes the spiritual nature; in the seventh month the seven orifices gradually open and perception begins to sprout; in the eighth month the spirits of the Eight Effulgences gradually become complete and the true numen descends; in the ninth month the parts of the body form in succession and Jing and Qi are thereby settled; in the tenth month primordial Qi is full and the fetus is complete in every respect. The mother’s body nourishes the fetus with the Qi of primordial harmony, and gestation never ceases for a moment.

The Sovereign Lord of Great Unity (Taiyi Dijun, the deity who commands the host of spirits) dwells in the head and is called the Lord of the Muddy Pellet (Niwan). He governs all the spirits within the body and illumines and gives rise to the conscious spirit; the conscious spirit is a person’s hun. The Director of Destinies dwells in the heart and receives the primordial Qi of life. Wuying dwells on the left and presides over the three hun; Baiyuan dwells on the right and restrains the seven po. Taohai dwells at the navel and is the root in which Jing and Qi lie deeply stored. The spirits attend to every part of the body, and so spirits are present throughout. Primordial Qi enters through the nose and pours into the Muddy Pellet; therefore Shen is bright and clear and the bodily form is secure. A person’s movement, stillness, and daily conduct are all bound up with the heart. That life proceeds in this way has its own reasons. When I observe the body inwardly, every circumstance is clearly visible.

The heart bears the sense of governing and restraining; it is the master of the whole body. If the heart can restrain itself, form and Shen will not go astray. The heart is itself Shen. Its transformations are hard to fathom, and so it has no fixed shape. Thus it is said that each of the five viscera harbors one spirit: the hun in the liver, the po in the lungs, Jing in the kidneys, the will in the spleen, and Shen in the heart. Though these names differ, each is given according to the place where it resides.

The heart belongs to fire, and fire corresponds to the south and to the essence of the sun. In the heavens it corresponds to the Dazzling Deluder (Yinghuo, that is, Mars); in the human body it corresponds to the heart. The color of the heart is red, and its image is like a three-petaled lotus. Luminous spirit lodges within it, and for this reason it is so named. The heart’s Shen itself, however, has no fixed color, size, length, or shape. Its transformations are hard to fathom, and it harmonizes Yin-Yang: when vast it can embrace Heaven and Earth, and when minute it can enter the subtlest places. Properly restrained, the heart is upright; left to run wild, the heart grows frantic and disordered. In clarity and stillness, vitality appears; in turbidity and agitation, vitality declines and perishes. The heart can discern the four directions clearly, and it may also lose its way through darkness. If only one attains empty stillness and quiet, a state of life in accord with the Dao will continue of itself; if one long maintains Wuwei (non-action), the body too will be at peace and well.

The heart has no bodily form and is hard to define exactly by any name, yet a person’s calamity and blessing, good fortune and ill, are all bound up with the heart. The sages established rulers and ministers, rewards and punishments, offices and laws, in order to instruct the people, because the human heart is hard to tame, and the crux lies in the heart. If the heart is clear and still, disaster will not arise. That people cycle through birth and death and sink into evil paths is entirely the doing of the heart. Delusive thoughts, hatred and craving, and notions of taking and rejecting, coming and going, all cause a person to become stained and entangled, sinking ever deeper, unable to find release, and at last heading toward decline and ruin. It is like an ox or a horse dragging a heavy load into a mire: the farther it goes, the deeper it sinks, unable to free itself, until at last it dies trapped there. People are the same. At birth, spirit-consciousness is originally clear, still, and luminous; once there is a body, it is stained by the desires of the six senses—the eyes crave beautiful forms, the ears are lost in sound, the mouth covets fine flavors, the nose pursues fragrance, the mind turns with craving, and the body chases ease and lightness. From this one gradually sinks, yet cannot perceive it.

Out of compassion the sages established methods to instruct the people, so that one might observe oneself inwardly and make the heart pure, clear, and still.

Lord Lao says: Carefully contemplate your own body. It arises from emptiness; when causes and conditions meet, Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) gather and accumulate. In accordance with karmic force, one receives the consciousness of Shen (spirit) and is born; only when Yin and Yang unite does life come into being. The human body takes Heaven and Earth as its model, storing Yin Qi and bringing forth Yang Qi. The Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) move in interwoven succession so as to correspond to the four seasons. The eyes resemble the sun and moon, the hair the stars, the eyebrows a ceremonial canopy (the umbrella-like covering on an emperor’s carriage), and the head Kunlun (the sacred mountain of the ancients). Within the body, palaces and towers are arrayed, and Shen is lodged there. Among the myriad things, the human being is the most numinous. Human nature and life accord with the Dao (the Way), and therefore one ought to cherish one’s own person.

Contemplating the body from within, one finds that the human being alone is most noble. Yet if people do not treasure themselves and allow themselves to be stained at will by the dust of the world, they become turbid and impure, so that both physical form and Shen fall into disorder. Carefully observe external things and one’s own self: which is distant, and which is close? Only by guarding the Dao can one attain long life; only by practicing goodness can one preserve one’s true nature. Worldly people are foolish; they rush about all day, and their toil is merely in vain.

In the original text, the passage beginning with “and the sun and moon” appears twice; here the two occurrences are combined and interpreted according to the sense of the text.

Laojun (Lord Lao) said: The endowment received from the Dao (the Way) is called ming (life, 命); the innate nature formed by what is received from the One is called xing (nature, 性). The human mind’s capacity to respond to external things is called xin (the heart-mind, 心); what the heart-mind keeps in mind and thinks upon is called yi (intention, 意); the aim toward which intention tends is called zhi (the will, 志); knowing affairs so that nothing is unknown is called zhi (knowledge, 智); and wisdom that extends throughout the myriad things is called hui (insight, 慧).

The function that stirs into activity and manages the body is called hun (the ethereal soul, 魂); the function that settles into quiet and guards the physical form is called po (the corporeal soul, 魄). What moves among the sinews, bones, and muscles is xue (blood, 血); what upholds the spirit and nourishes Qi (vital energy)—the life-energy of which Daoism speaks—is Jing (essence). Qi that is clear and circulates swiftly is called rong (nutritive qi, 荣); Qi that is turbid and circulates slowly is called wei (defensive qi, 卫). What governs the whole body and its hundred bones is called shen (the body, 身); that in which every kind of appearance can be displayed is called xing (form, 形); what has tangible bulk and mutually obstructs is called zhi (substance, 质); what has a definite shape and can be observed and recognized is called ti (the embodied form, 体); and what is distinguished as larger or smaller is called qu (the bodily frame, 躯).

The unfathomable working of every kind of thought is called Shen (spirit); the remote, subtle working that can respond as affairs arise is called ling (numen, 灵). Qi entering the body is called sheng (life, 生); Shen leaving the body is called si (death, 死). That which allows life to be connected throughout is called the Dao.

The Dao seems to exist, yet it has no fixed form; it seems formless, yet it harbors a genuine function. Its transformations are hard to fathom, and it can link spirits and all living beings. In the human person the Dao manifests as spiritual illumination, which is precisely the “mind” spoken of here. Therefore, to teach people to cultivate the Dao is to cultivate the inner mind, and to teach people to cultivate the mind is likewise to cultivate the Dao.

The Dao cannot be seen directly; it must be revealed through life. Life cannot remain secure forever; it must be guarded by the Dao. If life perishes, the Dao can no longer appear within life; if the Dao cannot endure, life also loses its root. When life and the Dao are made one, one can live long without dying and, through feathered transformation, become an immortal. People cannot preserve life for long because they cannot turn inward and contemplate their own mind. If inner contemplation is kept up without ceasing, life and the Dao can long endure.

Lord Lao (Laojun) said: People fall into evil paths (undesirable destinations) and sink into turbidity and defilement because the six passions (six kinds of emotion and sensory craving) give rise to deluded thoughts, which in turn produce the six consciousnesses (six modes of cognition that discriminate external things). The six consciousnesses continually discriminate, accepting and rejecting, so that one is bound by love and hatred, rushing to and fro, clinging to defilement, sinking into affliction, and gradually drawing ever farther from the Great Dao (the Way). Therefore one should look inward and observe how the six consciousnesses give rise to the six desires (the desires aroused by the six consciousnesses).

From where does consciousness arise? Consciousness arises from desire. And from where does desire arise? Desire likewise arises from consciousness. When deluded thoughts are inverted, discriminating consciousness is produced. In truth, the Dao is originally spontaneous and Wuwei (non-action); it is originally empty and still, and originally without discriminating consciousness. Once discriminating consciousness arises, a person generates all kinds of mistaken views; and once mistaken views arise, every sort of affliction follows. Afflictions entangle layer upon layer, causing one to cycle through birth and death, until at last one forever loses the chance to accord with the Dao.

Lord Lao said: The Dao has neither birth nor death, but the bodily form does. What is called birth and death belongs to the form; it does not belong to the Dao. The form is born because it obtains the Dao; the form dies because it loses the Dao. If a person can preserve life and hold fast to the Great Dao, that person can endure for a long time and not perish.

Lord Lao said: If a person can constantly keep the inner mind pure and still, the Dao will of itself come to dwell within the body. When the Dao comes to dwell within the body, the shenming (Shen, the inner spirit and its luminous intelligence) can remain; when the shenming remains, life will not perish. People always seek to live, yet cannot make the mind empty and still; they always loathe death, yet cannot preserve the spirit. This is like wishing for honor without following the Dao, wishing for wealth without seeking treasure, wishing to walk quickly without taking a step, or wishing to grow plump without eating one’s fill.

Lord Lao said: The Dao can be gained only by realizing it within the mind, and the mind becomes clear and penetrating only by means of the Dao. When the mind is clear, the Dao descends; when the Dao descends, the mind becomes fully open.

Lord Lao (Laojun) said: The Dao (the Way) is realized through inner understanding, and the heart becomes clear because of the Dao. When the heart within is bright and pure, the Dao descends; when the Dao descends, the heart becomes open and unobstructed. The working of a person’s spiritual illumination (Shenming) is like a lamp giving light: light comes from the fire, and the fire is kindled from the wick; the wick is nourished by the oil, and the oil is held by the lamp. If any one of these is lacking, brightness cannot arise.

The way a person’s Shenming illuminates and examines things rests on a similar support: Shen (spirit) manifests by lodging in the heart; the heart exists by relying on the body; and the body is preserved by means of the Dao. If any link is missing, Shenming has nothing on which to depend. What is called “Shenming” means that the eyes can see, the ears can hear, the mind can know, and the inner heart can perceive, so that one can discern the principles of things and know even what is subtle. This is the clarifying discernment of Shen, and therefore it is called Shenming.

Lord Lao said: To empty the heart is to remove the fullness that packs it within; to have no heart is to rid oneself of thoughts that cling to “being”; to steady the heart is to keep it from wavering; to settle the heart is to keep it from being startled; to quiet the heart is to keep it from disorder; to rectify the heart is to keep it from bias and deviation; to clarify the heart is to keep it from turbidity; to purify the heart is to keep it from defilement. All of these take as their starting point conditions already present in the heart, so that the corresponding stray thoughts and attachments may be cleared away.

There are four states of the heart: a straight heart is not fickle and inconstant; a level heart has no partiality of high and low; a bright heart has no dim obscurity; a penetrating heart has no blockage. All of these are rooted in natural innate disposition. Only a few are listed roughly here; the rest may be understood from them.

Lord Lao said: To know the Dao is easy, yet to have faith in the Dao is hard; to have faith in the Dao is easy, yet to practice the Dao is hard; to practice the Dao is easy, yet truly to attain the Dao is hard; to attain the Dao is easy, yet to preserve the Dao for a long time is hard. Only when one can hold it without losing it may this be counted as constant and enduring.

Lord Lao said: The Dao cannot be passed on by words, nor can it be gained merely by listening to oral instruction. One should constantly keep the inner heart empty and still and Shen calm and settled; the Dao will then come of itself and dwell in the heart. Those who do not understand this, however, weary the body, bitterly exhaust the heart’s strength, drive the will, and disturb Shen, so that they grow ever farther from the Dao and Shen grows ever more weary and hard-pressed. To seek the Dao while turning away from the Dao—one must be careful in the choice one makes.

Lord Lao said: The great Dao (the Way) is valued for its enduring continuity. One must nurture the spirit and secure the root, so that Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy)—the vital essences of life spoken of in Daoism—are not dissipated, and body and mind remain pure and intact. When form and spirit proceed together with the Dao, one may ascend to Kunlun, the immortal realm of Daoist legend. Life comes forth in accord with one’s innate endowment and is preserved through later cultivation; breath passes in and out freely, unhindered by any gate. One who can harmonize Yin-Yang and master the hun and po souls can keep kindred in lasting company and descendants continuing through the generations. Even when yellow dust rises on every side, the perfected person who rides a sheep will appear; within golden halls and jade chambers, the old are sent off and the new are welcomed.

Lord Lao said: The essentials of inner contemplation—the method of observing body and mind from within—are to quiet the spirit and settle the mind, allowing no disordered thoughts to arise and admitting no invasion by deviant delusion, thereby protecting oneself and also bringing external things to rest. Close the eyes and examine with a still heart; when both inner and outer return to emptiness and stillness, one can realize how subtle and profound the divine Way is. Observe the myriad appearances outwardly, and examine one’s own thoughts inwardly. When seeing is clear and the mind is bright and pure, neither agitation nor stillness any longer disturbs one. Let thoughts follow one upon another, and the foundation gradually deepens until mind and spirit reach utmost peace. The mind grows limpid, ever-abiding and unmoving, deep and hard to fathom; cares and troubles thereby disperse, and one no longer clings to distinctions of right and wrong.

Lord Lao said: I was not a sage by birth, but came to understanding through study. Thus, in seeking the Dao, there was nothing I did not study and practice. Of a thousand Jing (scriptures) and ten thousand methods, the key lies wholly in the mind.

8. After “非青” (“not green”), the Yunji Qiqian (Seven Slips from the Cloudy Satchel) edition adds the four characters “非白非赤” (“neither white nor red”).

9. For “人以难伏,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “人之难伏.”

10. For “是,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “之”; the two wordings mean the same thing.

11. For “随,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “怀.”

12. For “肥轻,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “轻肥.”

13. The character “业” was originally written “华”; here it is emended to “业” on the basis of the Yunji Qiqian edition.

14. For “人最为灵,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “人称最灵.”

15. For “人当爱之,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “当保爱之.”

16. For “惟人尊焉,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “谁尊之焉.”

17. For “熟,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “孰.”

18. For “长,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “全.”

19. “駃” was originally written “驶,” an error caused by the similarity of the character forms. 駃 is read as “快” and is synonymous with it; here it is corrected on the basis of the Yunji Qiqian edition.

20. “骸” was originally written “神”; here it is changed to “骸” on the basis of the Yunji Qiqian edition.

21. For “测,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “得.”

22. For “邈,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “莫.”

23. The Yunji Qiqian edition does not have the two characters “长” and “能.”

24. For “长,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “常.”

25. For the passage from “识从何起” to “欲自识起,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads: “从何而起？从心识起；心从我起，我从欲起.”

26. For “静,” the Yunji Qiqian edition reads “净.”

In item 27, the character “亡” was originally written “忘”; here it has been changed to “亡” on the basis of the version in the Yunji Qiqian (Yunji qiqian). In item 28, the words “起，心从我起，我从欲起” mean that a thought arises from one’s own mind, and that the mind in turn arises from desire. In item 26, “静” appears in the Yunji Qiqian as “净”. In item 27, “亡” was originally written “忘”; here it has been changed to “亡” on the basis of the version in the Yunji Qiqian.

In item 28, “由” appears in the Yunji Qiqian as “犹”. Critical study holds that “由” is a phonetic loan character for “犹”. After “不用道、不求宝”, the Yunji Qiqian has one additional character, “肯”. “速” is written “疾”; the two characters mean the same thing.

In item 29, “发” appears in the Yunji Qiqian as “存”. In item 30, after “老君曰” (the Lord Lao, Laojun, said), the Yunji Qiqian adds the words “彼尚有所以言”. In item 31, the Yunji Qiqian does not contain the two sentences “安心者使不危也，静心者令不乱也”. In item 32, the Yunji Qiqian writes “以” as “已” and “令” as “今”; this is erroneous. In item 33, the Yunji Qiqian lacks the three characters “四见者”. In item 34, “窒” appears in the Yunji Qiqian as “质”. In item 35, “然” was originally written “照”; it has been corrected here on the basis of the Yunji Qiqian.

In item 36, “守而不失，乃常存也” reads in the Yunji Qiqian as “守道不失，身常存也”, and the sense is more exact. In item 37, “居” appears in the Yunji Qiqian as “也”. In item 38, “当慎择焉” appears in the Yunji Qiqian as “怨道不慈”. In item 39, “纯” appears in the Yunji Qiqian as “淳”. In item 40, “固” appears in the Yunji Qiqian as “周”. In item 41, “观” was originally written “藏”; it has been corrected here on the basis of the Yunji Qiqian.

42. For “yao” (杳), the version in the Seven Slips of a Cloudy Satchel (Yunji Qiqian) writes “yao” (窈). Both characters mean profound, deep, and hard to see.

43. For “chun” (淳), the Yunji Qiqian version has “chun” (淳).

40. For “gu” (固), the Yunji Qiqian version has “zhou” (周).

41. For “guan” (观), the original text has “cang” (藏); here, on the basis of the Yunji Qiqian version, it is changed to “guan.”

42. For “yao” (杳), the Yunji Qiqian version writes “yao” (窈). Both characters mean profound, deep, and hard to see.

43. After the character “xin” (心), the Yunji Qiqian version has one additional character, “zhi” (志).