《无为清静长生真人至真语录》

I have heard that the path of cultivating the Dao (the Way) lies within the world and should be practiced in due sequence, while the dwelling of the immortals lies beyond the secular realm and cannot be sought rashly. Thus a poem by Letian says: “Unless one possesses the root and bone for becoming an immortal, one cannot have one’s name entered on the Cinnabar Terrace.” If one has not cultivated and accumulated good roots through many kalpas, and has not also obtained the “Qi (vital energy) of the Three, the Five, and the One True” (the subtle primordial energy in Daoist Neidan, or internal alchemy), how could one reach such a realm?

Now Master Liu, the Changshengzi, is precisely endowed with this root and bone, and he has also taken up this name. Formerly he met the Perfected Wang Chongyang (Wang Chongyang, patriarch of Quanzhen, or Complete Perfection), received deliverance and spiritual awakening, and thereupon left the secular world and entered the Daoist order. His insight was lucid, his wisdom penetrating, and his learning broad and fluent. Earlier, summoned to court by imperial decree, he wrote a poem: “In former years in Shaanxi, the late emperor issued a decree and summoned me to audience; today in Donglai, I am again honored by the sage emperor’s call.” The following year he asked leave to return. When the officials requested that he leave some verse, he wrote: “Like cloud and water I drift away from Donglai, return to the immortal abode, and keep company with Daoist friends who wear star crowns.”

This is just as when Chen Xiyi (Chen Tuan, a Daoist of the early Song) formerly received the courtesy of the Song court and, bidding farewell to return to Mount Hua, was addressed in an imperial edict: “Within the jade halls and golden gates, we briefly rejoice that you have come to audience; yet you hasten to mount the cloud carriage and retire into the mountains.” These two lofty men were both unbound by the secular world, and each enjoyed great renown within a single dynasty. The Dao they pursued was the same; even in different circumstances, they made similar choices.

After the Master himself returned to his native place, he lived at Taiwei Abbey, annotated the various Jing (scriptures), and carried on the teachings of the three sages. In writing he was free and unrestrained, taking his own delight in brush and ink. Compiling books and expounding the teaching, he observed the Buddhist precepts concerning what is weighty or slight and what to adopt or set aside, and he also entered the mysterious and inexhaustible gate of the Dao; he practiced the Five Constants of which Confucius spoke (benevolence, righteousness, ritual propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness). He restored fields and dwellings and had the scriptures carved and printed, so that the teaching spread, and he conducted affairs with ease and due measure. All his writings were eagerly block-printed and circulated everywhere, refreshing the eyes and ears of the multitude, passed from mouth to ear, and imperceptibly transforming popular custom. Those who understood principle thereby turned toward the Daoist order, and even the foolish and vulgar were moved to mend their faults.

One day two of the Master’s disciples, the Daoist elders Xu and Li, came from afar to visit. Passing the travelers’ lodge beside the stream, they entered the study where I live, set down their staffs and shoes, rested a while, and partook of some food from water and land. After some time they brought out a scroll of the Master’s Recorded Sayings of Ultimate Truth and earnestly asked me to write a preface. I could not decline, and with a quiet mind I read the whole work through. The reading stirs one to vigilant self-examination and sudden awakening, so that one at once wishes to cut away worldly entanglements and leave behind karmic obstacles and defiling influences.

The book is divided into eighty questions and answers, more than ten thousand characters in all. Its content is broad and its arrangement clear, and it cites instances as evidence and weighs them in discussion. From the movements of Heaven and Earth it proceeds to the transformations of Yin-Yang, clarifies the principles of life and death and the retribution of fortune and misfortune, discusses the marks of true emptiness, and urges people to restrain greed and anger. It also treats the origins of suffering and joy, the manifestations of true feeling and of falsity, the sources of the pure and the turbid, and the foundations of high and low. It touches on many matters, all explained thoroughly. Judging by the profound principles of the learning of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi, it all but covers the principles of every affair under Heaven. It can help living beings discern their doubts and return to the correct Dao, so that knots of doubt disperse like melting ice—as if a murky pond were cleared and the gate of spiritual brightness opened—and lead people onto the path of liberation.

In this way one may pass beyond the sea of suffering and ascend the farther shore of awakening, remove the defilements of the three realms of existence (the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm) and the Five Turbidities (the filthy disorders of the world), realize samādhi (the concentrated, lucid state of meditative absorption) and the cause of the one emptiness, wash away the old stains of the twelve classes of beings, and obtain the joy of new life within the three-thousandfold great-thousand world. These indeed come from the honest words of the Perfected, able to awaken and instruct the many; all have circulated because the conditions of the Dharma have matured, and this is truly rare and precious.

Respectfully prefaced by Han Shiqian Yan Guang, the Xubai Daoist of Bianxi in Duancheng, Huoze, on the Upper Prime day of the renxu year of Qing Taihe.

“Fa” means penetrating the Dao (the Way) and realizing true emptiness. Penetrating the Buddha-Dharma and realizing non-arising is called “precept.” Transmitting the methods of the Dao cannot thereby exhaust all faults, nor can it enable a person to understand every principle; transmitting the precepts cannot thereby make a person complete in every good deed or conversant with all wisdom. To penetrate the methods of the Dao is to grasp naturalness, clarity and stillness, and Wuwei (non-action); to penetrate the Buddhist precepts is to understand the principles concerning self, others, sentient beings, and lifespan. The Jing (scripture/classic) says, “The Dao models itself on the natural.” The “emptiness” of which the methods of the Dao speak is not that nothing whatsoever exists, but an entry into emptiness from being.

“Emptiness” does not mean that the Dao permanently abides in the void. The foolish cling to a rigid emptiness, while the wise realize true emptiness. Ordinary people ponder form and emptiness, whereas followers of the Dao forget the emptiness as the world understands it. People are fond of saying that all is empty, yet one must understand that karmic offenses cannot be erased at will. Those who have penetrated understand the emptiness of the Dao; those who have awakened know the emptiness of original nature. The turbid and stagnant sink after death into empty stillness; the clear and pure ascend, while still alive, into true emptiness. The Jing says: “One emerges into life and enters death. Of the followers of life, three in ten; of the followers of death, three in ten.” To realize “emptiness” is thereby to gain understanding.

“Knowing” means knowing that favors between people are visible, and that the heart also expects something in return.

It was asked again, “What does ‘knowing’ mean?” The reply was that “knowing” means understanding human sentiment. When a person bestows a favor, they often hope the other will repay it. To understand the Dao (the Way) of Heaven is to reduce the wealth of those who have more than enough and to help those in hardship; to understand the practices of the human world is to take from those who have too little in order to supply the wealthy.

One who knows what accords with the Dao follows the Dao of Heaven; one who does not know what accords with the Dao goes along with human sentiment. Follow the Dao of Heaven, and a person’s life is nourished; go along with human sentiment, and a person’s life moves toward extinction. Follow the Dao of Heaven, and clarity and goodness are preserved; go along with human sentiment, and turbidity and evil conduct are given free rein. The scripture (Jing) says, “Observe the Dao of Heaven and follow the pattern of its operation, and the principle is fully grasped.” One who understands this light of wisdom sees otherwise than ordinary people do.

Fourth Question: Seeing

It was asked again, “What does ‘seeing’ mean?” The reply was that “seeing” is not seeing with the eyes of the flesh. What is called seeing is to see the empty origin (the still and authentic root), the light of wisdom (the inner light of wisdom), the extended form (a vast and continuous appearance), the elusive indistinctness (a state that seems at once present and absent and is hard to grasp), the precious pearl, the hues of roseate clouds, and the mysterious subtlety (what is profound and minute); it is also to see empty brightness (a clarity that is vacant, still, and transparent), the clarity of the hun (the lucid purity of the ethereal soul), and the stillness of the po (the settled calm of the corporeal soul).

The scripture says, “The Dao, as a mode of being, is only elusive and hard to discern.” See that image which has neither form nor thing, and outward conduct can then answer to constant goodness.

Fifth Question: Goodness

It was asked further: What is goodness?

The reply was: Goodness is the ability to adopt fitting measures according to how things stand, and to dwell in gentle accord with others. Not giving rise to all manner of evil thoughts is called “true goodness.” Not clinging to the myriad things is called “pure goodness.” Thoroughly grasping the principles of affairs, without being bound to the recitation of many scriptures (Jing), is called “penetrating goodness.” Apprehending the mysterious and subtle, without single-mindedly pursuing every kind of transformation, is called “lucid goodness.” Not harming the various forms of life is called “compassionate goodness.” Not rejecting the various defilements of the world is called “responsive goodness.” Not reproaching the many is called “goodness of De (Virtue/Power).” Not coveting all that one might possess is called “goodness of the Dao (the Way).” Not arousing all manner of selfish thoughts is called “impartial goodness.” Not losing the various kinds of wisdom is called “constant goodness.”

The scripture says: “Treat good people well, and also treat those who are not good well—this is to possess De.” A person of supreme goodness does not do evil.

The Sixth Question: Evil

It was asked further: What is evil?

The reply was: Evil is the failure of a person’s conduct to be upright. If a person does not accord with his own heaven-given nature, Heaven will not accord with the person. If a person squanders and lays things to waste, Heaven causes him to meet with famine and failed harvests. If a person does not cultivate goodness and accumulate blessings, Heaven does not grant a plentiful harvest of the five grains. When the human heart gives itself over to malice, the intent of Heaven sends down disastrous winds and hail. If a person, even unto death, still does not give up the evil of taking life, he will certainly be reborn in the next life as an asura (a class of beings, in Buddhist and Daoist contexts, who delight in strife and the contest for victory). When people commit evil deeds, Heaven sends down evil retribution.

If people do not harm the myriad things with ill intent, the myriad things will not harm people with ill intent. The scripture says: “Venomous insects do not sting, fierce beasts do not pounce, and birds and beasts do not strike.” This speaks of the principle by which Heaven sends down evil retribution. If people do not harm the myriad things with ill intent, the myriad things will not harm people with ill intent. If one can refrain from evil and truly penetrate the principles, the virtue of the worthy is made manifest.

The Seventh Question: The Worthy

Again it was asked: What is the worthy?

The worthy is one who thoroughly comprehends the great Dao (the Way). One who truly possesses great wisdom appears outwardly as if not comprehending; one who truly possesses great insight appears as if knowing nothing; one who is truly intelligent appears as if lacking clear discernment; one who is truly skilled in argument appears as if having nothing to say. Yet when wisdom must be put to use, such a person can comprehend all affairs; when insight must be put to use, such a person can understand every kind of principle; when intelligence must be put to use, such a person can clearly discern the nature of things; and when argument is called for, such a person can express matters clearly.

To comprehend the affairs of the world through wisdom is “worldly comprehension”; to comprehend the great Dao through insight is “comprehension of the Dao”; to discern principles through intelligence is “clarity of principle”; to express clearly through argument is “clarity of speech.” The Daodejing (Classic of the Way and Virtue) says: “Do not exalt the worthy, so that the people will not contend with one another.” The so-called worthy of the world are like fine jade hidden within stone, not displaying their talent; the worthy of the Dao, by contrast, realize the true nature within what is without things. The worthy are not truly dull.

Eighth Question: What Is the Foolish?

Again it was asked: What is the foolish?

Those of ancient times who thoroughly comprehended the great Dao, in order to keep their distance from the empty illusions of the world, often appeared outwardly dull. Yan Hui of the Confucian tradition lived in poverty, with only a bamboo basket of food and a gourd of water; Śākyamuni of Buddhism once begged with an alms bowl, a single meal offered by seven households; Lü Chunyang (Lü Dongbin) of Daoism dwelt in clarity, stillness, and Wuwei (non-action), living a simple life, like a quail roosting and taking its food from the space between the axles of a cart.

To return to plain simplicity is to bring what is high back down to what is low, and what is present back to what is absent. An appearance of brightness seems as if dim, and the plain, profound people of ancient times looked as if they were not good with words. The Daodejing says: “I alone appear forlorn, like a fool.” Outwardly they seem dull, yet inwardly they embrace the great Dao—this alone is true life.

What is “life”? The answer is this: to embrace and hold fast to the great Dao (the Way) is true life; to preserve nature and life brings blessings; when Qi (vital energy) is nourished, spirit is able to arise; when the hidden and subtle principle is fully grasped, wondrous principle is able to appear; when one does not act recklessly, wisdom is able to arise; in responding to the myriad things, De (Virtue/Power) is able to be shown; by constantly doing good, one is able to save life. At the summer solstice Yin Qi arises, and at the winter solstice Yang Qi arises. Through mutual resonance with the myriad things, the myriad things are brought into being.

True life makes one peaceful and at ease; blessings make one lucid and perceptive; spirit makes one numinous and subtle; wondrous principle makes one pure and still; wisdom makes one penetrating; De makes one plain and easy; and the saving of life makes one compassionate. When Yin Qi arises, it ascends; when Yang Qi arises, it descends; and once the myriad things have come into being, they reach completion. As the Jing (scripture/classic) says: “The Dao gives birth to the One, the One gives birth to the Two, the Two give birth to the Three, and the Three give birth to the myriad things.” Heaven and Earth generate the myriad things by harmonious Qi, and so the myriad things are able to grow; by the Qi of Metal they blight and slay the myriad things, and so the myriad things move toward death.

The tenth question: death.

It is asked further: What is “death”? The answer is this: death is the perishing of the bodily forms of the myriad things. When the myriad things reach late autumn, their forms decay, yet their roots do not die. Every kind of bodily form dies upon reaching a hundred years, but innate nature does not die.

Things without feeling can sink their roots deep; beings with feeling can nourish their own innate nature. If the root is not nourished by water, the sprout withers and dies; if innate nature lacks the support of nature and life, the body dies. The root is innate nature, and innate nature is the root; Shen (spirit) is innate nature, and innate nature is Shen. When the allotted course of the Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) comes to an end, bodily form decays and dies; yet Shen, which transcends the transformations of Yin-Yang, does not die. As the Jing says: “Deep roots and a firm base are the way of long life and lasting vision.” That the body dies while true nature is not extinguished is what is constant and precious.

The eleventh question: the precious.

Someone asked again, “What is nobility?”

The reply was: “Nobility means prizing De (Virtue/Power). Heaven bestows favor yet does not let the realm below know of it; this is called prizing De. Heaven bestows favor without choosing or preferring anyone to receive it; this is called prizing De. Heaven brings the myriad things to growth yet does not set itself up as their master; this is called prizing De. Heaven relieves the multitude and does not look for repayment; this is called prizing De.

A person should accord with the intent of Heaven, helping those in distress while letting only oneself know of it; holding a heart that delights in giving, yet not displaying it; giving wealth to others as if casting away dirt, and not taking it to heart; giving food to others without remembering to whom it was given. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: ‘Among the myriad things, there is none that does not honor the Dao (the Way) and prize De.’ The De of the noble is to give what one has in surplus to those of low station.”

The tenth layer of meaning is “giving wealth as if discarding mud”: a person should accord with the intent of Heaven; when food is given to others, one likewise does not remember to whom it was given. The Jing says: “Among the myriad things, there is none that does not honor the Dao and prize De.” The De of the noble is to give what is surplus to those of low station.

The twelfth question: What is lowliness?

Someone asked again, “What is lowliness?”

The reply was: “What is called lowliness is not prizing outward status. One who truly prizes De will regard outward status as even lighter than one’s own person. De is like fine jade, while the body is like uncarved rough stone. De reaches upward and communes with Heaven, while the body remains humble like the sea. When speech is modest and one takes the lower place, one can instead occupy a high position.

If in the heart one slights true De, one will pursue a false nobility in outward show. Prize De, and the people of the world will respect you; regard yourself lightly, and you can be preserved in safety. Reveal the treasure within, and you can become a great vessel; return to plain and simple nature, and your true countenance will appear. Commune with Heaven, and you can understand profound principles; be humble like the sea, and the many good deeds will gather in. Humble words bring respect, trust, and praise; exalting oneself only increases the division between external things and the self. Slight true De, and the hun and po souls will scatter; exalt a false exterior, and one will instead lose one’s true nature.

The Jing says: ‘Nobility must take lowliness as its root, and the high place must take what is below as its foundation. Only by drawing near the lowly position can the high position be achieved.’”

The thirteenth question: losing one’s true nature. The Jing says: “Nobility must take lowliness as its root, and the high place must take what is below as its foundation. Only by drawing near the lowly position can the high position be achieved.”

The thirteenth question: What is height?

It was asked further: What does “high” mean?

The reply was: The Dao (the Way) of Heaven checks whatever rises too high, yet the ways of the human world often lift what is already high still higher. One who is truly penetrating conceals his own excellence; one who chases glory displays his height. Heaven’s Dao holds down the high in order to care for those who are hard-pressed and lowly; when the world raises up the strong, it instead harms the hard-pressed. By hiding his excellence, the penetrating person can transform the worthy through De (Virtue/Power); by flaunting his height, the seeker of glory only bewilders the foolish. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: “What is high is held down, and what is low is raised up. The high place where Heaven dwells covers all that lies beneath.”

It was asked further: What does “low” mean?

The reply was: “Low” is like the sea lying in a low place, so that water runs clear and unobstructed and gathers toward it; when the heart can be humble and lowly, people become clear-minded and good, yielding and harmonious, and they come in allegiance. When the heart is clear and compliant, one’s capacity grows deep and broad; when one is good and modest, De becomes wide-ranging. It is like building a house: once the beams and pillars are set in a lower place, the rafters and purlins come to rest upon them. It is also like receiving guests: when the host humbly takes the lower place, guests from outside return. When rafters and purlins gather, the house can be completed; when guests return, De is thereby brought to completion. The Jing says: “The rivers and seas can become kings of the hundred streams because they are good at dwelling below.” Dwelling in a low place while remaining clear and harmonious, one can reach supreme joy.

It was asked further: What does “joy” mean?

The reply was: One who takes joy in the Dao delights in clarity, stillness, and humble lowliness; one who takes joy in the worldly clings to song and dance and to drinking. Delighting in clarity, stillness, and humility, one is free of entanglement in gladness and sorrow; lost in song, dance, and wine, one has pleasure, and also has grief.

It was asked again, “What is joy?” The reply was: “Those who delight in the Dao (the Way) take clarity, stillness, and humble yielding as their joy; those who delight in worldly things take infatuation with song, dance, and wine as pleasure. If one delights in clarity, stillness, and humble yielding, there is neither elation nor sorrow; if one delights in the pleasures of song and wine, there is both elation and distress. If one delights in the Dao of Wuwei (non-action), there is no deliberate cultivation and no pursuit of signs of attainment; if one delights in the outward appearances of purposeful action, something may be achieved in cultivation, yet there may also be decline. If one delights in true nature, one is not limited by bodily form and has no end; if one delights in the false flesh, there is birth and there is death. The scripture says: ‘Therefore, the people of the world delight in exalting him and do not weary of him or cast him aside.’ Delight in the Dao, and there is no contention; lose the joy that accords with the Dao, and sorrow arises from affliction.”

The Sixteenth Question: Suffering

It was asked again, “What is suffering?” The reply was: “Suffering is the pain that body and mind undergo. Lost people of the world, grieving because they cling to life, instead move toward death; when they exhaust their minds in clever schemes, the mind-nature sinks into karmic wrongdoing. Those who awaken to the Dao willingly toil at refining and nurturing the body, like breaking stone to extract jade; when the will is made firm and cunning is forgotten, the mind-nature can ascend to the nine heavens. The worthy can find joy within suffering, while the foolish plant the seeds of suffering within pleasure. For the worthy, bitterness ends and sweetness comes; for the foolish, joy at its height turns to sorrow. The scripture says: ‘Favor may arise from harm, and harm may also arise from favor.’ Delight in the Dao so that suffering is brought wholly to an end, and one can penetrate through to clarity and stillness.”

The Seventeenth Question: Clarity

It was asked again, “What is clarity?” The reply was: “When Heaven is clear and bright, the myriad phenomena become manifest; when the mind is clear and lucid, the profound and numinous nature becomes manifest; when the abyss is limpid, the ‘two eights’ appear bright and distinct. Penetrate the phenomena of Heaven, and a harmonizing Qi (vital energy) descends; penetrate the profound and numinous nature, and one can become one with the Dao; penetrate the clarity of the abyss, and the numinous spring does not leak away. When the harmonizing Qi is obtained, Qi and Shen (spirit) unite; when one becomes one with the Dao, the true form does not decay; when the numinous spring does not leak, there is luminous fullness like the bright moon. The scripture says: ‘How deep and remote it is, like the source of the myriad things.’ Inquire into and penetrate the Dao of clarity and stillness, and turbidity and defilement have nowhere to remain.”

The Eighteenth Question: Turbidity

It was asked again: “What is turbidity?”

The reply was: “What is called turbidity is this: when people in the world who have lost their original nature indulge the mind, they fall into wicked turbidity; when they indulge the body, they fall into licentious defilement. Indulging evil thoughts darkens the original nature; indulging lust harms nature and life.

One who has awakened to the Dao (the Way), though set amid the turmoil of heaven and earth, can still keep the heart clear and bright; though living in the secular world, can still keep the self pure. When clarity abides together with turbidity and mixture, Yin can be transformed into Yang (Yin-Yang); when a person of clarity enters the secular world, that person appears dull and ignorant.

The Jing (scripture) says: Who can let the muddy settle, so that it slowly becomes clear? When turbid Qi (vital energy) is exhausted, light appears.”

The Nineteenth Question: Manifestation

It was asked again: “What is manifestation?”

The reply was: “What is called manifestation is like heaven displaying brightness: it does not boast of its own brilliance, yet the eyes of all people under heaven can see its light. When the principle is made plain, this is not a matter of deeming oneself correct and deliberately showing it off, but of the many good people under heaven being able to understand its penetrating principle.

When the multitude see the light, reverence arises in the heart; when the many good people understand the principle, faith arises. When people of the world revere heaven and earth, blessings arise; when those who cultivate the Dao trust in Wuwei (non-action), true nature appears.

The scripture says: Not vaunting oneself, therefore one is bright; not regarding oneself as right, therefore one is manifest. When inner brightness appears, the outer body instead withdraws into the hidden and subtle.”

The Twentieth Question: Concealment

It was asked again: “What is concealment?”

The reply was: “What is called concealment is to be compassionate within and to rescue life, yet unwilling to let others know; to be sincere and clear-sighted within, yet outwardly like a foolish person; to be free of clinging and obstruction within, yet outwardly as if mixed into the dust of the world; for the inner light to respond to the myriad things, yet outwardly not to act with deliberate effort; for the inner nature to manifest De (Virtue/Power), yet outwardly not to seek others’ admiration; to hold spiritual clarity and the Dao within, yet outwardly not to cling to or crave any thing.

True clarity can dispel deliberation and let the body lodge amid the dust of the world. The scripture says: The Dao is hidden and nameless; precisely because it cannot be confined by ordinary names, it may be called vast.”

The Twenty-First Question: Greatness

It is asked further: What does “great” mean? The answer is that “great” is the Dao (the Way). The Dao is so great that even Yin-Yang cannot fully contain it, and so it is called “the greatness of the Dao.” “Great” is also nature (xing). Nature is vast and can take in the myriad deviations and bring them back to what is correct, and so it is called “the greatness of nature.” The vastness of the Dao is the mother of the myriad things; the vastness of nature is the teacher of the myriad deviations. When the Dao as mother is fully reached, the myriad things receive creative transformation and each forms its own body. When nature as teacher is fully reached, the myriad deviations return to the correct Dao and each finds its own path. The scripture says that the Dao is the mother of the myriad things and that nature is the teacher of the myriad deviations. The saying “The Dao that can be spoken is not the constant Dao” also shows that what is truly great can contain the small.

Question Twenty-Two: Small

It is asked further: What does “small” mean? The answer is that “small” means reaching into the fine and subtle. When the Dao reaches into the fine and subtle, it does not attend only to what it loves and holds close, nor does it bestow favor out of partiality. When nature reaches into the fine and subtle, it does not choose only those it loves to teach. Because the Dao is impartial, even the minute myriad things can receive the Qi (vital energy) of the Dao. Because nature is impartial, even the minute myriad things can be illumined by the light of Heaven. When minute things without sentience receive the Qi of the Dao, their bodily forms are able to come into being. When minute things with sentience receive the light of Heaven, the nature of life is able to grow.

The scripture says, “Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish.” This means that in governing one should neither single out those one favors nor cast aside the weak and small. The subtle excellence of the small is not empty nothingness: when minute things with sentience receive the light of Heaven, nature and life are able to grow.

Question Twenty-Three: Emptiness (xu)

It was further asked: What is “vacuity”? The answer: Vacuity is the original substance of the Dao (the Way). When Yin-Yang understands the principle of vacuity, the myriad things arise from it; when a person’s utmost true nature understands the principle of vacuity, the realm of the elusive and formless appears from it. Once the myriad things have come into being, they may be used to aid the people of the world; once the elusive realm has come into being, it enables a person to transcend the mundane world. That the myriad things can aid the people of the world is the joy of the human world; that the Dao communicates with true nature is the joy of innate nature. Worldly joy has limits set by the transformations of Yin-Yang; the joy of innate nature, when it reaches the utmost of vacuity, is without end. The scripture says: “Attain the utmost of vacuity, hold fast to tranquil depth, and the myriad things will all grow together.” Vacuity is precisely the essential reality of the Dao.

Question Twenty-Four: What Is “Substantiality”?

It was further asked: What is “substantiality”? The answer: Substantiality is the Dao. The Dao already existed before Heaven and Earth took form, and down to this day it constantly endures and has never decayed; this is called “substantiality.” Substantiality is also a person’s innate nature. A person’s innate nature arises from beyond the myriad things, and down to this day it constantly endures and has never decayed; this too is called “substantiality.” When the Dao understands its own essential reality, it can master Yin-Yang and bring the myriad things into being; when innate nature understands its own essential reality, it can penetrate the fundamental essentials and communicate with the transformations of the myriad things. The coming into being of the myriad things makes manifest the essential reality of the Dao; the occurrence of every kind of transformation makes manifest the essential reality of innate nature. In its original substance the Dao is vacuous, while Qi (vital energy) is substantial; innate nature is vacuous, while life is substantial. The scripture says: “Make the mind vacuous and still, and make substantial the place of returning to the root.” When essential reality is understood, the Dao and innate nature can rest at ease in union.

Question Twenty-Five: What Is “Leisure”?

It was asked again: What is “leisure”? The reply was: Leisure is the Dao (the Way). The supreme Dao appears leisurely and at ease, yet it sets Yin-Yang in motion and transforms and generates the myriad things. Supreme nature—one’s authentic, heaven-given nature—appears leisurely and at ease, yet it can regulate and refine lead and mercury (a term in Daoist cultivation, often used as a metaphor for harmonizing the Yin and Yang essence and Qi within the body) and temper the bodily form. When Yin and Yang transform, the myriad things are thereby preserved; when lead and mercury are refined to completion, original nature is thereby preserved. Preserving the myriad things allows human life to become full and abundant; preserving original nature allows Shen (spirit) to become numinous and subtle. When life is full and abundant, people pursue outward splendor; when the spirit is numinous and subtle, one can embrace and hold to the great Dao. The pursuit of splendor ends, after all, in flourishing and decline; embracing and holding to the great Dao is formless and inexhaustible. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: “Look at it, and it is not seen; listen to it, and it is not heard.” When original nature delights in what is genuine, pure, and still, one can respond even in the midst of busyness.

The twenty-sixth question: What is “busyness”?

It was asked again: What is “busyness”? The reply was: The Dao is originally pure and still, yet, because of the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin and Yang—the two fundamental forces that constitute the transformations of the myriad things—it is forever in motion. Original nature is originally pure and still; lodged within the four provisionals—the four constituents that make up the body—it is likewise forever active. As the two Qi of Yin and Yang move, they form the four seasons and mark off the changes of above and below; as the body’s four constituents are active, they set day and night revolving, and people therefore rush about and contend with one another. The movement of the two Qi of Yin and Yang brings the warmth of spring, the heat of summer, the cool of autumn, and the cold of winter; driven by desire, the body covets wealth, is infatuated with beauty, sinks into wine and sensual indulgence, and vies to prevail and quarrel. The movement of the two Qi of Yin and Yang creates the myriad things: this is Yin and Yang according with the De (Virtue/Power) of Heaven and Earth. The activities of body and mind fabricate all manner of karmic deeds, and yet cause living beings to go against the De of Heaven and Earth. The Jing says: “Sounds answer one another; what is before and what is after follow each other.” Though the bodily form is busy, if one can awaken, true nature will not depart.

The twenty-seventh question: What is “departure”?

It was asked again: What is “departure”? The reply was: “Departure” means that the Dao constantly abides, yet there is no…

Further inquiry: What does “depart” mean? The reply is: “Depart” means that the great Dao (the Way) constantly exists and is without end; it does not take leave as concrete things do. Concrete things generate form and in the end proceed toward a terminus; Qi (vital energy), for its part, disperses. The Dao penetrates Yin-Yang, while Qi penetrates the myriad things. When the cosmic cycle reaches its limit, Yin and Yang disperse; when form reaches its end, the myriad things decay. Although Yin and Yang disperse, the great Dao still constantly abides; although the myriad things decay, their inherent nature still constantly abides. The scripture (Jing) says: “From ancient times to the present, its name has never vanished.” When things perish, Qi scatters; when the mild and harmonious Yang Qi arrives, Qi gathers once more.

Question Twenty-Eight: What is “come”?

Further inquiry: What does “come” mean? The reply is: “Come” does not mean that form itself undergoes movement. When Heaven and Earth await the ripening of the moment and mutually resonate and communicate, the two Qi of Yin and Yang arrive; when the forms of the myriad things await the ripening of the moment and receive the working of Qi, the Qi of Yin and Yang arrive. The Dao is the root by which Heaven and Earth are established, while form is the place on which Yin and Yang depend. Heaven and Earth stand by means of the Dao, and their station endures; Yin and Yang lodge within concrete things, and their abode is only temporary. The Dao’s enduring operation enables the four seasons to transform and circulate; Yin and Yang, lodging in the myriad things, enable the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity to gather. Transformation and circulation constitute creative transformation; the gathering of the Three Powers constitutes true form. When things wither they die; when soft and supple, form is able to grow. The scripture says: “While a person lives, they are soft; after death they become rigid.” When soft and harmonious Qi arrives, it can render Heaven and Earth clear, bright, and at peace.

It was asked further: What does “evenness” (ping) mean?

The answer: “Evenness” is the Dao (the Way). The Dao nurtures the myriad things. It does not show partial affection for any one thing, nor does it specially confer favor on any one thing; rather, it universally bestows generative Qi (vital energy), so that the myriad things grow in equality. “Evenness” is also the True. The True can penetrate every kind of transformation. It does not show partial affection for any particular thing, nor does it preferentially seize upon any particular excellence; rather, it universally spreads the grace of De (Virtue/Power). When Qi is harmonious and even, the myriad things can grow together; when conduct according to De is level and upright, people can together turn toward the good. When all things are able to grow, each preserves the life conferred by creative transformation; when all people are able to turn toward the good, each preserves Dao and De. As the Jing (scripture) says: “The Qi of Heaven and Earth come together and sweet dew descends; no one commands it to be evenly bestowed, yet of itself it is distributed just right.” This makes plain the unchanging constant principle of spontaneity.

Thirtieth Question: Constancy (Chang)

It was asked further: What does “constancy” mean?

The answer: “Constancy” is the Dao. To accord constantly with the Dao is to preserve the spiritual nature of the human being; to accord constantly with Qi is to preserve the forms of the myriad things. A person according with the Dao is like a fish living in water; the myriad things according with Qi are like a lamp replenished with oil. A fish that leaves the water dies, and a lamp whose oil is exhausted goes out. Only by according with the Dao can human beings survive; only by according with Qi can the myriad things grow. Human beings belong to Shen (spirit); the myriad things belong to form. When both form and Shen reach perfect integration and subtle refinement, one can unite with the Dao in the True. As the scripture says: “Always skilled at saving people, and so there is no person left abandoned.” To love the constant principle of the Dao is true joy.

Thirty-First Question: Joy (Xi)

Joy is the happiness that comes from the Dao (the Way). When the heart within is pure and free of defilement, one can feel the joy of the Dao; when the heart is glad and without sorrow, that too is the joy of the Dao. Joy also comes from virtuous conduct: to urge others to abandon evil and turn toward the good brings the happiness that comes from De (Virtue/Power); to see others bestow kindness and to know how to repay it likewise allows one to feel this joy.

Joy may also arise from going astray. To turn away from good deeds and take pleasure in doing evil is the joy that follows once one is lost; to forget a kindness and instead retaliate against the person who bestowed it also causes a person to go astray. Only by taking joy in the Dao can one’s accomplishments be made complete; only by taking joy in De can one’s character be brought to perfection; to take joy in being lost is to sink into the cycle of rebirth. The scripture says: “One who accords with the Dao returns to the Dao; one who accords with De returns to De; one who accords with being lost returns to being lost.” When one rests content in joy, one can forget sorrow.

The thirty-second question concerns sorrow. What is sorrow? Sorrow in the heart arises because one has not penetrated the true principle of the Dao. When affairs are many, anxieties are many as well; freedom from anxiety comes from truly grasping the wisdom of the Dao. When affairs are few, anxieties are few.

A multitude of affairs, with anxiety clinging fast, makes the spirit dull and the Qi (vital energy) turbid; without distracting affairs or anxiety, the spirit is clear and the Qi moves with ease. When the Qi is turbid, thoughts of indulgence and evil readily arise, depleting the hun and po souls; when the Qi is clear and harmonious, there is little anxiety in the heart, thoughts are pure and upright, and one can gather “lead and mercury” (a term in the practice of Neidan (internal alchemy), referring to the inner substances used in cultivation, such as Jing (essence) and Qi). When the hun and po are scattered, a person’s innate nature sinks; when lead and mercury are refined to completion, innate nature can rise. The scripture says: “Cut off worldly learning, and there is no anxiety.” Only when the heart is free of worry and wholly intent upon the Dao does one truly gain insight and attainment.

The thirty-third question: Gain.

What does “obtaining” mean? True obtaining is to obtain the nameless glory of pure tranquility; false obtaining is to obtain the named disgrace of turbidity. Those who obtain the glory of pure tranquility are without greed or contention; those who obtain the disgrace of turbidity have greed and contention. Only without greed and contention does one truly penetrate the good Dao (the Way); with greed and contention, one is obscured by base customs. Truly accomplishing every kind of good deed is Heaven’s glory; vainly contriving every kind of evil karma is a lowly disgrace. With awakening, one can leave behind birth and death; with delusion, one falls. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: “Both receiving favor and suffering disgrace cause alarm.” Cling to a false reputation, and the true Dao is lost.

Question Thirty-Four: Loss

It is further asked: Truly accomplishing every kind of good deed is Heaven’s glory; vainly contriving every kind of evil karma is a lowly disgrace. With awakening, one can leave behind birth and death; with delusion, one falls. The Jing says: “Both receiving favor and suffering disgrace cause alarm.” Cling to a false reputation, and the true Dao is lost.

It is further asked: What does “loss” mean? Answer: Loss is to lose the Dao of Wuwei (non-action); loss is to cling to the Dao of Youwei (purposeful action). Loss is to lose the De (Virtue/Power) of Wuwei; loss is to cling to the De of Youwei. Penetrate the Dao of Wuwei, and true nature is inexhaustible; cling to the Dao of Youwei, and illusory things are in the end exhausted. Penetrate the De of Wuwei, and mind and nature remain constantly at peace; cling to the De of Youwei, and aversion arises in the heart. The Dao of Wuwei has no end, so true nature is not destroyed; the Dao of Youwei at last reaches its limit, and illusory things likewise decay. The De of Wuwei is genuine and peaceful, and can thus commune with the Heavenly Dao; the De of Youwei is illusory and marked by aversion, and in the end one falls. The Jing says: “Only after the Dao is lost does one speak of De; only after De is lost does one speak of benevolence.” Penetrate Wuwei, and there is nothing lost, and one can thereby obtain the blessing of pure tranquility.

It is asked further: What is blessing? The reply: True blessing is the Dao (the Way), and it is also a person’s life; worldly blessing is only something of the dusty world, a treasure among external things. The blessing brought by the Dao of Wuwei (non-action) is like the bright full moon, constantly full and complete; the blessing brought by the world of Youwei (purposeful action) is like the moon that gradually wanes, and in the end it diminishes. A full moon that remains ever full symbolizes human life; a waning moon that steadily declines symbolizes the treasures of the world. The Dao on which life depends has blessing without end; treasures, however, come at last to a limit, and worldly abundance ultimately returns to emptiness. Realize the Dao, and blessing arises from this; cling to the worldly, and one sinks into karmic retribution. The scripture says: “Within blessing disaster lies hidden—who can know its end?” The blessing that comes from penetrating the Dao will not meet with calamity.

Question Thirty-Six: Calamity

It is asked further: What is calamity? The reply: Calamity comes from human desire, and also from faults created beforehand. If a person accumulates one measure of evil karma, Heaven sends down ten measures of calamity; if a person has one measure of good conduct, Heaven bestows ten measures of blessed reward. The scripture says: “Cut off in one place the root of coveting profit, and the efficacy of cultivation can increase tenfold.” If a person does not commit all manner of evil deeds, this surpasses deliberately cultivating all manner of good deeds; if a person does not cling to the myriad things, this surpasses bestowing every kind of kindness. The scripture says: “Cultivate three times over, repeatedly, by day and by night, and the efficacy can increase ten-thousandfold.” Penetrate Wuwei, and pure blessing can increase ten-thousandfold; cling to Youwei, and false blessing lies hidden within calamity. The scripture says: “Within calamity, too, there is that on which blessing depends.” True blessing does not come from external things.

Question Thirty-Seven: Relinquishment

He asked again: What is meant by “relinquishing”? The reply was: What the worldly call relinquishing is to cast aside wealth and goods in the hope of receiving a blessed reward. What the Dao (the Way) means by relinquishing is not to abandon what one already possesses and grasp at emptiness. To give away wealth in pursuit of blessing is not to understand true blessing; to abandon being while clinging to nonbeing is not to understand true nonbeing. True blessing is to cherish compassion for the myriad things; true nonbeing is to penetrate all affairs and all principles. Compassion can succor the myriad things, and penetration can clarify the principles of affairs. When compassion is broad, De (Virtue/Power) is not confined; when the principles of affairs are made clear, the Dao becomes manifest. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: “Now one relinquishes compassion and vaunts bravery, relinquishes frugality and seeks abundance.” Advancing in the cultivation of the great Dao is not a matter of grasping anything.

Question Thirty-Eight: “Taking”

He asked again: What is meant by “taking”? The reply was: What is called taking is deluded thought, and it does not accord with the correct Dao. Utmost genuineness is the Dao; penetrating clarity is De. If one can fully apply the mind to discerning the myriad things and penetrate their principles, the Dao returns to that person; if one is willing to dwell in a low position while remaining inwardly profound, De returns to that person. The true cultivator of the Dao does not cling to “being,” and the myriad things then come to him; the great sea does not set itself on high, and clear streams then gather into it. When the myriad things come to one, the creative transformations can be preserved intact; when clear streams gather, supreme De can be brought to completion. If a person sees clearly the falsity of the worldly, he can penetrate emptiness and achieve something; if he can forget the self, he can penetrate humility and act to effect. The Jing says: “Rest content in the genuine and do not pursue showy display; therefore relinquish that and choose this.” Truly to take nothing is to understand the principle within it.

Question Thirty-Nine: “The Center”

It was asked further: What does “zhong” (the center) mean? The reply was: “Zhong” is the impartial fairness of Heaven. When Heaven bestows its grace and brings the myriad things to growth, it does not pick and choose between the intimate and the remote; this shows that Heaven upholds impartiality. When the human heart is impartial, sincerely puts forth De (Virtue/Power), and can interconnect with the myriad transformations, giving rise neither to aversion nor to partial affection, this shows that a person has understood the principle of “zhong.” Because Heaven is impartial, the myriad things can grow, and therefore Heaven possesses merit; because the human heart is impartial, the myriad transformations can truly interconnect, and therefore a person possesses cultivation. If Heaven bestowed grace out of partial affection for certain objects, one could not speak of vast merit; if a person helped others while harboring partial affection, one could not speak of a vast practice of De. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: “The level great Dao (the Way) looks as though it were not level.” These words mean that one who truly understands the level Dao can bring the myriad transformations into mutual connection; to understand this level Dao is to possess boundless pure blessings.

The fortieth question asks what is meant by “bian” (the edge).

It was asked further: What does “bian” mean? The reply was: “Bian” means being unable to penetrate the principles of things. To see only “you” (being) and yet not understand “wu” (non-being), or to see only “wu” and yet not understand “you,” is called “bianjian” (a one-sided view, clinging to a single aspect of things). Only by not clinging to bianjian can one penetrate the principles of things: when one sees “you,” one can also understand “wu,” and when one sees “wu,” one can also understand “you.” To penetrate “you” is to embrace the Dao and dwell in retirement in the Dongtian (grotto-heavens, the immortal realms of which Daoism speaks); to penetrate “wu” is to embrace the Dao and conceal oneself amid the splendors of the capital. The Jing says: “Act with the attitude of Wuwei (non-action); carry things out with the attitude of having no affairs.” Only by not clinging to either side is one truly free of obstruction.

The forty-first question asks what is meant by “zhuo” (attachment).

It was asked further: What is meant by zhuo? The answer: “Engaged yet not clinging” means that the body dwells in the dusty world and lives among the myriad things, yet is not entangled by them. Only when one truly does not keep the myriad things in mind can one be said to have attained thorough understanding. “Not engaged, yet clinging” means that the body withdraws from the dusty world and from the myriad things, yet still dwells on them in the heart; this still does not count as thorough understanding.

In being engaged yet not clinging, the body is like the lotus root; in not being engaged yet clinging, the body is like the lotus flower. To dwell in the dusty world while mind and nature remain unstained by worldly dust is true clarity; to keep the body far from the dusty world while the heart still clings to worldly dust is not yet clarity. The scripture (jing) says: “When old faults are removed, renewal follows.” One who is truly clear can meet things with the body as they arise, neither clinging nor deliberately keeping away.

Question Forty-Two: Li (Withdrawal)

It was asked further: What is meant by li? The answer: Li means that the body withdraws from desire, worldly dust is forgotten in the heart, and one quietly holds to one’s own resolve. It may also mean living in seclusion among famous mountains, according with one’s innate truth in the company of the qin and books, at ease and joyful in oneself, and bringing mind and will to thorough understanding.

To hold to one’s resolve is to be plain and genuine; to delight in bringing mind and will to thorough understanding is to be bright and expansive. When the body is plain and the inner heart is lucid, this is called the “false state in which form and spirit (shen) are both wondrous.” Only when the plainness of bodily form disperses and innate truth becomes lucid is it called the “true state in which form and spirit are both wondrous.” The scripture says: “If things that can arouse desire are not displayed, the mind will not be disturbed.” To be pure, still, and transcendent, unbound by external things, is to be a person of thorough understanding.

Question Forty-Three: Ren (the Person)

Asked again: What is a “person”? The reply says: If, over a lifetime, a person indulges evil thoughts, then after death that person sinks into the evil paths and revolves through them without end; this is called Heaven’s governance of human beings. If a person spends a whole life without cultivating merit and De (Virtue/Power), then after death that person sinks into poverty and low station and revolves through them without end; this too is called Heaven’s governance of human beings. If a person does good, that person can be born in Zhonghua and cultivate his or her own Dao (the Way); if a person has a great store of blessings, that person can be born in China and accumulate his or her own De. When people do evil, Heaven requites them with evil; when people do good, Heaven requites them with good. The Jing (scripture) says: “In governing human affairs and serving Heaven, nothing is more important than cherishing one’s vital energy.” If people do not understand Heaven’s intent, they become attached to the self.

Question Forty-Four: The Self

Asked again: What is the “self”? The reply says: The “self” includes a true self and a false self. The true self is a person’s original nature; the Dao practiced by the true self is a formless Dao; the good practiced by the true self is the good of Wuwei (non-action), yet the people of the world all regard it as resembling nothing. The false self is a person’s evil; the Dao followed by the false self is the way of preserving the body; the good practiced by the false self is deliberately contrived good, and the people of the world all feel that it looks like good. Only the formless Dao practiced by the true self is the true Dao, and only the good of Wuwei is constant good; the way of nourishing the body followed by the false self is false, and contrived good arouses aversion. The scripture says: “Everyone in the world says that my Dao is vast, yet it resembles nothing; if it truly resembled some particular thing, it would not endure.” This shows that the true self does not prove itself by disputation.

Question Forty-Five: Disputation

Asked again: What is “disputation”? The reply says: “Disputation” is the arguing of the world. Argument brings every kind of evil; Heaven does not speak, yet there is every kind of good.

One asks again: What does “skill in argument” mean?

Answer: When “skill in argument” is applied to worldly people, it often gives rise to all manner of evils. The Dao (the Way) of Heaven does not speak, yet it contains much goodwill. Worldly dispute becomes entangled in right and wrong, whereas argument in the Dao lies in clarifying pure goodness. People of the world may argue ably with their mouths, yet their minds are not necessarily penetrating; those who have attained the Dao do not rely on speech, yet within they are truly lucid. If the mind is not penetrating, then even with broad learning one does not understand the subtle mystery within; if the mind is truly lucid, one can go beyond complicated learning and grasp the subtle mystery within. These two conditions are delusion and awakening. The scripture (Jing) says: “The good do not argue; those who argue are not good.” One who understands the intent of Heaven appears, on the contrary, slow of speech.

Question Forty-Six: Slow of Speech

One asks again: What does “slow of speech” mean?

Answer: “Slow of speech” looks like being unskilled with words. If one understands the Dao yet has lost simplicity, a person who seems slow of speech will also appear skilled in argument; if one holds to the Dao and returns to simplicity, a person who seems skilled in argument will also appear slow of speech. Losing simplicity depletes Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) and leaves a person constrained; returning to simplicity cherishes Jing and Qi and leaves a person unconstrained. One who looks dull may be skilled in argument as if slow of speech; one who looks sagacious may be slow of speech as if skilled in argument. The scripture says: “Great skill seems clumsy; great eloquence seems slow of speech.” One who truly increases inner cultivation appears outwardly, on the contrary, as if something has been diminished.

Question Forty-Seven: Diminishment

It was further asked: What is meant by “diminishment”? The answer was: “Diminishment” means that, when a person who has the Dao (the Way) acts, he would rather reduce his own benefit than harm others, and that he places others before himself—only this is to possess De (Virtue/Power). When a person without the Dao acts, he harms others in order to preserve himself; if he places himself before others, he cannot be said to possess De. One who has De accords with Wuwei (non-action); one who lacks De engages in reckless action. If, in acting, one does not harm the myriad things out of selfish desire, this is to have the Dao; to cling to external things and be entangled by them is to be without the Dao.

The scripture says, “Put others first and oneself after,” which means placing others before oneself. It also says that one who has De practices Wuwei, while one without De practices contrived action; not harming the myriad things through reckless action is to have the Dao, while clinging to external things is to be without the Dao. The scripture further says, “In practicing the Dao, one diminishes daily.” One who cultivates the Dao daily reduces selfish desire and attachment to external things; once these external entanglements have been fully diminished, the Dao is thereby increased.

Question Forty-Eight: Increase

It was further asked: What is meant by “increase”? The answer was: “Increase” means causing a person’s true nature to be augmented; this is the principle of the Dao. One who comprehends the Dao studies the orthodox Way and the orthodox teaching and is able to penetrate principle, and so his true nature is augmented. One lost in the worldly realm studies deviant methods; even if he gains something, it only satisfies the needs of the physical body. To augment true nature is to come to understand the Dao; to crave benefit for the physical body is to be entangled by external things. When one understands principle, the mind is clear, still, and good; when one is entangled by external things, one readily craves and contends. Clarity, stillness, and goodness are the accumulation of De; craving and contention are the accumulation of karmic retribution. When all manner of good conduct is brought to completion, true nature can ascend; when all manner of evil karma is accumulated, body and mind sink.

The scripture says, “In learning, one increases daily.” If learning enables the true nature of the Dao to advance day by day, it can endure.

Question Forty-Nine: Lasting

He asked again, “What is lasting?” The reply was: “Here, ‘lasting’ means that a person proceeds in accordance with principle within the Dao (the Way), and so truly endures. Forget selfish feelings, and life endures; be skilled at discerning the mysterious and subtle, and innate nature endures; attain penetrating wisdom, and the principles of affairs endure. True lasting is the personal realization of the fundamental substance of emptiness and non-being.

“When life is lasting, the inner light is brought to fullness; when Heaven is lasting, auspicious clouds of Qi (vital energy) wind about; when principle is lasting, all affairs naturally become free and unobstructed. Understand emptiness and non-being, and the Dao is whole; understand the fullness of light, and life is whole; understand the Qi of auspicious omens, and Shen (spirit) is whole; understand the principle of natural spontaneity, and De (Virtue/Power) is whole. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: ‘Heaven is lasting and Earth endures.’ Accord with the lastingness of the Dao of Heaven, and one will not fall into brevity.”

The Fiftieth Question: Shortness

He asked again, “What is shortness?” The reply was: “What is called shortness means that if one cannot persist in guarding the Dao, one’s aspiration is short and shallow; if one sees a good deed yet has no compassionate heart, one’s conduct falls short; if one does not respect parents and elders, filial piety is deficient. When aspiration is short and shallow, it is hard to achieve meritorious works; without a compassionate heart, there will be no good conduct; without filial piety, one forgets kindness and favor.

“Only with a firm aspiration can the Dao be brought to fullness; only with a compassionate heart can De be brought to fullness; only by repaying kindness can filial piety be brought to fullness. Without the Dao, De, and filial piety, there is deficiency; with the Dao, De, and filial piety, there is no deficiency. The Jing says: ‘This, then, is not right.’ When wisdom is short and shallow, falsity and opportunistic cleverness arise.”

The Fifty-First Question: Cleverness

It was asked again: What is meant by “qiao” (clever artifice)? The reply: The “qiao” spoken of here is absorption in every kind of cunning device and in the practice of striving to accomplish things—recognizing every sort of advantage and pursuing it without cease. The more such advantages multiply, the more readily one harms oneself. Only by cutting off these artifices and returning to Wuwei (non-action), and by understanding the benefit of clarity and stillness and holding to that stillness, can one preserve oneself. The more worldly advantage one gathers, the more readily misfortune is invited; the deeper the stillness of the Dao (the Way), the more readily blessings are received. False artifice brings calamity; genuine stillness brings blessing. To cling to you (being) is to fall into falseness; to awaken to wu (non-being) is what is real. Clinging falsely to being, one is injured by evil; returning truly to non-being, one is, on the contrary, not disturbed by good. The Daodejing (Classic of the Way and Virtue) says: “Cut off artifice and cast aside advantage, and thieves will not appear.” One who understands no longer pursues false artifice, but holds to genuine simplicity.

Question Fifty-Two: What is meant by “zhuo” (seeming clumsiness)?

It was asked again: What is meant by “zhuo”? The reply: What is called “zhuo” is a nature pure and genuine that yet penetrates worthy principle, while outwardly one appears dull and plain. This is called fanpu (a return to the plain nature). Within, one truly possesses wisdom and understands pattern and principle, yet outwardly one appears honest and slow. This is called fucang (drawing in and concealing one’s talent). Faced with what is false and bewildering, hidden and unshown, there is of itself clear discernment within plain clumsiness; faced with what is truly awakened and displayed outwardly, plain clumsiness can still penetrate through. To understand worldly affairs is to penetrate the myriad things of the world; to understand principle itself is true penetration. Meeting ordinary people of the world, one accords with the myriad beings, adapting with ready flexibility, and naturally penetrates being; meeting a true kindred spirit, one accords with the myriad forms of non-being, adapting with ready flexibility, and naturally penetrates non-being. The exterior appears clumsy, yet the interior is not foolish. The Daodejing says that human nature includes both cleverness and clumsiness, and that talent and wisdom may be drawn in and hidden. Those who are truly accomplished appear, on the contrary, clumsy—and this is precisely what those who understand approve.

Question Fifty-Three: What is meant by “zan” (commendation)?

Someone asked again, “What does it mean to praise others?”

The reply was: “When the superior person praises others, they make known the other’s strengths and conceal the other’s shortcomings; the petty person, by contrast, conceals the other’s strengths and makes known the other’s shortcomings. To conceal their evils and proclaim their good is called possessing De (Virtue/Power); to proclaim their evils and conceal their good is called possessing fault. Those who possess De are respected by people; those who possess fault are looked down upon by people. One who respects others in this life will also be respected in the life to come; one who looks down upon others in this life will also be looked down upon in the life to come. When virtuous conduct is complete, one can accord with the Dao (the Way) and ascend; when one is sunk in fault, one falls. The Jing (scripture) says: ‘Those who truly know do not speak at length; those who speak at length do not truly know.’ One who is skilled at praise will not maliciously slander others.”

Question Fifty-Four: Slander

Someone asked again, “What does slander mean?”

The reply was: “To slander others is a mark of ignorance, for one does not know how to recognize the worthy; not to slander others is true wisdom, for one understands the ignorance of those who slander. The ignorant only expose the evils of others and suppress the good in others; the wise urge people to correct their evil deeds and return them to the path of goodness. The ignorant commit faults, yet cling to the outward appearance of those faults while still seeking blessings with a single mind; the wise remove faults, do not cling to the outward appearance of faults, and devote themselves to guarding the Dao. The deluded cling separately to evil and to good; the awakened cling neither to evil nor to good. Clinging to the good is not constant and unchanging; not clinging to evil is what is constant. The constant and unchanging principle is called the Dao. The scripture says: ‘The foolish seek sacred principle in the patterns of heaven and earth; I apprehend the principles of affairs in the patterns of the seasons and the myriad things.’ If one does not slander others, turbid and disordered thoughts will disperse.”

It was asked further: “What does ‘forgetting’ mean?”

The reply was: “Forgetting” means that when the mind is intent upon the Dao (the Way), one can forget the secular world, and when the mind is intent upon what is upright, one can forget deviant thoughts. This speaks of the difference between delusion and awakening. To be intent upon the Dao is to cultivate true nature; to be intent upon the secular world is only to attend to preserving the body. To be intent upon what is upright is to penetrate the ultimate principle; to be intent upon what is deviant is only to cultivate the tangible body of flesh. To be intent upon the true is to achieve something without fault; to attend only to nourishing the body brings no achievement and incurs fault. To be intent upon what is upright is to practice without clinging; to be intent upon what is deviant is to cling without genuine practice. The Jing (scripture) says: “The mind arises because of external things, and it also ceases because of external things.” Only by penetrating the principle and understanding its essential point does one truly forget deluded thoughts, craving nothing further outside the mind.

Question Fifty-Six: Greed

It was asked further: “What does ‘greed’ mean?”

The reply was: To crave desire is to harm nature and life; to crave wealth is to harm one’s own person. The deluded first find it sweet, and only later taste the bitter fruit. Only by eliminating desire can one preserve nature and life; only by cutting off the craving for wealth can one preserve one’s own person. The awakened first undergo the hardship of restraint, and only later obtain sweetness. To harm nature and life and one’s own person is folly; to preserve nature and life and one’s own person is wisdom. Those whose minds are turbid crave the secular world and turn away from the Dao; those whose minds are clear forget the secular world and penetrate the Dao. The scripture says: “No offense is greater than indulging desire, and no calamity is greater than not knowing sufficiency.” Only by not craving the false things of the secular world does one truly embrace the Great Dao.

Question Fifty-Seven: The Dao

It was asked further: What is the Dao (the Way)? The reply was: The Dao can reach through all things, yet it clings to none of them—this is the Dao. To know that the myriad things are empty at root, and yet that this is not sheer nothingness—this constant principle is called the constancy of the Dao. One who penetrates the constancy of the Dao can, through Wuwei (non-action), course through all things.

“Wu” sets forth the subtle principle of the Dao’s profound and elusive mystery; “wei” sets forth the principle by which the Dao changes with affairs and reaches all things. Non-being lies beyond the scope of Yin-Yang; action makes plain the patterns by which the myriad things transform. To penetrate non-being is to understand being; to penetrate action is likewise to understand non-being, without becoming fixed on tangible things or on deliberate doing. The Jing (scripture) says: “The Dao is constantly Wuwei, and yet nothing is left undone.” The activity of the Dao is not the doing of petty good deeds in the ordinary world.

The fifty-eighth question: What is the secular world?

It was asked further: What is “the conventional”? The reply was: “The conventional” refers to a person’s worldly bodily form; “the true” refers to the nature of supreme Shen (spirit). What is called “there being a thing” means the things present before one’s eyes; beyond these things, the Dao exists prior to Heaven and Earth. Passing beyond the appearances of concrete things, nature too lies outside Yin-Yang.

If one can discern the true essence within formed things, it is like recognizing jade within stone; if one can see true nature clearly within particular things, it is like finding a pearl within an oyster shell. “Being” refers to the human form; “thing” refers to true nature. After the form has perished, nature still constantly abides; after the myriad things have come to an end, true Qi (vital energy) still remains.

Lost amid formed things, the hun and po scatter; awakening to the nature of the Dao, one can bring creative transformation to completion. The scripture says: “There is a thing, formed as an undifferentiated whole, born before Heaven and Earth.” Even while dwelling in the secular world, one should accord with outer circumstances and not do what is unfitting.

The fifty-ninth question: What is “fei”?

It was asked again: What is “fei”? The reply was: “Fei” means that those of superior spiritual capacity quietly carry out every kind of pure and good deed, and are thereby able to penetrate the great Dao (the Way), while those of inferior spiritual capacity indulge in every kind of turbid and evil deed and even laugh at this. Purity is to accord with the Dao and so continue in being; turbidity is to go against the Dao and so move toward perishing. The worthy do not appear worthy, and the foolish do not appear foolish. As for purity and turbidity, worthiness and foolishness, with the passage of time the people of the world will naturally come to know them. The brightness of the sun and moon is not a matter of their seeing their own light; rather, the eyes of everyone under Heaven can see it. As the Jing (scripture/classic) says: “When those of inferior spiritual capacity hear the Dao, they laugh aloud.” That they do so shows precisely that they have not seen clearly what is right.

Question Sixty: What is “shi”?

It was asked again: What is “shi”? The reply was: “Shi” is to follow the Dao—this alone is true “shi”; “fei” is to follow external things—this is the empty and false “fei.” If one understands what is real, one will not cling to what is false; if one understands what the correct Way is, one will not merely talk about what is wrong. To understand the real is to penetrate the Dao with subtle mastery; to understand the correct Way is to penetrate the principle of Heaven with subtle mastery. To understand the Dao is to be able to achieve merit; to understand the principle of Heaven is to be able to achieve De (Virtue/Power) in one’s conduct. Merit is good deeds made plain outwardly; conduct is yin De that stays hidden and unshown. If one privately aids living beings of every bodily form, this is called yang merit; if one secretly relieves all who suffer, this is called yin De. As the Jing says: “Those who deem themselves clear-sighted are not truly clear; those who deem themselves correct do not become illustrious.” If one simply insists on one’s own correctness, clinging to the Dao while responding to external things, calculating and deliberative thoughts will arise.

Asked again, “What does ‘thought’ (si) mean?” The answer: “‘Awakening’ (wu) means understanding the principles of things. If one understands that all things are pure and still and acts accordingly, there will be all manner of good deeds; if the mind is filled with all manner of craving and attachment and one acts accordingly, there will be all manner of evil deeds. Purity and stillness joined with doing good allow one truly to rise and advance; craving and attachment joined with doing evil lead one delusively to sink and perish. If one is without fault while alive, there is no suffering at death; if one has faults while alive, there is suffering at death. The scripture (Jing) says, ‘My words are very easy to understand and also very easy to practice, yet no one in the world can understand or practice them.’ After pondering and recognizing one’s own evil thoughts, one will delusively sink and perish; if one can avoid fault while alive, there is no suffering at death. The scripture says again, ‘My words are very easy to understand and also very easy to practice, yet no one in the world can understand or practice them.’ By pondering and realizing the subtle principle within them, one can forget the entanglements of the secular world.”

The Sixty-Second Question: The World

Asked again, “What does ‘the world’ (shi) mean?” The answer: “‘The world’ means that once a person has fully understood the principles of worldly affairs, one can forget the secular and turn toward the Dao (the Way); one who is lost in the world and cannot understand these principles will cling to the secular and turn away from the Dao. Truly to comprehend the myriad things is to shed the outer shell of being bound by them; to be delusively lost among the myriad things is to remain trapped within that bondage. Truly to escape the bonds of material desire is to accord with the Dao; to be delusively trapped within them is to sink into the world of dust. Dwelling in the Dao, one is not constrained by birth and death; immersed in the world of dust, one is still subject to birth and death. Awakening brings penetrating clarity and wisdom; delusion brings dimness and obscurity. The scripture says, ‘To understand others is a kind of wisdom.’ When a person investigates things to the utmost and goes beyond secular limitations, one can understand the profound and subtle principles within them.”

The Sixty-Third Question: The Subtle

Asked again, “What does ‘the subtle’ (miao) mean?” The answer: “‘The subtle’ means that when one is truly without desire, mind and nature are like a bright, perfectly full moon, able to observe the subtlety of things; when one delusively harbors desire, one’s thoughts are like the faint flicker of a firefly, able only to see minute surface appearances. The bright moon can illuminate the four directions, while the light of a firefly is limited.”

What is miao (subtlety)? Miao means that the heart within is pure and genuine, free of desire, and that one’s mind-nature is bright and full like the bright moon; from this, one observes the subtle aspects of the myriad things. If one falsely harbors desire, the thoughts of the mind are like a firefly that gives off only a faint glow, and what is seen is limited to surface details. The bright moon illuminates the four directions; a firefly illuminates only a single point. One who can illuminate the four directions can comprehend the transformations of the myriad things; one who sees only a single point becomes attached to a single method. One who comprehends transformation can also accommodate what does not accord with the correct Dao (the Way); one who is attached to a single method will instead disparage the correct Dao. To make no distinction of high and low, and to be able to penetrate transformation, is what is correct; to cling while harboring aversion and partiality is what is deviant. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: “Only by being constantly without desire can one observe the subtle; only by constantly having desire can one observe its manifestation.” One who penetrates the subtle principle can see clearly into what is minute.

Sixty-Fourth Question: Wei (the Minute)

It is asked further: What is wei? The reply is: Wei means seeing what is profound and minute, and thereby understanding the Dao; reflecting deeply on the affairs of the world, and thereby comprehending worldly conditions. One who comprehends the Dao can penetrate the affairs of the world in advance; one who comprehends only worldly conditions does not necessarily comprehend the Dao. One who understands principle can guide and support others; one who comprehends worldly conditions can understand the world and yet forget the world, and is therefore held in respect. One who comprehends the Dao, proceeding in accordance with the Dao, can attain comprehensive mastery. One who understands the world and yet forgets the world is a worthy; one who has attained comprehensive mastery can instruct and transform the worthies of the world; the worthy can instruct and transform the foolish of the world. When the foolish come to understand, they become worthies; when the worthies come to understand, they can attain comprehensive mastery. The Jing says: “Subtle and wondrous, mysterious and penetrating, so deep that it cannot be fathomed.” One who grasps the profound and minute principle can understand that the working of the Dao has no fixed boundary.

It is asked again: what does “square” mean?

The reply is that “square” means Heaven and Earth generate the myriad things, yet do not grant special favor because they love anyone, nor inflict harm because they dislike anyone. The Most High (Taishang, the supreme being revered in Daoism) widely bestows grace and delivers all spirits, neither showing partiality because someone is noble nor abandoning anyone because they are lowly. In bringing forth the myriad things, Heaven and Earth evenly spread Qi (vital energy); in saving all spirits, the Most High likewise bestows grace impartially. When the Qi of the myriad things interpenetrates, one can comprehend the profound kindness of Heaven and Earth; when all spirits commune with De (Virtue/Power), one can comprehend the profound virtuous action of the Most High. Heaven and Earth and the sage alike can remain free of partiality, and thus merit and practice reach their highest attainment. The scripture says, “Therefore the sage is upright and square, yet does not wound or cut.” When one truly understands the way of uprightness within one’s own heart, the light of life can become complete.

Question Sixty-Six: Round.

It is asked again: what does “round” mean?

The reply is that “round” refers to the circular light of heaven. In the phases of the moon, the moon is full on the day of the full moon, around the fifteenth of the lunar month, while at month’s end the moonlight is entirely gone. The light of human life likewise waxes and wanes. The scripture says that from conception until the age of sixteen, the light of life is complete; thereafter, through eight periods of eight years, the sequence of the hexagrams is reckoned to its end, and life is exhausted along with it. When the light of heaven is spent, Heaven and Earth have no brightness; when a person’s hexagrams reach their limit, life comes to an end. With few desires, one’s lifespan can be lengthened; with many desires, it readily grows short. Thus Heaven and human beings each have their fullness and their decline.

Without passion or desire, life can be settled; when the mind does not cling to external things, the spiritual nature can move freely. Life communing with spiritual nature is like water meeting earth; spiritual nature communing with life is like earth meeting water. If one constantly practices goodness and brings them into communion, the True Fire—the inner true Qi and the timing of the fire in cultivation—will descend. After refinement through nine reversions, the bodily form can become imperishable. The scripture says, “To see the minute is true clarity.” When the light in its fullness appears, the signs of verification appear with it.

Question Sixty-Seven: Response.

It was asked again: What counts as “correspondence” (ying)? The answer: The formless Dao (the Way) does not accommodate a body that has form, nor does formless nature accommodate rites bound up with feeling. The way of the immortals values what is genuine, and so the Dao corresponds with nature; the worldly way values outward form, and so the body accommodates ritual. To follow nature is to be genuine; to accommodate ritual is to lapse into falsity.

The Way of Heaven holds down what is high and lifts up what is low, yet human practice often reduces the poor and provides for the rich. Follow the Way of Heaven, and one goes against ordinary human feeling; follow ordinary human feeling, and one goes against the Way of Heaven. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: “The highest ritual is performed, yet no one responds.” Only when the Dao corresponds with Wuwei (non-action) does one truly penetrate transformation.

Question Sixty-Eight: Transformation

It was asked again: What is transformation? The answer: Transformation that arises of itself through Wuwei is like the moon reflected in water; false transformation that is deliberately contrived is like a person viewing their own image in a mirror. Understand the transformation of Wuwei, and nature can penetrate through; see only the transformation of youwei (deliberate action), and one is misled by false form and force.

Penetrate the transformation of Wuwei, and one can set aside the delusions bound up with feeling and grasp the reality free of feeling; cling to force and contrivance, and one loses the reality free of feeling. True transformation lets nature penetrate to the Dao; false transformation makes the body covet gain. Penetrate the Dao, and nature is preserved; covet gain, and one harms oneself. The Jing says: “Act in the manner of Wuwei, and there is nothing that is not well governed.” Accord with genuine transformation, and the Dao is not entangled by desire.

Question Sixty-Nine: Feeling

It was asked again: What is feeling (qing)? The answer: Feeling means that, taken at face value, the nature of the Dao is without feeling, while the human body seems to have feeling; the crux lies in clinging.

It was asked again, “What is qing?” The reply was: “Qing means a person’s emotional nature. In one who yields so as to keep the original nature whole, the nature of the Dao (the Way) is without feeling, yet on the surface such a person seems to have feeling. In one who clings to feeling, the nature of the Dao has feeling, yet on the surface such a person seems without feeling. To yield so as to keep the original nature whole, and not be dragged by passion and desire, is to be without leakage; to cling to passion and desire is to suffer leakage. One who yields to preserve the original nature is worthy and wise; one who clings to passion and desire is foolish. To be without leakage and also worthy and wise is to possess the Dao and De (Virtue/Power); to suffer leakage and also be foolish is to be without the Dao and without De. In the genuine state of possessing the Dao, the hun and po souls can be preserved intact; in the clear and penetrating state of possessing De, one can understand the transformations of the myriad things. The scripture says: ‘I am without desire, and the people of themselves become simple; I am without passion, and the people of themselves become pure and still.’ The Dao, being without passion and desire, can preserve what is genuine and does not cling to the things of the world.”

Question Seventy: Wu (Things)

It was asked again, “What are things?” The reply was: A person trapped in the material body is like a fish that has fallen into a net; a person released from the material body is like true nature returning to the Dao. A fish fallen into a net dies once it leaves the water; when true nature returns to the Dao, it lives by leaving the material body. If a fish does not covet the bait, it can remain always in the water; if a person does not covet external things, that person can remain always within the Dao. A fish can live only in water, and a person comes to life only by abiding in the Dao. When a fish meets the radiance of a pearl, it is transformed; when a person obtains the harmonious blending of Qi (vital energy), that person attains free penetration. Both fish and human beings may die through delusion, and may also come to life through awakening. The scripture says: “Heaven’s net is vast; though its mesh is sparse, nothing slips through.” To transcend external things is to be able to forget cunning schemes and calculations.

Question Seventy-One: Ji (Cunning Ingenuity)

It was asked again, “What is ji?” The reply was: “Ji is cunning ingenuity. One without the Dao uses cunning ingenuity to scheme for wealth and harm others so as to secure personal ease; this is called predatory harm. One who has the Dao uses ingenuity to diminish the self and benefit others; this is called blessing. Small wisdom makes people foolish and wicked; great wisdom makes people worthy and good. The foolish go against the Dao of Heaven; the worthy accord with the Dao of Heaven. To go against the Dao of Heaven is for the body and true nature to sink; to accord with the Dao of Heaven is for true nature to rise. Sinking is to move toward the way of turbid Yin; rising is to return to the way of pure Yang (Yin-Yang). The scripture says: ‘The people are hard to govern because their cunning ingenuity is too great.’ Wisdom that accords with what is naturally so and understands the great Dao can free a person from anxiety.”

Question Seventy-Two: Lü (Worry)

Someone asked, “What is ‘worry’?” The reply was: “Lost in the secular world, one gives rise to selfish thoughts and worry; awakened to the Great Dao (the Way), one is without worry. Those who covet and contend turn over every sort of matter in the mind; those whose hearts are pure and whose conduct is good can cut off all manner of worry. In dull ignorance, offenses have no limit; when one clearly understands how things stand, blessings have no limit. If the heart holds no thought of good, one will constantly do evil; if one harbors no thought of evil, one will constantly do good. To do evil constantly is to accumulate offenses; to do good constantly is to accumulate merit. Accumulate offenses, and one must bear the bitterness of Yin; accumulate merit, and one can obtain the joy of Yang (Yin-Yang).

People of the world know only profit, and do not know the harm that lies behind profit; those who cultivate the Dao understand blessing, yet do not covet blessing. The Jing (scripture) says: ‘To know that there is something one does not know is true discernment; not to know that one does not understand, and yet to suppose that one understands, is a fault.’ Cut off scattered worries and do not be pulled about by external things; only then can one draw near to the Great Dao.”

Question Seventy-Three: Qin (Closeness)

Someone asked, “What is ‘closeness’?” The reply was: “What people of the world draw close to is, more often than not, reputation, profit, and false treasures; what those who transcend external things draw close to is the Dao and De (Virtue/Power), and true treasures. Pursuing a false closeness brings reputation and profit, and with them the gain and loss of wealth, favor and disgrace; possessing false treasures may also invite injury from the wicked. Drawing close to the true Dao and De, the heart becomes clear, calm, and at peace; possessing true treasures, one may also suffer encroachment by the good. When what is false benefits the self, it damages one’s original genuineness; when the true Dao and De benefit the self, one lets go of falsity. The Jing says: ‘Reputation and one’s person—which is closer? One’s person and goods—which matters more?’ Draw close to the Great Dao, and external things are no longer so close.”

Question Seventy-Four: Shu (Distance)

Asked again: “What does shu mean?”

The reply was: “Shu means estrangement. Turn away from the turmoil of the dusty world, and one will not grow distant from the great Dao (the Way); turn away from greed for profit, and one will come to no harm; turn away from exalted rank, and one will not sink into lowliness. Commune with the great Dao, and one can penetrate the affairs of the world; remain unharmed in oneself, and one can smoothly manage matters of profit and emolument; do not cling to exaltation, and one can penetrate matters of noble distinction. Penetrate worldly affairs, and goodness returns to oneself; penetrate profit and emolument, and blessing returns to oneself; penetrate matters of honor, and De (Virtue/Power) returns to oneself. Constantly cherish a good heart, and one can commune with the spirits and the luminous; be truly blessed, and one can accord with the Mandate of Heaven; let virtuous conduct reach its utmost, and one can commune with the Way of Heaven.”

The scripture (jing) says: “One cannot regard anyone as especially close, nor regard anyone as especially distant.” Only by not estranging oneself from the original truth of the great Dao can one understand that it endures without ceasing.

Question Seventy-Five: Far

Asked again: “What does yuan mean?”

The reply was: “Yuan means vast and profoundly far. The Dao embraces what is long-enduring and distant; Heaven is high and far, covering the myriad things; Earth is broad and far, bearing the myriad things; the king’s mind is vast and lucid, able to contain what is deep and far. The Dao manifests the myriad ages; Heaven displays the myriad phenomena; Earth nurtures the myriad things; the king brings peace to the myriad people. There is nothing the Dao does not embrace, nothing Heaven does not cover, nothing Earth does not bear, and nothing the king does not contain. Because the Dao can embrace, it is vast; because Heaven can cover, it is vast; because Earth can bear, it is vast; because the king can contain, he is vast.”

The Daodejing says: “What is great is called ‘passing on’; what passes on is called ‘far.’” The Dao is not remote from what is real; accord with the Dao, and it lies close before one’s eyes.

Question Seventy-Six: Near

It was asked again, “What is meant by ‘near’?” The reply was: “What is called ‘near’ means drawing near to people who possess the Dao (the Way), and thereby observing those who have not attained the Dao; drawing near to households that possess the Dao, and thereby observing households that lack good conduct; drawing near to villages and neighborhoods that possess the Dao, and thereby observing villages and neighborhoods that lack good conduct; drawing near to states that possess the Dao, and thereby observing states that have not been well governed; drawing near to a world that possesses the Dao, and thereby observing a world that lacks the Dao. When a person is filial, that person can repay the kindness of his or her parents; when a household practices goodness, it is like Xu Xun and Pang Degong; when a village practices goodness, it cares for the poor and cherishes the elderly; when a state is clear and upright, the people have ample clothing and sufficient food; when the world possesses the Dao, the myriad things ripen and yield abundant harvests. The Jing (scripture/classic) says: ‘Therefore, one must observe the self by means of the self.’ Only when one has understood the Dao can one truly put it into practice.”

Question Seventy-Seven: What is meant by “practice”?

It was asked again, “What is meant by ‘practice’?” The reply was: “What is called ‘practice’ is what the Taishang (a respectful title in Daoism for the highest deity, or for the Great Dao) practices, and it is also an embodiment of the Dao of Heaven. Heaven and Earth do not speak, yet they secretly bestow grace, so that the myriad things are able to grow; the Taishang does not speak, yet secretly carries out the transforming work of De (Virtue/Power), so that every kind of good conduct is put into effect. Heaven and Earth are without words, and grace and good results correspond of themselves; the Taishang is without words, and moral transformation and good conduct get through of themselves. When the myriad things grow and come to maturity, the people become prosperous; when the principles by which the myriad things transform are made clear, the one who cultivates the Dao attains thorough understanding. When the people are prosperous, the state is at peace; when the cultivator attains thorough understanding, that person can rest in ease and refrain from reckless action. When the people are prosperous, each can take up an occupation as scholar, farmer, artisan, or merchant; when the cultivator attains thorough understanding, that person can set forth the Taishang’s Dao of Wuwei (non-action). The Jing says: ‘Practice the teaching that does not speak.’ The Dao does not act with deliberate effort, nor does it cling to merit and accomplishment.”

Question Seventy-Eight: What is meant by “abiding”?

It was asked again, “What is meant by ‘abiding’?” The reply was: “What is called ‘abiding’ means dwelling securely and taking up one’s place. True nature is without passion or desire, and the bodily form abides in the Dao; false passions and desires bind a person, and the body is lodged in the world. The true form merges with the Dao, while the false body comes into contact with external things.”

Someone asked again, “What does ‘dwelling’ mean?” The reply was: “Dwelling” means the place where one abides. True life is without private feeling, and the bodily form rests securely in the Dao (the Way); false life is drawn along by passion and desire, and the flesh merely lodges in the world. The true form communes with the Dao, while the worldly body comes and goes with external things. Truly forgetting the bodily form, one can unite with the Dao; when the flesh responds to the affairs of the world, this is expressed as De (Virtue/Power). When the mind is stirred by passion, confusion arises; when the body withdraws from the world, attachment arises. Where Dao and De are present, there is neither confusion nor attachment; where Dao and De are absent, there is both confusion and attachment. Where Dao and De are truly present, there are the wise and the good; where Dao and De are falsely set aside, there are the foolish and the wicked. The scripture says, “Content in one’s own dwelling, happy in one’s own customs.” To abide for long within the Great Non-Being (Taiwu—the very substance of the Dao, the realm of emptiness) is naturally to be like this.

Question Seventy-Nine: Wei

Someone asked again, “What does ‘wei’ mean?” The reply was: “Wei” means resting at ease within the Three Realms (in Daoism, the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm), revealing the great Dao without being constrained; drifting freely through the four seas, the true nature hidden and not displayed, and without a companion. When the great Dao is unconstrained, it transcends the transformations of Yin-Yang; when the true nature has no companion, it abides amid the azure heavens. The substance of the Dao is neither emptiness nor tangible form and color; the true light neither diminishes nor increases. To penetrate “non-being” is to free oneself from the outer shells of the myriad things; to penetrate “action” is to manifest the radiance of every kind of wisdom. Heaven bestows a great grace yet seems not to have bestowed it; one accumulates great De yet seems to have no virtue worth boasting of—this is called understanding the Way of Heaven. The scripture says, “It is precisely because one does not claim the merit that one does not lose it.” Only delighting in the great Dao and responding as conditions arise is compassion toward all living beings.

Question Eighty: The Multitude

Someone asked again, “What does ‘the multitude’ mean?” The reply was: “The multitude” refers to what people in the world commonly take as settled: they love reputation and profit, and they cling to right and wrong; what I value is forgetting reputation and profit, and not clinging to right and wrong. When worldly people crave reputation, they suffer disgrace; when I forget reputation, there is no disgrace. When worldly people crave profit, they invite calamity; when I forget profit, there is no calamity. When worldly people cling to “right,” they call forth “wrong”; when I do not cling to “right,” there is no “wrong.” When worldly people cling to “wrong,” they fall into fault; when I do not cling to “wrong,” there is no fault. The scripture says, “The multitude are all clear-sighted and discerning; I alone seem dull and dim.”