《太上老君說常清靜經註(一)》

This is the opening commentary section of the Taoist classic Taishang Laojun Shuo Chang Qingjing Jing (The Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture on Constant Purity and Stillness), annotated by the Yuan dynasty Taoist master Li Daochun (Daoist name Yingchanzi). The main content explains the fundamental nature and characteristics of the Dao (the Way):

Laozi said: The Great Dao has no form, yet it gives birth to heaven and earth; the Dao has no emotions, yet it moves the sun and moon; the Dao has no name, yet it nourishes all things. Not knowing its name, we reluctantly call it "Dao."

The moment we speak of "the Dao that can be spoken of," it is no longer the eternal Dao. Since it cannot be spoken of, why then name it "Dao"? In truth, even this single word "Dao" is already speaking of it. It cannot be seen when looked at, heard when listened to, touched when grasped, or used when employed. Vague and indistinct, it belongs neither to sound nor form, elusive and hard to grasp. If one clings to sounds and forms to understand it, this is insufficient to know the true Dao; if one treats it as something fixed and unchanging, it cannot respond to transformation.

Though the Dao has no form, we perceive its shape through heaven and earth's procreation; though the Dao has no emotions, we observe its function through the movements of sun and moon; though the Dao has no name, we establish its designation through the growth of all things. The Yijing (Book of Changes) states: "In heaven it forms celestial phenomena, on earth it forms terrestrial shapes—thus change and transformation become manifest." Is this not the form of the Dao? It also says: "Thunder drums, wind and rain moisten, sun and moon revolve, cold and heat alternate"—is this not the function of the Dao? Moreover: "The Dao of Qian (Heaven) completes the male, the Dao of Kun (Earth) completes the female"—is this not the name of the Dao? Originally nameless, the sages reluctantly called it "Dao" to penetrate the transformations of all things under heaven and unite diverse paths, like a broad, straight highway.

The Dao has clarity and turbidity, movement and stillness: heaven is clear while earth is turbid; heaven moves while earth is still; males are clear while females are turbid; males move while females are still. From root to branch, it transforms and generates all things. Clarity is the source of turbidity; movement is the foundation of stillness. If humans can maintain purity and stillness, all things between heaven and earth will return to the Dao.

Before the separation of primordial chaos, the principles of movement and stillness already existed; after the division of clarity and turbidity, the mechanisms of movement and stillness began operating. The clear and light ascended to form heaven; the turbid and heavy descended to form earth. As heaven and earth open and close, yin and yang interact, movement and stillness alternate endlessly, thus forming the four seasons and generating all things. Among heaven, earth, and the myriad creatures, humans are the most noble, being the most spiritually endowed of all beings.

This passage discusses the importance of “clarity and stillness” in Daoist cultivation and how curbing desire can lead to unity with the Dao (the Way).

Men model themselves on Heaven (Yang), and women on Earth (Yin). Men belong to clarity, women to turbidity, like the rising and descending movements of Heaven and Earth. Men take the active role, women the still one, like the opening and closing transformations of Heaven and Earth. Heaven and Earth mingle, and the myriad things come into being. From root to branch, life continues without end. The Most High Lord Lao (the highest deity in Daoism) first says that “the formless, feelingless, and nameless” is the beginning of Heaven and Earth, then says that “movement and stillness” are the mother of the myriad things. Understand that these two are the same in essence and differ only in name, and you can see that clarity and turbidity are one, and movement and stillness are not truly distinct.

A person’s Original Spirit, or innate consciousness, naturally loves purity and stillness, but is disturbed by acquired thoughts. The human mind naturally loves quiet, but is pulled along by desire. If desire can be cast aside, the mind will naturally grow quiet; if thoughts are cleared, the spirit will naturally become pure. Then the six desires—those of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—will not arise, and the three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion will be dispelled.

Those who cultivate the Dao use the Dao to restrain desire rather than letting desire control them. Their Original Spirit becomes clear and bright, and their mind peaceful. The Great Dao mingles with the spirit and Qi, circulating among Heaven, Earth, and humanity—the Three Powers—and responding without limit to the transformations of the myriad things. If desire takes control, they lose their Dao-centered mind and become constrained by fame, profit, and external things. Their hearts suffer, and their minds and spirits lose their purity.

By continually keeping desire in check, one can return to the unmoving original mind. When the original mind is still, it naturally becomes clear and bright, restoring its innate state of purity and stillness. This is like the principle expressed in the Classic of Changes: “A lake beneath a mountain.” A noble person should restrain anger and curb desire.

Those who cannot do this have not yet cleared their minds or cast off desire. Those who can cast off desire look inward at the mind and find no distracting thoughts; look outward at the body and find no attachments; and look from afar at the myriad things and find no distinctions. Grasping these three, they can perceive the realm of emptiness and clarity.

The Most High Lord Lao says, “Clarity and stillness are the standard for all under Heaven.” This “standard” means impartiality and freedom from self-interest. Only Heaven’s impartial principle can overcome the extreme selfishness of human desire. People in the world do not attain the Dao, not because they cannot, but because they are unwilling.

This passage elucidates a cultivation method for attaining serenity through the practice of "forgetting the self." The core principle involves liberation from the delusions of material desires, achieved through three key practices:

First, one must forget the self. Inwardly, this means forgetting all distracting thoughts; outwardly, it requires forgetting the physical body's existence while distancing oneself from external temptations. When these three—thoughts, body, and external objects—are all forgotten, one returns to the Heavenly Principle (natural law), embodying the meaning of the "Gen" hexagram (symbolizing cessation) in the Book of Changes. As the Yi Jing states: "When cessation is applied to the back (metaphor for stopping outward pursuits), one no longer clings to the body; walking in the courtyard yet seeing no one (symbolizing transcendence of external distractions), no error will arise."

This aligns with Laozi's teaching that "the greatest fault lies in desire." When one sees through the illusory nature of material cravings, the serene original nature manifests.

Further, one contemplates that even "emptiness" is itself empty. When not even the concept of "emptiness" remains, nor the notion of "nothingness," the mind enters a state of crystalline stillness. This tranquility is not lifeless inertia but rather the spirit merging with and transcending the void. True stillness is not motionlessness but maintaining an unmoved inner nature amidst external phenomena. Attaining this state allows one to preserve constant serenity while engaging with all affairs.

Through sustained practice, one gradually awakens to the true Dao. Though we speak of "attaining the Dao," nothing is actually obtained—this phrasing exists solely to guide sentient beings. Only those who truly comprehend this principle can transmit the sages' way.

In summary: Taking absolute stillness as the foundation and responsive adaptability as the wondrous function constitutes true serenity. Essence and function are fundamentally one; this is the state manifested through such realization.

This scripture elucidates the different stages of cultivation and essential principles for Daoist practitioners:

On the true meaning of "attaining the Dao (de dao)": Genuine realization of the Dao is an ineffable state. The term "attaining the Dao" is merely a provisional expression - if one clings to the notion of obtaining some concrete thing, one fundamentally misses the Great Way (Da Dao). The sages, concerned that ordinary people wouldn't comprehend the mutual transformation of "being" (you) and "non-being" (wu), employed this phrase to guide practitioners gradually along the path. The highest realization is silently achieved and self-evident beyond words.

Three levels of cultivation:

1. Superior practitioners (shangshi) do not contend with others, for true Virtue (De) requires no deliberate display. They conceal their Virtue, maintain humility, and never boast. Precisely because they do not compete, no one in the world can contend with them. This embodies the profound meaning of "supreme Virtue appears as non-Virtue" (shang de bu de).

2. Average practitioners (xiashi) delight in competition, constantly inflated with self-importance. They cling to minor virtuous acts as personal achievements. This very attitude reveals their failure to comprehend genuine Dao and Virtue.

The danger of delusive mind (wangxin):

The primary obstacle preventing beings from realizing the Dao is the "delusive mind" - the false discriminating consciousness. Once this arises, it:

• Disturbs the primordial spirit (shen, one's innate spiritual nature)
• Creates attachment to external things
• Generates craving
• Gives rise to afflictions
• Leads to physical and mental suffering

Ultimately trapping one in the bitter sea of birth and death, forever severed from the true Dao.

Essential cultivation method:

Ancient practitioners taught to "constantly extinguish the delusive mind while preserving the illuminating mind (zhaoxin)":

• Delusive mind: All restless, fluctuating thoughts
• Illuminating mind: The unwavering awareness that perceives without distortion

When delusive thoughts sprout, one becomes entangled in distinctions of right/wrong, good/evil. The crucial initial thought determines subsequent honor/shame, gain/loss. If cultivators fail to restrain the delusive mind, they develop various attachments that ultimately lead to:

• Defiled paths
• Misfortune
• Falling into evil destinies

All originating from that first delusive thought.

The practitioner must be most cautious in handling initial thoughts. If one is not careful from the very beginning, how could there possibly be a favorable outcome? When delusional thoughts (false and insubstantial mental formations) first arise, one often fails to notice them. At this point, the Original Spirit (Xian Tian Shen, the innate true consciousness) becomes dominated by acquired consciousness, which in turn is pulled by external phenomena. If one indulges the desires of the Three Corpses (in Daoism, these are three troublemaking spirits within the body: the upper corpse craves adornments, the middle corpse craves flavors, and the lower corpse craves lust) and becomes disturbed by the Six Desires (those corresponding to the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind), how could one avoid being entangled by external things?

Once entangled by external phenomena, grasping arises. With the emergence of grasping, afflictions and delusional thoughts follow. These delusions intertwine, making liberation impossible, ultimately leading to a life bound by sorrow and suffering, subjected to defilement and disgrace, drifting through the cycles of birth and death, forever sinking in the sea of suffering, losing the True Dao (the primordial Great Way). How lamentable this is! Thus we say that delusional thoughts are the root of samsara.

The reason sentient beings cannot attain the Dao lies in their failure to extinguish delusional thoughts. Only those who awaken can realize the eternally abiding Great Dao. Those who attain the Dao can constantly maintain purity and clarity.

Our present bodies also arise from delusional thoughts. With this body come various emotional attachments, and with attachments come sorrow and suffering. As delusions multiply, cause and effect perpetuate, directly plunging one into samsara. This endless cycle of rebirth—without beginning or end—is the condition of all worldly beings. Only those awakened to the Dao can maintain the Illuminating Mind (Zhao Xin, the wisdom-mind that contemplates intrinsic nature), seeing through all conditioned phenomena as empty illusions, remaining unstained and unbound by them.

When the Illuminating Mind remains constantly present, the deluded mind loses its power. Through sustained cultivation, when practice matures, one will inevitably reach a state of crystalline purity. Those who realize this have attained the True Eternal Dao. What we call the "Illuminating Mind" is in fact the Heavenly Mind (the original mind united with the Dao), and "True Eternity" means freedom from delusion. Fully awakening to this original mind restores the non-deluded mind and accomplishes the non-deluded Dao. As the Yi Jing says: "Returning, one sees the mind of Heaven and Earth"—this is precisely that state. At this stage, even the subtlest thoughts can be detected beforehand.

Upon reaching the realm of Suchness Unmoving (absolute stillness beyond motion and stillness) and Constant Clear Knowing (ever-present luminous awareness), achieving supreme awakening and spiritual clarity, constant purity and stillness, the True Eternal Dao is fully revealed. Only sages can realize this state.