《太虚心渊篇》

When human nature first manifests, what is received is without any difference: wisdom and numinous nature that are full and vast, clear, bright, and purely genuine. At that time, external things give rise to no evil thoughts, and the dust of the world cannot shroud the mind so that thoughts of transgression sprout. The mind is limpid and luminous, able to turn inward in contemplation. Within, one clings to nothing, yet can calmly illuminate external things; though the forms of those things remain, the mind is not bound by form. Thus one is open and expansive, and every thought returns to empty stillness. Is this not a cause for ease and joy?

Later, people chase external conditions and are drawn along by causes and conditions. They forget what came before and cannot see clearly what is to come; they lose themselves in the dusty world, tangled in care and sorrow, and crave every kind of affair. Through the day they toil for three meals, while thoughts shift in a hundred ways; at night, though they sleep only once, the hun soul and Shen (spirit) seem to wander through myriad scenes. The vital spirit rushes toward the realm of craving, numinous nature is trapped in affliction, and the hun and po souls dance with desire, gradually moving toward death. The mind grows dim, understanding falls into confusion, and one turns away from the path of living vitality. To reach such a point is truly lamentable.

Better, then, to wash body and mind with the “Spiritual Spring” (Lingquan), first watering the roots of goodness, and then to take the boat of the “Dharma Water” (Fashui) and wash away the many kinds of dust that obscure original nature, so that nature becomes pure and lucid again, no longer caught in concern and no longer clinging. In this way mind and nature are complete and without defect, like the autumn moon hung high in the sky; clear through and through, with nothing blocking them, like white clouds drifting from the mountaintop. One then reaches the state of emptiness that does not stagnate and reality without form, so that awakening enters wisdom and one clearly sees the Dao (the Way). This is the realm of purity and stillness. Those who cultivate nature and life can arrive here, contemplating mind with mind and realizing nature through nature. Thus they can reach emptiness that does not stagnate and reality without form, so that awakening enters wisdom and the Dao is clearly seen. The intent of Shen is boundless, and true nature is vast; this realm is indeed worth seeking.

My Nature Having First Arisen

One receives a nature that contains and stores primordial Qi (vital energy). Taiyi (the primordial substance spoken of in Daoism) first appears clear and bright. The root lies in the Great Simplicity (the unadorned state of what is naturally so), and every principle of completeness resides within the mysterious void.

No Difference in What Is Received

The Great Sage holds benevolence and compassion, and deeply grieves for those who have not yet awakened. Living beings bear a heavy karmic burden, and one by one they sink within it.

Irrigating and Rinsing with the Spiritual Spring

A single ladle of clear, still Spiritual Spring can moisten the root of life. When body and mind are irrigated and washed in a subtle way, the sprouts of goodness can grow full and strong.

First Watering the Roots of Goodness

Once a foundation of goodness is in place, one must still bank the soil to protect and nourish it and water it from the spring. When the veins of goodness are moistened, the Spiritual Field (the inner ground in which one cultivates mind and nature and nurtures numinous capacity) flourishes and grows.

Floating on the Dharma Water

Water by nature always flows downward. If one would have it circulate upward, a method must be employed. So long as nothing is blocked, what difficulty is there in the washing?

Washing Away the Various Defilements

When filth clings to the body, it must be washed clean with the Water of the Method (the pure water that symbolizes the methods of cultivation). This Water of the Method pervades the Three Realms (the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm). It is as though, after a single wiping, an expanse of perfect radiance appears.

Cool and Pure, Clear and Thorough

Once the various stains of dust have been washed away, Suchness (the true and unchanging nature of all things) appears especially pure and bright. Benightedness is dispelled; wisdom and awakening reach straight to the source, and the mind within is clear. There is no clinging and no distracting thought, and consciousness no longer stirs and races. What difficulty is there in this?

Washing Away the Various Defilements

When filth clings to the body, it must be washed clean with the Water of the Method. This Water of the Method pervades the Three Realms. It is as though, after a single wiping, an expanse of perfect radiance appears.

Cool and Pure, Clear and Thorough

Once the various stains of dust have been washed away, Suchness appears especially pure and bright. Benightedness is dispelled; wisdom and awakening reach straight to the source, and the mind within is clear. There is no clinging and no distracting thought; consciousness no longer stirs and races, but rests at ease, drawn by nothing. Every confused thought is transformed into a clear pool of spring water.

Complete and Without Lack

The nature of wisdom is restored to wholeness, just as it originally was, and is harmed no further. Where could any deficiency remain? It is bright and white, like ice and frost.

The Autumn Moon Overhead

On an autumn night a pale moon hangs high, its radiance spread across the sky. Heaven and earth are one expanse of pure white, gleaming like jade, untouched by dust.

Clear and Unobstructed

The mind within is clear and pure, and this limpid state cannot be veiled. It is as if a single brushing leaves it clean—where could even a speck of dust remain?

White Clouds Leaving the Summit

Thin cloud-vapor unfurls and drifts, and cloud-mountains like jade peaks slowly rise. If the mind does not cling to the scene before the eyes, from where does the light arise?

Empty Upon Empty, Nowhere Abiding

None of the myriad scenes can be clung to in the mind; one merges, transcendent, into emptiness and stillness. If the mind has nowhere to rest, the Qi (vital energy) of numinous clarity surges vast and mighty, penetrating without obstruction.

True Reality Without Form

Within what has form and marks, the markless appears; the formless principle is lodged in things that have form. The true Dao (the Way) stands towering and present, and has not lost its numinous clarity.

Awakening Enters the Lush Interior

Awakening and thought have both been opened.

True Reality Without Form

Within what has form and marks, the markless appears; the formless principle is lodged in things that have form. The true Dao stands towering and present, and has not lost its numinous clarity.

Awakening Enters the Lush Interior

Awakening and thought open together, flowing through into wisdom. There is no place of darkness; a pure, bright light illuminates True Emptiness.

Clearly Seeing the Great Dao

Within and without, all is bright and transparent; even in the depths, clarity is attained. From this one clearly sees the Great Dao, distinct and unmistakable, like a clear sky set off by white clouds.

Entering the Cool and Pure Realm

Now one enters a clear and bright state, and all before the eyes is limpid. There is no obstruction; the realm is vast and full.

Those who cultivate nature and life—what Daoism means by body and mind together with life itself—can reach a state such as this.

One who truly understands the subtle principles of cultivation can stand amid the scramble to cross over and yet not lose the way. The myriad things arise from a single principle, and the Great Dao (the Way) naturally runs through them all.

Observing the Mind with the Mind

When the thoughts of ordinary people are thoroughly illumined, one understands that the thoughts of others and one’s own thoughts communicate with each other. The mind thereby gains freedom, and a vast light shines through all emptiness.

Seeing Nature with Nature

Contemplating original nature with wisdom, one meets with neither concealment nor obstruction and stands beyond the distinction between things and self. With no stray thoughts in the mind, one can clearly behold true emptiness—in the Daoist context, the realm that transcends concrete forms.

Shen (spirit), Too, Is Vast and Indistinct

Once one has realized the substance of divine luminosity—the original body of the inner divinity—one knows that it is profound and subtle, the same as original nature. Holding to this realization, one does not, over the long course, fall into attachment to “emptiness.”

The True, Too, Is Boundless

All things contain the Qi (vital energy) of harmonious balance, the peaceful and well-attuned primordial breath. In essence there is no difference of high and low. If one clings to the distinction between great and small, one drifts ever farther from the true Dao.

Round and Round, the Great Scallion

What marvelous wisdom perceives is spiritually penetrating and far-reaching; to remain unobscured is truly rare. If one can be perfectly complete and fully endowed, great awakening is held within. This comes closest to the natural, original state.

The True Numen, Bright and Clear

The true numen is as pure as the bright moon of an autumn night, and its spiritual light is vast and expansive. So long as it is not obscured, it is as clear and brilliant as the moon hanging in the sky.

Evil Seeds Do Not Sprout

When true wisdom is thoroughly manifested and delusion is uprooted completely, awakening is naturally lucid. Where there is no place for an evil thought to arise, how could the seed of evil ever sprout?

The Shoots of Wrongdoing Are Not Concealed

Within and without one is pure and upright, without flaw, and spiritual light is clear both on the surface and within. Even if there were a speck of defilement, how could it hide the first shoots of transgression?

Looking Inward, My Mind Is No-Mind

When the original mind is thoroughly discerned, one knows that the mind has no fixed, unchanging substance. Returning to the realm of stillness, one does not let the slightest thought come to disturb it.

Reflecting Outward, the Forms of Things Are Formless

True form is originally without any fixed form; how could shapes in the dusty world remain forever unchanged? Contemplating with impartial light, one understands that things and self ultimately return to one whole.

Open and Unbounded

True nature meets with none of the various obstructions; it is at ease and unhurried, following what is natural. Neither set back nor constrained, the state of mind is open and clear—where, then, would there be a boundary?

The Myriad Cares Return to Emptiness

The cares of the dusty world are in the end like illusions; once the distinctions of one and another are laid down, they all return to empty stillness. Only a single thought of limpid clarity remains, like moonlight falling upon a deep green pool.

Is This Not Joy?

The moods of the world and its vain honors are fit only to satisfy a moment’s joy, anger, sorrow, and delight. True nature is originally just so, natural and spontaneous—neither set back nor constrained, the state of mind open and clear—where, then, would there be a boundary?

The Myriad Cares Return to Emptiness

The cares of the dusty world are in the end like illusions; once the distinctions of one and another are laid down, they all return to empty stillness. Only a single thought of limpid clarity remains, like moonlight falling upon a deep green pool.

The sundry thoughts of the dusty world are, in the end, all illusory. When a person no longer clings to self and other or to distinctions, all may return together into empty stillness. If one can but harbor a single thought of pure clarity, it is like the bright moon shining on an emerald pool.

Is this not worth rejoicing over?

The moods of ordinary life and the splendor of vanity can at most satisfy the seven emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire). Only when true nature actually appears is there a joy beyond words.

Chasing Conditions and Amassing Causes

Nothing weighs more heavily than clinging to causes and conditions. The more deeply one pursues those conditions, the heavier the karma one creates. Innate nature is thereby obscured, and is further assailed by the six dusts (external sensations such as form, sound, fragrance, taste, touch, and mental objects).

Indulging in the Dust and Grieving over Kin

Long attachment to family affection, and immersion in sorrow, injure one’s inner peace. If one cannot keep to purity and stillness and guard oneself, vexations only multiply.

The Mind Changing in a Hundred Ways

Faced with external things, one gives rise to clever calculation; when affairs arise, the mind shifts in every way. These thoughts all begin within a square inch, yet they can deeply enslave body and mind.

The Soul Wandering through Ten Thousand Scenes

Dreams are inverted and disordered, and the hun and po souls seem to roam among myriad scenes. Body and mind grow heavy and stagnant as iron and stone, and the face loses its vitality; fear, in the end, settles into emptiness. (Here the sense of “iron and face” is unclear; this reading follows the wording literally.)

Letting the Shen (spirit) Race through the Land of Craving

The hun and po are unsettled and spiritual vitality weakens, while the Shen races into the realm of sensual desire. Even one who has both wisdom and awareness is lured by sight and sound, and true nature is gradually left to waste.

Bearing the Numen in the Realm of Vexation

True nature is buried, and sorrow and vexation carry a person’s numinous faculty, causing it to shift with circumstances. In this way that faculty follows external things wherever they lead—how, then, can it return to the realm of the profound and wondrous source?

The Hun Sings and the Po Dances

The power of clear discernment is exhausted, and in the end everything is given over to the pull of the hun and po. Day and night there is singing, dancing, and play, and one sinks into deviant and crooked pursuits.

Led to Rush down the Path of Death

Unwilling to walk the true path of cultivation, one is content to take the road that leads to death. The Lingyuan, the Qi (vital energy) at the source of life, is scattered with every change of circumstance—how, then, can one return to the realm of the profound and wondrous source?

The Hun Sings and the Po Dances

The power of clear discernment is exhausted, and in the end everything is given over to the pull of the hun and po. Day and night there is singing, dancing, and play, and one sinks into deviant and crooked pursuits.

Led to Rush down the Path of Death

Unwilling to walk the true path of cultivation, one is content to take the road that leads to death. When the Lingyuan is exhausted, the yin po (the soul on the yin side) instead finds room to stretch and grow active.

The Mind Dimmed and Consciousness Astray

Consciousness is veiled, dull and unclear, and falls into confusion. When passion stands like a mountain and love and desire spread like a sea, one can no longer ascend to the true Dao (the Way).

Turning One’s Back on the Path of Life

Light turns to darkness—does one still not know that one has turned away from the path of life? The Three Primes (three kinds of primordial Qi, or fundamental powers, in the human body or the cosmos) and the Seven Treasures (important factors of body and mind in Daoist Neidan, or internal alchemy) are left to be seized and disturbed by the Eight Deviations (eight kinds of error and departure from the right path).

Truly to Be Lamented

If one would enter the realm of Wuwei (non-action), the true prime must return to unity. Perfect radiance is vast without bound; reaching great awakening, one can penetrate the profound and wondrous Dao.

To Have Attained It

After turning away from the false and bringing true nature to completion, one must still enter emptiness by way of the true. Only this counts as truly having attained something; beyond it, there is no other efficacy.