《道樞》Vol. 2

The Pivot of the Dao, Volume Two: “Sitting in Oblivion,” Part One (Modern Interpretation)

The heart-mind is the master of the whole person and the commander of Shen (spirit and spiritual awareness). When the heart-mind is still, wisdom arises; when it stirs recklessly, confusion follows. At the start of learning the Dao (the Way), one must first gather the heart-mind and leave behind distracting circumstances, entering emptiness, stillness, and freedom from attachment. Only then can one accord with the Dao.

Simply “holding the heart-mind in emptiness,” fixing one’s gaze on an empty state, does not count as true “abiding nowhere.” If the heart-mind keeps grasping at “something,” it grows weary and Qi (vital energy) dissipates; illness often begins this way. Praise and blame, good and evil, pass by the ears. If the heart-mind takes them in, it becomes clogged; once it is full, the Dao has nowhere to dwell. To hear as if one had not heard, and see as if one had not seen, letting praise and blame, good and evil, leave no trace in the heart-mind—this is called an empty heart-mind. Only when it is empty can the heart-mind be at peace; when it is at peace, the Dao comes of itself.

The heart-mind is like the eye: who could remain at ease with even the tiniest speck in it? Cattle and horses are domestic animals; if left untended, they roam and become hard to control. Eagles and hawks are wild birds; once tethered, they gradually grow tame. Our heart-mind is the same.

The wonder of the practice lies in being able to carry it out, not in being able to talk about it. To dwell among all things without being stained by them, and to meet events without becoming confused—that is the true flavor of the Great Dao. People may think the Dao is difficult to enter, yet they do not realize that embroidered silk begins with plain thread, a crane that soars to the sky begins by feeding as a chick, and a great tree that blocks the sun begins as a tiny shoot.

Doing things too extravagantly harms wisdom and strength; exerting oneself too much harms the body and spirit. Anyone who used the Marquis of Sui’s pearl to strike at a sparrow a thousand feet up would be laughed at. How much more foolish, then, to abandon virtue and take life lightly in pursuit of things one does not need, injuring oneself in the process?

What throws my person into disorder is like a band of thieves. The means to guard against them are these: rectify the heart-mind as a warrior would; observe through wisdom as one wields a sharp weapon; cast off all external burdens as if winning a battle; and remain calm, clear, and joyful, as though honored with rank and reward. To refuse this kind of self-observation is like abandoning one’s armor and fleeing when the enemy appears, only to suffer the consequences.

Thus, Samadhi (a mind settled on one thing, free from distraction and disorder) is the first foundation for attaining the Dao, the fruit of practicing stillness, and the ultimate state of maintaining peace. Zhuangzi says, “When the vastness is settled, the light of Heaven shines forth.” What does this mean? “Vastness” refers to the heart-mind; “the light of Heaven” refers to wisdom. When emptiness and stillness reach their utmost, the Dao dwells within, and wisdom arises from it. Wisdom is already part of my own nature; it is not something forcibly added from outside.

The title “Sitting in Oblivion” comes from Zhuangzi. It refers to sitting quietly and forgetting attachments, continuing the same thread as the gathering of the heart-mind, the empty heart-mind, Samadhi, and emptiness and stillness discussed above.

The heart clouded by craving and attachment becomes confused, scattered, and lost, yet remains unaware of its own state. If one can wash away the dust and grime and renew the heart, one can return to purity and stillness.

The spirit is empty and all-embracing. It embodies Heaven and responds to change; when form and the Dao become one, there is neither life nor death. When hidden, form is like spirit; when manifest, spirit is like Qi. Thus one can walk through water and fire unharmed, stand before the sun and moon without casting a shadow, and control one’s own presence and departure, coming and going without obstruction.

Yet the Way of emptiness has degrees of depth. At its deepest, it encompasses the body; at a shallower level, it reaches only the heart. What encompasses the body is spirit; what reaches only the heart is perceptive awareness. Perceptive awareness cannot prevent the body from declining and perishing. Why? Wisdom is the heart’s illuminating function, and using it too much exhausts the body. When one first gains such wisdom, one may become delighted and fond of debate; the spirit and Qi then leak outward, and one may instead join the ranks of those who undergo corpse liberation. Therefore, the great person holds in the light and conceals its brilliance, gathers the spirit and returns it to what is real. With spirit united with the Dao, body and heart follow the Dao. Then the six senses are fully open: the body is always present, and the heart is unobstructed in every matter.

As the saying goes: “Where a mountain contains jade, its plants and trees do not wither; when a person carries the Dao within, the body remains firm forever.”

The subtle key to this lies in sitting in oblivion. Those who cultivate the Dao and attain realization must first cast aside crooked and improper conduct. Let external affairs leave the heart undisturbed. Sit upright and observe within; when a thought arises, let it cease. But one must extinguish the agitated heart, not the illuminating heart; gather the empty heart, not the heart attached to things.

Those who wish to follow this path should receive three precepts. The first is to simplify one’s dealings: choose what matters and cast off what is troublesome. As the scripture says, “With little, one gains; with much, one is confused.” The second is to be free of desire and cut off craving. As the scripture says, “Always be without desire, and you can observe its subtlety.” The third is to quiet the heart and stop its restless wandering. As the scripture says, “Remove the grime, still thought, quiet the heart, and hold to the One.”

When the heart is empty and free of desire, one need not seek the Dao; the Dao will return of its own accord. The essential point is this: when involved in affairs and amid clamor, consciously settle the heart; whether busy or idle, remain as though without a heart; in quiet or in noise, keep the will focused on one thing alone. To rein in the heart too tightly leads to illness and madness. If the heart does not move, one must let it be and give it room. Apply restraint in the right measure and continually adjust yourself. Govern the heart without clinging; release it without letting it waver. This is true stillness. Even so, do not rely on stillness as a way to seek more.

A Plain-Language Reading of The Pivot of the Dao (Dao Shu)

Stillness and Wisdom: The Five Stages and Seven Signs

In your work and dealings with others, be like water and a mirror: when something appears, reflect it as it is. Do not resist or cling to it. That is the way to act.

If you force yourself to seek wisdom while in stillness, you will undermine that stillness. If stillness becomes too rigid, wisdom will fail to arise. Do not deliberately seek wisdom while cultivating stillness; wisdom will emerge on its own. A person who has attained the Dao may be distinguished by five stages of the mind and seven signs of the body, which mark different levels of depth.

What are the five stages? When activity is frequent and stillness rare, this is the first stage. When activity and stillness are equal, this is the second. When stillness is frequent and activity rare, this is the third. When there is nothing to attend to, one is still; when something arises, one acts. This is the fourth. When one is in deep accord with the Dao, even being stirred by events causes no disturbance. This is the fifth.

What are the seven signs? When every movement accords with the proper time and one’s expression is calm and harmonious, this is the first sign. When old illnesses have all disappeared and body and mind feel light, this is the second. When injuries to one’s natural endowment are restored, youth renewed, and life restored to its origin, this is the third. When one’s lifespan is extended for ten thousand years, one is called an immortal. This is the fourth. When the body is refined into Qi (vital energy), one is called a perfected person. This is the fifth. When Qi is refined into Shen (spirit), one is called a spiritual person. This is the sixth. When Shen is refined and joined with the Dao, one is called a supreme person. This is the seventh.

Sitting in Oblivion

Tian Yinzi says: People receive numinous energy; when it makes them perceptive and clear-minded, with nothing obstructing their learning, this is called Shen (spirit). When Shen is settled within and illuminates the outside, this is called becoming an immortal. Numinous energy must not be worn down or damaged by worldly life; only then can it be preserved and nurtured.

Joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, desire, and aversion are distortions of emotion. Wind, cold, heat, dampness, hunger, fullness, toil, and ease are distortions of Qi. To remove these distortions is to draw near to becoming an immortal.

Simplicity and ease are the way of Heaven and Earth: Heaven is above our heads, Earth beneath our feet, and we dwell between them and can perceive them. Thus simplicity and ease are called the virtue of the spirits and immortals.

Those who study the Dao but delight in extravagant talk and strange theories, clinging to delusion without returning, are not pursuing the right learning. There are precedents for people who studied Qi only to be harmed by it, and for people who studied immortality only to become deluded by it. The Dao must be studied gradually, through five approaches: first, purification and discipline; second, settling oneself in a suitable place; third, visualization; fourth, sitting in oblivion; and fifth, spiritual insight.

What is purification and discipline? Cleanse the body and empty the mind. Purification means cleanliness and calm; discipline means restraint and frugality. Eat when hungry and stop when full; do not indulge the appetite. Put on clothes when cold and remove them when hot; do not let cold or heat trouble you. Balance exertion with rest, and do not overstrain the body and Qi. In this way, the mind will not be disturbed and one’s resolve will not scatter. This is the first task in studying the Dao.

(The following sections proceed in order through settling oneself in a suitable place, visualization, sitting in oblivion, and spiritual insight.)

Note: Specialized terms such as the Five Stages, the Seven Signs, sitting in oblivion, and spiritual insight are briefly indicated in parentheses or by the context. For comparison with the full text, readers should consult the original Pivot of the Dao and commentaries on Daoist Neidan (internal alchemy) and sitting in oblivion.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of The Pivot of the Dao

Food and Health

Do not eat until you are full; this is what is meant by “regulating the center.” Do not eat food that is undercooked, food that has spoiled and can obstruct the flow of Qi, or food in which the five flavors are too strong. Do not sit, stand, or work for too long, and do not remain idle for too long. Rub your hands together often until they grow warm, then press them against your skin to dispel cold Qi. This is what is meant by “letting the exterior flow freely.” In this way, the body grows strong and Qi can reach where it needs to go.

Settling In: How to Arrange the Mind, Body, and Home

What does “settling in” mean? Sit facing south, and sleep with your head toward the east. Your home should have a balance of Yin and Yang. If it is too high, Yang Qi will be abundant and the rooms too bright; too much brightness harms the Po (the Yin aspect of the soul). If it is too low, Yin Qi will be abundant and the rooms too dark; too much darkness harms the Hun (the Yang aspect of the soul). When these are harmed, illness arises. How much more should we be concerned about the Qi of Heaven and Earth? Excessive Yang Qi can burn the skin, while excessive Yin Qi can invade the body. Should we not be careful?

That is why my home has windows on all sides. When the wind rises, I close them; when it dies down, I open them. There should be curtains or blinds at the front and a screen at the back. If the room is too bright, lower the curtains or blinds to soften the light. If it is too dark, raise them to let the light in. This settles my mind within and my eyes without. When mind and eyes are settled, the body is settled too. We can imagine what happens to those who indulge their desires and worry excessively: they cannot settle either their inner or outer selves.

Inner Contemplation: Contemplating Spirit and Body

What is “inner contemplation”? To “preserve” is to preserve my spirit; to “contemplate” is to contemplate my body. How is this done? Close your eyes, and you can see your own eyes; gather your mind, and you can see your own mind. Let neither mind nor eyes stray from the body, and do not harm the spirit. This is a gradual practice.

Most people spend all day looking at others, while their minds run outward; they spend all day dealing with external affairs, while their eyes look outward too. Their attention flits about on the surface, never truly turning back to themselves. How could they avoid illness and an early death? Thus the Laozi says, “Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called returning to one’s destiny.” When one’s destiny is restored, one’s nature is fulfilled. This is the gateway to all wonders.

Sitting in Oblivion: From Contemplation to Forgetting

What is “sitting in oblivion”? Through inner contemplation, one gains insight; through inner contemplation, one also comes to forget. To follow the Dao without seeing oneself as following it—is this not the meaning of “sitting”? To see without acting on what one sees—is this not the meaning of “oblivion”? “Not acting” means that the mind does not stir; “not seeing” means that form has entirely dissolved, along with the mind that makes distinctions.

Someone asked, “Is there a way to keep the mind from stirring?” The Master of Hidden Heaven remained silent and did not answer. The person then asked, “Is there a way for form to dissolve?” The Master of Hidden Heaven closed his eyes and did not look.

The Treatise on Sitting in Forgetfulness (Continued)

After someone had a realization, they said, “The Dao is within my heart.” What, then, does “spiritual understanding” mean? Purification corresponds to understanding through faith: without faith, one cannot truly understand. Settling into one’s place corresponds to understanding through concentration: when the mind is unsettled, understanding is impossible. Visualization corresponds to understanding through quietude: when the mind is not quiet and at ease, understanding is impossible. Sitting in Forgetfulness corresponds to understanding through wisdom: without a wise heart, understanding is impossible. Only when all four are fully realized through the spirit can one speak of “spiritual understanding.” When the spirit encompasses the Three Powers of Heaven, Earth, and humanity, it is called the Yi; when it makes all things equal, it is called the Dao; when it is rooted in the One Nature, it is called the True.

The Hidden Master of the Celestial One said: “Are we born within the Yi and die within the Yi, moved by the myriad things and stilled by the myriad things? Or do we come from the True of the One Nature, and from the One Nature itself?” I understand all of this through the spirit: whether in human form, on land, or in water, one can become an immortal. To be able to transform and to communicate freely is called being a divine immortal.

After reading his book, Master Zhengyi realized: “I am different from them. My ‘simplicity and ease’ means Wuwei (non-action), through which nothing is left undone. My ‘gradual progress’ means preserving one’s nature and keeping one’s life aligned with the right course, advancing day by day. This is the Way of gradual progress. Practices such as purification may also be cultivated alongside it.”

The Lower Section of the Treatise on Sitting in Forgetfulness

Master Zhiyou said: “I have encountered three accounts of the teaching on Sitting in Forgetfulness. The best is the account of Master Zhengyi (Sima Chengzhen, a renowned Tang dynasty Daoist). I recently came across a Daoist named Zhao Jian who wrote a seven-part Treatise on Sitting in Forgetfulness. Its subject matter is elaborate and its text long, though its meaning is simple and its wording persuasive. Readers must puzzle over its passages and memorize their order. This might be called ‘galloping while seated,’ but it is not the Sitting in Forgetfulness I mean.

“I heard my former teacher say that Sitting in Forgetfulness is the foundation of long life. Thus, Summoning the True refines the body: when the body is purified, it joins with Qi. Embracing the Dao refines Qi: when Qi is purified, it joins with Shen. When body and Dao merge, this is called attaining the Dao. The True is the root of the Dao. Therefore, one must clarify the spirit in order to accord with the True.

“Zhuangzi said, ‘When the mind is vast and still, celestial light emerges.’ ‘Vastness’ refers to the mind; ‘celestial light’ refers to the illumination of wisdom. First settle the mind; then let wisdom’s illumination arise from within, shine upon the myriad realms, and bring about emptiness and forgetfulness, until the mind dissolves into stillness. This is called Sitting in Forgetfulness.

“Laozi said, ‘If I had no body, what troubles could I have?’ To have no body does not mean rejecting this physical body. It means uniting one’s being with the Great Dao, not chasing honor and rank or striving for advancement, remaining calm and free of desire, and forgetting this dependent body.”

Note: “Master Zhengyi” usually refers to Sima Chengzhen. “Sitting in Forgetfulness” is a Daoist method of quiet cultivation that accords with the Dao through forgetting the body and mind. “Summoning the True” and “Embracing the Dao” are terms for stages in the inner refinement of body, Qi, and spirit.

Plain-Language Interpretation of Daoshu

Scripture

Longevity is therefore a state in which both spirit and body are preserved. Heaven and Earth are contained within the Changes (Yi); if Heaven and Earth were destroyed, the Changes could no longer appear. The body is the dwelling place of one’s nature. If the body is ruined, nature has nowhere to remain. To cultivate spirit alone without cultivating the body is like tearing down a house and then sleeping outside.

Someone asked, “When a person’s life comes to an end, if their awareness remains upright, can their spirit transcend to the true realm?” Master Zhengyi replied, “That is not the most correct teaching. People of great virtue may believe they have forgotten themselves and erased all distinctions between right and wrong. Yet when they see what is bad, they still frown; when they see what is good, they still rejoice. They are still moved by good and evil. How much more so when they are confused at the moment of death? I have never seen anyone then escape being led astray by all manner of malign forces.

“Some whose awareness transformed into insentience became like the Qin maiden who turned to stone. Others whose awareness transformed into that of an animal became like Huang, who turned into a softshell turtle. From this we can see that awareness is shaped and formed by Yin-Yang. How could it establish itself on its own? This is why it matters to preserve body and spirit together.

“Today, some people know that honor and rank are illusory and understand that life and death are one continuous process. Yet when death approaches, they seek doctors and pray to ghosts. Why? Because they have not truly achieved Zuowang (sitting in forgetfulness). To forget is to forget all circumstances: first see through all delusions, then settle the mind. Above the settled mind there is sudden openness, with nothing to cover it; below it there is emptiness, with no foundation. Even when nothing can disturb it and wisdom arises, one may still be subject to Yin-Yang’s shaping. One must rely on the Golden Elixir to ascend and transform, enter the formless, and pass beyond the workings of transformation. Only then can Yin-Yang be brought under one’s control.”

Note: This chapter discusses cultivating body and spirit together, the difficulty of settling awareness, and the relationship between Zuowang and the Golden Elixir. Specialized terms such as Heaven and Earth, Master Zhengyi, Zuowang, and the Golden Elixir have been retained and briefly explained in keeping with the text.