Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Door To All Wonder PDF
Door To All Wonder PDF
Mantak Chia
and
Tao Huang
Edited by:
Dennis Huntington
-2-
-3-
Contents
Contents
Contents...................................................................................
i
About the Authors
Mantak Chia ........................................................................ vii
Tao Huang ........................................................................... xi
Acknowledgments ................................................................ xii
Preface..................................................................................... xiii
Words of Caution..................................................................... xx
Editors Introduction: Taoist Bone............................................. 1
Taoist Collaboration.............................................................. 1
Reference Base of Chinese Mystical Culture ...................
3
Biographical/Cultural Resources ....................................
3
Cultural Orientation .........................................................
3
Prophecy in his Family GraveyardDestined
to be a Healer or Shaman ............................................
4
Previous Incarnations ......................................................
4
Chi Kung PracticeHealed his Physical Problems .......
4
Heart-Sealed Awakening Through Lao Tzu.....................
5
26th Lineage of the Dragon Gate School.........................
7
Master Chias Lineage, Longevity, and Immortality ........
9
Education and Body Wisdom .......................................... 11
Taoist Bone: Spiritual Will..................................................... 13
The Story.......................................................................... 13
Inventing the Story ........................................................... 14
Spiritual Will ..................................................................... 16
Background of Developing the will to Live........................ 16
Master Chias Life, Different but Parallel ......................... 18
Quest for the Secret Code .............................................. 19
Story of the Just-Born-Baby and Just-Deceased-Old-Man 21
I Ching/Genetic Code Summary......................................... 23
Purpose ........................................................................... 23
Perspective ..................................................................... 24
I Ching Lines, Diagrams, Trigrams and Hexagrams........ 25
I Ching Divination Process ............................................. 27
DNA Notes, Basic Concepts and Vocabulary ................. 28
Concluding Comments ................................................... 32
Taoist Practices Infused with the Virtue Energy of Te ........ 34
Reference Source ............................................................... 36
-4-
Contents
Chapter I
Wordless Uttering Sound: Tao.................................................
Defining the Tao ...................................................................
Communicable Tao..........................................................
Inner Voice .......................................................................
Incommunicable Tao .......................................................
Connection In-Between ..................................................
Usefulness of In-Between ...............................................
Nature of the Tao .................................................................
Tao: Beyond the Senses .................................................
Knowing of the Origin of the Tao: Thus ...........................
Empty Harmony Action of the Tao ....................................
Returning .........................................................................
Bellows Function of the Tao .........................................
Bellows-Like Meditation ...................................................
Mystic Female Source of the Tao ....................................
Water Symbol of the Tao ..................................................
Lao Tzu and the Tao ............................................................
On the Tao .......................................................................
Discipline .........................................................................
Teaching and Learning ....................................................
Warning ...........................................................................
Advice ..............................................................................
37
37
38
39
40
41
41
42
43
43
45
46
48
50
53
54
55
55
56
56
57
58
Chapter II
Sensory Perception.................................................................
How We Perceive ...............................................................
Spiritual Sensitivity ..........................................................
Development of Five Senses ..........................................
Meditative Perceptivity .....................................................
Sensory Receptors .........................................................
Vulnerable Sensory Organs ................................................
Mawangdui Text ...............................................................
Five Elements Sum of Stimuli ......................................
Pressure upon Five Senses ...........................................
Stop Victimizing your Sensory Organs ...............................
Away from Motivational Stimulus ....................................
Being Productive: Egos Weapon ...................................
Sickness of our Persuasion ................................................
Idea of Ownership ...........................................................
59
59
60
62
69
70
71
71
73
74
76
76
77
78
78
-5-
Contents
-6-
Contents
Chapter V
World of the Sage....................................................................
What is a Sage? ..................................................................
Sages Physical Condition...................................................
On Water .........................................................................
Sages Mental Condition ......................................................
Wu Wei ...........................................................................
Wu Zheng ........................................................................
Shan ................................................................................
Xian ..................................................................................
Calming the Mind ................................................................
Pursuing the Tao ..............................................................
Embracing the Simplicity .................................................
Richness of Frugality .......................................................
Non-Dualistic Mentality ....................................................
Quality of Sages Life...........................................................
Capacity of Natural Rejuvenation.....................................
Suffusion of Self...............................................................
Wisdom of an Old Boy.....................................................
143
143
145
146
150
150
152
153
154
157
157
159
160
161
163
163
163
164
Chapter VI
Uplifting Te................................................................................
What is Kind Action?............................................................
Use of Language..............................................................
Uplifting Te .......................................................................
Accumulation of Te ..............................................................
Nature of Kind Action .......................................................
Capacity of Kind Action ...................................................
Humiliation .......................................................................
Accumulation of Kind Action ............................................
Ji Te ..................................................................................
Equilibrium of Kind Action ................................................
Cultivation upon Kind Action ................................................
Nature of Cultivation.........................................................
Entering the Mystical Te ...................................................
Kind Action - The Only Measurement .............................
167
168
168
173
174
174
175
176
177
179
180
182
182
184
186
-7-
Contents
Chapter VII
Between Palace and Temple................................................... 188
Loving the People................................................................. 193
What are People? ......................................................... 193
How to Love People ........................................................ 195
How to take care of People ............................................. 195
The Formula before the Fear............................................ 196
Practical Success ........................................................... 197
Governing the Country ........................................................ 197
Nature of a Country.......................................................... 197
Ways of Governing the Country........................................ 199
Mutual Existence of Countries ......................................... 200
Military .................................................................................. 201
Nature of War................................................................... 201
Military - Strong Army ...................................................... 204
Mentality of Winning ........................................................ 205
Military Strategies ........................................................... 206
Kingship ............................................................................... 207
Widow or Orphan? ......................................................... 207
Supportiveness of the Tao ............................................... 207
Chapter VIII
Longevity and Immortality........................................................
Tapping the Gate of Longevity .............................................
Reasoning, Out................................................................
Distilling the Mental Clouds .............................................
Calling upon the Valley Spirit ...........................................
Visioning Immortality .......................................................
Moving Along the Living Reality ...........................................
Nature of Changing ..........................................................
To Suffice Oneself with Presence....................................
Reversing the Process of Entropy...................................
Reconnecting the Source of Longevity............................
From Longevity to Immortality .............................................
Walking through the Death ..............................................
Open to Longevity ...........................................................
Lasering into Immortality..................................................
You Choice Matters..........................................................
-8-
209
210
210
211
212
213
214
214
215
217
219
221
221
222
223
224
Contents
Chapter IX
Faithfulness.............................................................................. 225
Initiative Engagement of Faithfulness: Speech ................... 228
Nature of Speech ............................................................ 228
Character of Speech ....................................................... 230
Quality of Speech ............................................................ 232
Speechless Action .......................................................... 233
Trustworthiness .................................................................. 235
Establishing a Trusting Environment ............................... 235
Mechanism of Trust ......................................................... 235
Way of Trustworthiness ................................................... 236
Faithfulness ......................................................................... 237
God of our Spirit ............................................................... 237
Virtue of Faithfulness ....................................................... 237
Beyond the Transformation of Life................................... 239
Appendix I
Lao Tzus Tao Te Ching ....................................................... 242
Appendix II
Binary System and I Ching ................................................. 271
Universal Tao System Overview..................... Overview 135
-9-
Mantak Chia
Master Mantak Chia
Master Mantak Chia is the creator of the Universal Tao System and
is the director of the Universal Tao Center and Tao Garden Health
Resort and Training Center in the beautiful northern countryside of
Thailand. Since childhood he has been studying the Taoist approach
to life. His mastery of this ancient knowledge, enhanced by his
study of other disciplines, has resulted in the development of the
Universal Tao System which is now being taught throughout the
world.
- 10 -
Using his knowledge of Taoism, combined with the other disciplines, Master Chia began teaching the Universal Tao System. He
eventually trained other Instructors to communicate this knowledge
and he established the Natural Healing Center in Thailand. Five
years later, he decided to move to New York, where in 1979, he
opened the Universal Tao Center. During his years in America,
Master Chia continued his studies in the Wu system of Tai Chi with
Edward Yee in New York.
Since then, Master Chia has taught tens of thousands of students throughout the world. He has trained and certified over 1,200
instructors and practitioners from all over the world. Universal Tao
Centers and Chi Nei Tsang Institutes have opened in many locations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
In 1994, Master Chia moved back to Thailand, where he had
begun construction of Tao Garden, the Universal Tao Training Center in Chiang Mai.
Master Chia is a warm, friendly and helpful man who views himself primarily as a teacher. He presents the Universal Tao System
in a straightforward and practical manner, while always expanding
his knowledge and approach to teaching. He uses a laptop computer for writing and is totally at ease with the latest computer technology.
Master Chia estimates that it will take thirty-five books to convey
the full Universal Tao System. In June, 1990, at a dinner in San
Francisco, Master Chia was honored by the International Congress
of Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong (Chi Kung), who named him the
Qi gong Master of the Year. He is the first recipient of this annual
award.
In December, 2000, the Tao Garden Health Resort and Universal Tao Training Center was completed with two Meditation Halls,
two open air Simple Chi Kung Pavilions, indoor Tai Chi, Tao Tao Yin
and Chi Nei Tsang Hall, Tai Chi Natural Swimming Pool, Pakua
Communications Center with a complete Taoist Library, Internal
World Class Weight Lifting Hall and complete 8 Court Recreational
Facilities.
In February, 2002, the Immortal Tao practices will be held at Tao
Garden for the first time using Dark Room technology, creating a
complete environment for the higher level Taoist practices.
- 12 -
- 13 -
Tao Huang
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
The Universal Tao Publications staff involved in the preparation
and production of Door To All Wonders: Application of the Tao Te
Ching extend our gratitude to the many generations of Taoist Masters who have passed on their special lineage, in the form of an
unbroken oral transmission, over thousands of years. We thank
Taoist Master I Yun (Yi Eng) for his openness in transmitting the
formulas of Taoist Inner Alchemy.
Thanks to Juan Li for the use of his beautiful and visionary drawings, illustrating Taoist esoteric practices.
We offer our eternal gratitude to our parents and teachers for
their many gifts to us. Remembering them brings joy and satisfaction to our continued efforts in presenting the Universal Tao System. For their gifts, we offer our eternal gratitude and love. As
always, their contribution has been crucial in presenting the concepts and techniques of the Universal Tao.
We wish to thank the thousands of unknown men and women
of the Chinese healing arts who developed many of the methods
and ideas presented in this book.
We wish to thank Dennis Huntington for his editorial work and
writing contributions, as well as his ideas for the cover. We appreciate his research and great labor. We wish to thank Colin Campbell
for his editorial contributions on the revised edition of this book, as
well as thanking our Senior Instructors, Rene J. Narvarro and
Annette Derksen, for their insightful contributions to the revised
version. We thank Joost Kuiterbrouwer for his suggestion on
choosing the book title and numerous insights. We thank especially Marion Knabe for her many times of editing over the past
three years before the draft reached Denniss hand.
A special thanks goes to our Thai Production Team for their
cover illustration and book design and layout: Raruen Keawpadung,
Computer Graphics; Saysunee Yongyod, Photographer; Udon
Jandee, Illustrator; and Saniem Chaisarn, Production Designer.
- 15 -
Preface
Preface
For over 2500 years, the five thousand pictographs/words of Tao
Te Ching, the Scripture of Laoism and the Bible of Taoism, have
been regarded as among the greatest treasures in the world. Li
(plum), born around 640 B. C. with a personal name Er (ear), compiled the text in Midwest China. His legendary name, Lao Tzu
meaning the old philosopher or the ancient childrose from his
mothers lips as she delivered him under a plum tree. His white
hair gave him the countenance of an aged man, which elicited his
mothers cry of joy upon seeing him emerge into this world. During
his lifetime he worked in the capital as a keeper of the Imperial
Archives. This enabled him to reconstruct the paths of many enlightened sages and holy men who came before his time. After
having meditated for three years inside a cave in Northwest China
(now known as Lao Tzus Cave), he achieved his enlightenment.
Before disappearing from the society, Lao Tzu wrote his farewell
giftTextto a Tao-pursuer, who was a Passer (like a highway
gatekeeper). Confucius gave him a nameDragonafter the visit.
The Text contains two sections. The first is Tao Ching (Ching
meaning classic), and the second is entitled Te Ching. The word
Tao in the literal sense means God, Gods creation, nature, universal essence and its manifestation, the Way of life and its practice.
Te refers to action, virtue, morality, beauty, and gracious behavior.
Many years after these writings came into existence, He
Shanggong, The Man-On-The-Riverbank, who was believed to be
the reincarnation of Lao Tzu, divided the Text into 81 chapters.
Numbers have always figured prominently in Chinese philosophy
and symbolism. Tao Ching has 37 chapters and Te Ching is composed of 44. To assess this numerically, we see that three and
seven is ten, and four plus four equal eight; together they are eighteen, or double-nine, which when multiplied equal 81. Individually,
three represents the multiplicity (seed), and four portrays the foundation (cross). Seven represents the masculine spirit (horse) and
eight, the feminine spirit (sheep). Biologically, fetus growth takes
thirty-seven weeks to complete; spiritually, the seed of Tao is contained in the thirty-seven chapters. Each spiritual being contains
the copy of three, the dual souls of seven and eight, and the two
deaths of four: one for flesh and the other for soul. The sacrifice of
- 16 -
Preface
double four (double-cross) for the nurturing and cultivation of spiritually reborn seed: the transformation of love and virtue into pureperson (the oneness between spirit-nine of pure soul and Gods
nine of pure spirit).
Preface
that have changed their vision quest into the more religious practice of Buddhism. Together, they have declared the Text to be rife
with abundant tricks and sophistries, bearing no more stance or
justice. This sullied reputation arises from justifying the criticism of
the believers misleading attitude. These mental configurations of
the Text can be observed in various Chinese titles such as LaoTzu, The book of Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Te Tao Ching or The
book of Lao-Tzu Tao Te Ching.
Equally, the translators have run a similar course. The examples
of English versions, though relatively new, are derived from Chinese and other sources as well. The first English title is The Speculations on Metaphysics, Policy and Morality of the The Old Philosopher, Lao Tzu translated by John Chalmers in 1868 from
French to English put the thought of Lao Tzu into a readable
English dress. However, he did not realize that his work would
become the model of the practice of copying, just as Lao Tzu himself expands into all sorts of Laoism/ists/schools. His Text reaches
a more descriptive scale than the historical Chinese commentators could hope to achieve. Some of the copies are: Taoist texts,
ethical, political and speculative (Frederick Henry Balfour, 1884),
The Remains of Lao Tzu (Herbert A. Giles, 1886), Tao-Teh King
(James Legge, 1891), Lao-Tsze=s Tao-Te-king, (Paul Carus, 1896,
the first American version and revised in 1913 as The Canon of
Reason and Virtue), The Light of China (Heysinger, 1903), The
Sayings of Lao Tzu (Lionel Giles, 1904), The teachings of the Old
Boy (T. MacInnes, 1927), The Way and Its power (Arther Waley,
1934), The way of acceptance (Herman Ould, 1946), The Wisdom
of Lao Tzu (Lin Yutang, 1948), The Tao, the Sacred Way (Tolbert
McCarroll, 1982), The Way of the Ways (Henrrymon Maurer, 1982),
The essential Tao ( Thomas Cleary, 1991), and The Tao of the Tao
Te Ching (Michael LaFargue, 1992), Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching ( Ursula
K. Le Guin, 1997), The Living Tao (Stephen F. Kaufman, 1998).
The above list is just a small sampling of the existing copies
found in English. Unpredictable numbers of new copies will flourish in the future. To go beyond this fruitful result, the English readers must endeavor to connect to Lao Tzus original mind, not others mindless minding of Lao Tzu. They desperately need the energetic vibration generated through Lao Tzu, not the linguistic interpretation. They need a direct spiritual sensation passed down
by Lao Tzu. It is to this societal need that we are destined to
- 18 -
Preface
restore the original image of the text. We wish to capture the original state of Lao Tzus simultaneously mindful conscious flow, and
to sense the vibration of the wordless uttering sound of Tao: the
voice of our own truly naked sexless being.
Essence Trans-Illuminated
Regarding his relationship to Lao Tzu, Tao Huang states that he
has a direct connection to the the Old Master, Lao Tzu himself!
The transmission of Lao Tzu took place on the Winter Solstice
in1988. He came to me through meditation, and I wrote automatically what my life should be in the West. It was the beginning
of the heart-sealed teaching of my life, or direct spiritual initiation.
In terms of writing The Door, Master Huang explains, I have
carefully divided eighty-one chapters into nine. In each chapter for
this book, I have selected all the words and phrases in the Tao Te
Ching related to the main topic for the chapter. For example, in
Chapter One, there are 32 chapters in the Tao Te Ching represented that mentioned or stressed the word Tao. This book is so
important in many ways. Firstly, it is the first in English history that
has the integration of meditation, interpretation and illustration together. Secondly, there is no Chinese commentary to do so. Thirdly,
we have rearranged the chapter division to present the true meaning of the integration of heavenly power and human power in the
mystic field within us.
The essence of this project is more experiential than conceptual in nature, even though it is laced with all sorts of Taoist concepts. Taoism is all about experience: words are the final elixir,
or the representations of that elixir, being crystallized. They
are like DNA in a living flesh.
The Door to All Wonders is neither a translation nor a transliteration of Tao Te Ching. Even though Lao Tzus words can be
translated, certain Chinese words cannot. English has no equivalent words for Tao or Chi; nor does Chinese have its equivalence
for English words such as mind or God. Even though His teaching
has been passed down through literary form, the essence could
not be transliterated. It has to be transmitted through faithful devotion and trans-illuminated through heart awakening. Faith opens
the door to the wisdom mind, allowing the power of teaching to be
illuminated within the golden chamber of the heart.
- 19 -
Preface
Note on Transliteration
There are different systems for transliterating Chinese words
into English. For this book, we have opted to retain the spelling of
selected words to remain consistent with the standard used in
Master Chias previous books (based on the Wade-Giles system).
We are using the spelling Tao, Lao Tzu, Chi and Ching. In the Pinyin
system, these words would be spelled Dao, Lao Zi, Qi and Jing.
Other Chinese words may appear as spelled in the Pinyin system.
- 20 -
Preface
Cosmic Bridge
The title, Door to All Wonders, comes straight from the last sentenceactually, the last phrase of the first chapter of Lao Tzus
Tao Te Ching.
First of all, the door is an eye opening and a conscious connection with the wonders of the universe, or Gods creation. The Door
functions as a middle point between the internal world and the external world, between the information within and withoutor between those who have been initiated, ordained, or baptized and
who have the gifts of God but have not established a cosmic bridge
within themselves.
To the Taoists, the bridge is the North Star, the Big Dipper, the
violet color and golden elixir. We do not train people in the other six
hues of the rainbow colors, but only focus on the last one, the violet
color that makes Taoism so special, so lonesome, and so wonderful. We have no time for pre-elementary school, nor middle or high
school or college. We only take the post-graduate course. This is
because in the Taoist belief, each one of the seven rainbow colors
takes one lifetime to complete, if you are lucky enough. That is why
it must take seven lifetime practices in order to produce a Zhen
Ren, Pure Personor White Horse in Christianity.
Therefore, the door becomes a necessary vehicle for peoples
communication on both sidessuch as the teachers, who are always inside the door, and the students, if not initiated, who are
wondering (or wandering) outside the door. In order to open the
door, the readiness of heart and completion of purification must
take place first. Otherwise, the heart-sealed teachings between
teacher and student cannot begin. Ultimately, the door refers to a
specific realm of consciousness of God, a line connecting two
sides, or a flowing river covering both sides of the riverbed. Shoel
is the word in the Bible.
Taking another example, Shakespeares plays are doors, which
are carried out either by readers and writers, or between stage
players and audience. This is the precise functioning of a door, a
cosmic vehicle connecting heart and mind, Xing and Ming, soul
and spirit.
What, then, we have presented you now is our transmission,
as Lao Tzus words are italicized as stone-carved letters in the
depth of our conscious flow. You cannot read Lao Tzu here; He
has died into our hearts. You cannot objectify his teachings from
- 21 -
Preface
our transmitted teachings; his words are now our words. What
transmission you will receive depends on how your heart is driven
by your faith.
As you go through the book, read the words as listening to a
storyteller, hearing your inner conscious dialogue, and talking back
and forth dreamingly between your true self and God. Now move
on, cast your eyes upon your hungry souls; the messages in the
teaching will shine upon you.
By presenting the four techniques in Chapter IIIemptying the
mind, vitalizing the stomach, softening the will, and strengthening
the characterwe hope to justify the societal need as we see it.
Emptying the mind requires a complete realization of self and
society before the mind can become tranquil and return to its infantile stage. Only when the mind is empty will the body be fat with
love and the spirit be able to present itself. Vitalizing the stomach
is filling the stomach with purified Chi. Softening the will discusses
the process of fully accepting the body/mind and world by diminishing the ego anticipation: the will of self-deception/punishment.
And finally, strengthening the character is standing up with ones
authentic characterthe true selfand allowing the body to be
dusty and the mind shining. To achieve this is the answer to the
Door to All Wonders: why Tao is always present, the Text always
alive and Lao Tzu always smiling like a child. It is the key to the
Door of All Wondersopen to those who wish to step into the
mystery of life and beyond.
- 22 -
Words of Caution
Words of Caution
The practices described in this book have been used successfully
for thousands of years by Taoists trained by personal instruction.
Readers should not undertake the practice without receiving personal transmission and training from a certified instructor of the
Universal Tao, since certain of these practices, if done improperly,
may cause injury or result in health problems. This book is intended
to supplement individual training by the Universal Tao and to serve
as a reference guide for these practices. Anyone who undertakes
these practices on the basis of this book alone, does so entirely at
his or her own risk.
The meditations, practices and techniques described herein are
not intended to be used as an alternative or substitute for professional medical treatment and care. If any readers are suffering from
illnesses based on mental or emotional disorders, an appropriate
professional health care practitioner or therapist should be consulted. Such problems should be corrected before you start training.
Neither the Universal Tao nor its staff and instructors can be
responsible for the consequences of any practice or misuse of the
information contained in this book. If the reader undertakes any
exercise without strictly following the instructions, notes and warnings, the responsibility must lie solely with the reader.
This book does not attempt to give any medical diagnosis, treatment, prescription, or remedial recommendation in relation to any
human disease, ailment, suffering or physical condition whatsoever.
- 23 -
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
Taoist Bone
By Dennis Huntington
Taoist Collaboration
The following chapters are the result of the collaborative efforts of
two distinct Taoists. They have different backgrounds in their lives
and different orientations, as they see it, in their practices of the
Tao. Master Chia is like an older brother in some ways, a more
experienced teacher of the Tao in Western cultures. He teaches
an ascending range of practices designed to culminate in the Wu
Chi, spiritual immortality and physical/spiritual immortality. However, at this point he is most famous for teaching people Taoist
fundamentals for health and inner peacewhich include understanding, cultivating and gaining mastery of their sexual energy.
The younger Taoist, Tao Huang, commented to me: Master
Chia has devoted his entire life to the teaching of the Tao, and it is
in him that I see the hope and joy of devoting my life as fully as
possible into the practice and teaching of the Tao. Sexuality is
the base of everything, but mystic insight is the seed. This is the
ultimate yin and yang, the harmony of body and mind. This is perhaps the most help Master Chia did on my behalf: He made me like
Jung with his Freudian approach. I know it is difficult for you, but
that is the nature of life. It is even more difficult for Master Chia this
time, because we simply view and walk the Tao differently. In our
Taoist tradition, we are all in agreement on the oneness of Tao, the
power of Virtue, the duality of Ming and Xing, the trinity of Ching,
Chi and Shen, and the pentagram of all the fives we haveand for
that matter, that the universe also has. How to walk the momentary
individual path among these agreements is the path of understanding, love and mutual acceptance. That is all we have, and that is
the will of blood we have all inherited as long as we call ourselves
Taoists.
- 24 -
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
ing the Tao and Teregardless of the exercises one may employ
for training. The mindfulness of Tao and Te in our lives and in our
cultivation practices streamlines the effectiveness of all that we
are and all that we do.
Cultural Orientation
Chinese mystic culture was rooted in Taoism, a combination of
everything from sky above to earth below, and all things in the middle.
The details can be found in the text. Taoism provided me a
groundbreaking thinking pathwhile Western culture opens the
landscape of norms for my liberal thinking, especially the Christ
path of love. I am still experiencing it day after day.
- 26 -
Editors Introduction
Previous Incarnations
My past life came through meditationtwice a Buddhist, two lives
as a Native American Indian spiritual practitioner. During meditation for the last twenty years, some of the information dealt with
past life experiences, such as incarnations as a Buddhist and as a
Native American Indian. I have even met my former wives while
taking the flesh as a Native American healer. Those are part of the
past ways that have led me into the violet color Taoist practice.
- 27 -
Editors Introduction
thirds white while I was still nineteen years old. I began Chi Kung
practice with one of Liu Yi-Mings students (Thomas Cleary has
translated several of Lius books). Within three years of practicing
Chi Kung, my hair had returned to black. Every morning I did a 30
minute standing meditation with my index and middle fingers
stretched out before me, while quietly counting my in and out
breaths. After only a few weeks of this, my insomnia disappeared
and I began to enjoy sound sleep once again. In the third year of
daily practice, my arthritis disappeared. When the healing Chi began to seep through my fingers and bones, it seemed almost more
than I could bear. As it grew, the healing lifestream permeated my
entire being.
With Chi Kung as an inner practice, little oxygen is consumed,
while the absorptive capacity of the lungs rises significantly. This is
not the case when engaging in extreme physical exertion, especially if competition is involved. It is rough on the lungs as well as
the heart, and can be damaging to ones overall health. Therefore,
I gave up my practice of daily running, which left me feeling exhausted. Chi Kung always left me refreshed and regenerated.
In 1986, at age 24 (in my birth year of the Tiger), I had the privilege of coming to America as an exchange teacher. During that
school term, I was invited to teach the Chinese language, as well
as Chi Kung at a high school in Cleveland. This was a decisive
year that changed my entire life personally, culturally, and spiritually. Personally, it awakened me to the path for my lifes journey
one that would prove to be lonely, but alternately rewarding. Culturally, I knew that my traditional culture offered something not only for
myself, but also for the entire world. It encompassed the essence
of Chinese medicine and Taoist Inner Alchemy. Spiritually, I had
chosen Taoism over Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity.
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
Also, when the two hearts reach oneness, you cannot tell which
is which. This is the most difficult situation for me to explain: which
part of the exercises are inherently Lao Tzus and which parts are
my own understanding or reflection upon his teachingsor
revelation.
Editors Note: For additional commentary on this spiritual
noumenon, there is an English translation, The Jade Emperors
Mind Seal Classic.1 The Chinese characters for heart and mind
are the same. Hence, this English translation of the Chinese text of
the Taoist classic on the subject has used the word mind, rather
than heart, in contrast to Tao Huangs choice of terms.
Significance of Winter Solstice: In Taoist tradition, we have
four big times within a year, Winter/Summer Solstice and Spring/
Fall Equinox. The same way for each day, 11:00pm/am to 1:00
am/pm and 5:00am/pm to 7:00am/pm. These are the four corners
of the year and of the day. The energy is much stronger than at
other times. These times are when either the yang or yin Chi begins, or the yang and yin reach a balance.
Editors Introduction
- 31 -
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
process of transforming all of ones physical, soul and spirit energy into the spirit body during the time of life in the physical body.
Thus, gaining all the powers of spiritual liberation, plus the ability to
manifest at will in the physical form. In other words, in the achieved
state of physical/spiritual immortality, one has mastered the ability
to dematerialize and rematerialize the human body.
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
Taoist Story
Lao Tzus Tao Te Ching and the Door to All Wonders are about
how to cultivate Tao in our life with Te in order to achieve spiritual
immortality. By the final stage, one must have attained a clear and
unwavering state of spiritual will in order to be successful.
In the original manuscript that I received, a story appeared near
the beginning of the first chapter in the section entitled Communicable Tao. In hindsight, I would now characterize it as a symbolic
representationan allegorical presentationof a concise summary of the essential concepts (an abstract) of Door to All Wonders. However, my first few attempts at reading this arcane parable and other statements and passages in the manuscript left me
feeling exasperated and frustrated because there was not sufficient supporting information. Consequently, I had to try to guess
the meanings intended. As it turns out, Huang told me after I queried him, The story is the result of my twenty-years searching, as
we all do in each and every stage of lifes journey. Naming is the
power of man, after being capable of ejaculating a spirit inside the
- 36 -
Editors Introduction
womb. In this section, we will share some of the interesting background information that he has given meplus, more snapshots
of experience from the lives of both authors. I moved the story into
this Introduction, at the end of this Taoist Bone sectionto be close
to the discussion and background related to it.
In our communications, I referred to it as the story of the JustBorn-Baby and Just-Deceased-Old Man. Like myself, many Western Taoist practitioners and readers do not have a meaningful sense
of the Chinese experieance--a different cultural reference and way
of thinking. Nor is one likely to be acquainted with other factors in
Tao Huangs personal life experience.
- 37 -
Editors Introduction
- 38 -
Editors Introduction
Spiritual Will
The story of Just-Born-Baby and Just-Deceased-Old-Man is also
a reflection of the doorthe life connection of birth and death, the
consciousness dividing into lineages and races and nations. It is
what you will take.
We must be the slaves of God. To be a slave is to be Job in the
Book of Job. We have been enslaved since birth, having work to do
and taking pilgrimages. So above, so below; in order to be a master, first slave. It is all your decision to take your own path, to devote
your own love. How to consume your Chi of love is how to be the
slave of yourself and of God at the same time. But
sadly speaking, we are double slavesthe slave of God and the
slave of man. In order to reach a spiritual state, the death of government/flesh and the death of religion/soul are a must, called two
deaths in Christianity, Crucifixion and Resurrection.
One more word on slave: It is true that for the entire Taoist path
of internal liberation, we are our own boss and slave in the same
body and mind. But in order to reach a complete liberation, work
must be done, and karma must be dissolved. Otherwise, we would
be still controlled by all realms of shadowsthe shadows of colors, cultures, lineages, nations and races. The word will is of spiritual will, like a steadfast rock of Peter, continuing the path of Christ
love. It is this will that connects and relates all.
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
In the late 70s, he moved to New York City where he had intended
to market a Chi machine (a Chi generator for enhancing the bodys
Chi) that he had invented. But, the American public didnt know
about Chi; so, there wasnt a market for this health aid. However,
while plying his healing arts in a health clinic in New Yorks
Chinatown, he was later ferreted out by eager American students
looking for a teacher of Taoist practices. The rest is history.
nant, the Taoist worldview and its theory on nature-related practices had often been viewed by rulers as dangerous, weird, and
obscure, despite its contributions to science, medicine and other
areas of Chinese culture. I had been quite unaware of the extent to
- 42 -
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
that mold clearly manifested itself in his discovery of the phenomenon of synchronicity (events happening simultaneously that are
not coincidental but predestined), along with his great empathy for
the Taoist tradition. This shines through in his commentary on the
Taoist classic, The Secret of Golden Flower, and in his introduction
to Wilhelms first Western translation of the I Ching.
Editors Introduction
of ma-ma and ba-ba to readable words and manageable numbers, all wills are the same: written with letters and numbers. They
vary only in the right to claim and the ways to apply. Generation
after generation, drops of blood have expanded into rivers of blood;
the wills of the blood-flowing-rivers have been written time and again
in the same format acquired through the same process: the willful
ability to interpret. Each will involves blood and willful exchange,
and each exchange involves the death of an older generation, an
older race/culture and the birth of a new generation, a new race/
culture. Yet, the blood remains always the same. The format of
these wills is forever changing with voices and names within the
unchangeable sounds of male and female and with the symbols of
letters and numbers. The sound transforms life as the symbols
connecting the Ideal Image of God with the Realistic Land of countries.
End of Story
Get it? Could the baby have inherited the will through the family
bloodline if he had belonged to the mans family? Not from the blood!
Consider this fact: In heredity, the oldest surviving records of
ideas on the mechanisms of heredity are from the ancient Greeks.
For example, Aristotle speculated that since blood perfused and
nourished the organs of the body, procreation also must be via
blood. He proposed that male semen was purified blood and that
the female genetic contribution to the next generation was menstrual blood. However, these and other ideas made little or no contribution to the eventual development of our present understanding
of heredity. After the Greeks, there was a 2000-year silence on the
mechanisms of heredity. Genetics as a scientific discipline did not
exist before the work of Gregor Mendelin the middle of the nineteenth century.3
Therefore, the blood image must be a metaphor for something
else. So, how does one get it, spiritual will? Hint: read the rest of
the book on how to purify the blood with Tao and Te.
- 45 -
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
are read from the bottom up. When reading the trigram aspect of
the lines, the lower three lines are regarded as the Earth trigram
and the upper three constitute the Heaven trigram. Each of the
double nine lines referred to above is positioned in each of the
two trigrams that make up the six lines of a hexagram.
Perspective
The roots of the Tao go back perhaps 20,000 years.4 The legendary Fu-Hsi (Fuxi) is credited with compiling the ancient wisdom
about 5,000 years ago. He created trigrams with broken and unbroken lines to represent the eight elemental forces of the universe
and nature, and he arranged them in the famous eight-sided pakua
figure (as seen in the Universal Tao logo).
Eight-sided Pakua with the Tai Chi Yin Yang symbol in the center.
- 47 -
Editors Introduction
- 48 -
Editors Introduction
Sun
Li
Chien
Kun
Kan
Chen
Tui
Kan
Hexagram
When the paired combinations of all eight trigrams are configured, the result yields the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. For example, combining two Kan trigrams results in the Kan hexagram.
The eight hexagrams that pair two the same trigrams retain the
same name as the individual trigrams, as in this example. Brief
traditional textscalled Images, Judgments and Oraclesinterpreting the meaning and structure of the hexagram have been
appended to the hexagrams. The I Ching is capable of self-description and self-renewal and has a built-in mechanism for avoiding absolutenessit is a Relativity Theory on a grand scale.
- 49 -
Editors Introduction
23
Bo
8
Bi
20
Guan
16
Y
35
Dsin
45
Tsui
12
Pi
15
Kin
52
Gen
39
Gin
53
Dsin
56
L
31
Hin
33
Dun
7
Sch
4
Mong
29
Kan
59
Huan
62
Siau
Go
40
Hi
47
Kun
6
Sung
46
Schong
18
Gu
48
Dsing
57
Sun
32
Hong
64
We
dsi
50
Ding
44
Gou
24
Fu
27
I
28
Da
Go
17
Sui
36
Ming
I
19
Lin
11
Tai
3
42
51
21
Dschun I (Yi) Dschen Sch
Ho
55
30
37
22
63
Fong
Li
Gia
Bi
Gi
Jen
dsi
41
60
61
54
38
Sun
Dsi Dschung Gui
Kui
Fu
Me
26
5
9
34
14
Da
S
Siau
Da
Da
Tschu
Tschu Dschuang Yu
58
Dui
25
Wu
Wang
13
Tung
Jen
10
L
43
Guai
1
Kin
49
Go
- 50 -
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
and organismal. So DNA can be viewed as the thread that connects us with all our evolutionary ancestors. Furthermore, DNA
generates form because a code that contains the instructions for
building an organism is written into the linear sequence of the building
blocks of a DNA molecule. We can view this as information, or
that which is necessary to give form.
DNA works in virtually the same way in all organisms. Most
genes code for some type of protein: either active proteins such as
enzymes or proteins that play a structural role in cells. A major
landmark occurred in 1953: James Watson and Francis Crick proposed a double helix model for DNA structure. It showed that DNA
could replicate by progressive unwinding of the two intertwined
strands of the double helix and using the exposed strands as templates for new synthesis. Each one of the two intertwined strands
of DNA is a chain of chemical groups called nucleotides, of which
there are known to be four types.
Each type is composed of a phosphate group, a deoxyribose
sugar molecule, and any one of the four basesadenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Two of the bases, adenine
and guanine, have a double-ring structure characteristic of a type
of chemical called purine. The other two bases, cytosine and thymine, have a single-ring structure of a type called a pyrimidine. Because proteins are strings of amino acids, a specific nucleotide
sequence of DNA (a gene) contains coded information for specifying amino acid sequence and hence protein structure.
In the process of protein synthesis, RNA is a mediator between
DNA and the resulting protein. In the code for RNAwhich reflects
the properties of DNA from which it is derivedthe base letter T
(thymine) is replaced by U (uracil). A phalanx of ribosomes moves
along the mRNA (m = messenger), each starting at the 5/ end and
proceeding along the entire length of the mRNA to the 3/ end. As a
ribosome moves along, it reads the nucleotide sequence of the
mRNA three nucleotides at a time. Each group of three, called a
triplet codon, stands for a specific amino acid. Since there are four
different nucleotides in mRNA, there are 4 x 4 x 4 = 64 different
possible codons. These codons and the amino acids they stand
for are shown in the figure, Table of the Genetic Code.
The combinatorial arrangement of triplets of digrams corresponds precisely to the way that the combinations of three bases
in DNA generate amino acids in living cells. The four digrams that
- 52 -
Editors Introduction
UUU Phe
UUC
U UUA
Leu
UUG
UCU
UCC Ser
UCA
UCG
A
UAU Tyr
UAC
OCHRE
UAA
(STOP)
AMBER
UAG
G
UGU Cys
UGC
Start
UGA
UGG
Tryp
U
C
A
G
CUU
CUC
C CUA Leu
CUG
CCU
CCC Pro
CCA
CCG
CAU His
CAC
CAA GluN
CAG
CGU
CGC Arg
CGA
CGG
U
C
A
G
AUU
AUC Ileu
A AUA
Met=
AUG
Start
ACU
ACC Thr
ACA
ACG
AAU
AAC
AAA
AAG
AGU Ser
AGC
AGA Arg
AGG
U
C
A
G
GUU
GUC
Val
G
GUA
GUG
GCU
GCC Ala
GCA
GCG
GAU Asp
GAC
GAA Glu
GAG
GGU
GGC Gly
GGA
GGG
U
C
A
G
(STOP)
AspN
Lsy
Alanine
Arginine
Aspartic acid
Asparagine
Cystine
Glutarnic acid
Glutarnine
Gly
His
Ileu
Leu
Lys
Met
Phe
= Glycine
= Histidine
= Isoleucine
= Leucine
= Lysine
= Methionine
= Phenylalanine
- 53 -
Pro
Ser
Thr
Trp
Tyr
Val
= Proline
= Serine
= Threonine
= Tryptophan
= Tyrosine
= Valine
Third Letter
First Letter
Editors Introduction
At the end of replication of a DNA molecule, two molecules result. Each of these is a hybrid consisting of one of the parent strands
intertwined with one newly synthesized strand, hence the term
semiconservative. The coded information in the nucleotide sequence must be translated in groups of three nucleotides for each
amino acid. In 1966, the complete genetic dictionary of all 64 possible triplet-coding units (codons) and the specific amino acids they
stand for was deduced. Subsequent studies in many organisms
showed that the double-helical structure of DNA, the mode of its
replication, and the codon dictionary are the same in virtually all
organisms, whether plants, animals, fungi, or bacteria. [Notes
gleaned from Modern Genetic Analysis.]
By letting the above-mentioned nucleotide bases T (or U), C, G
and A be expressed by the digrams of the I Chingthis correlation, if substituted in the Table of the Genetic Code, yields the
same 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. Thus, the correlations are as
follows:
Concluding Comments
For the sake of brevity, the presentations of both the I Ching and
the Genetic Code were grossly oversimplified and superficial. The
purpose was to provide a sense of the validity and significance of
the I Ching for the uninitiated reader, since it is referred to often in
the text. Likewise, due to the tremendous advances in genetic science, it is inspiring to have a sense of how we come to be the way
we are. Consequently, it may also support us in our practices to
know that we really do have the capability to profoundly influence
our health and evolution. By getting the good biosignals humming
and riding up and down those spiral stairways in our DNA, activating those good codons in our cells, transforming spirit from matter,
and at the same time enhancing the quality and significance of our
physical beingwho knows what limits we may transcend!
Thats it! This is as far as we go in the discussion of the correlation between the I Ching and the genetic code. The key to the
structure and dynamics of life in our genes is the same as the I
Chings 64 dynamic states of tension between the polar opposites of yin and yang. It is the same as the wisdom, the cosmology
of the world, embodied in the I Ching that was compiled 5,000
years ago by Fu-Hsi. Except that the I Ching has been further refined and enhanced by spiritually achieved sages who followed in
- 54 -
Editors Introduction
U=
C=
G=
A=
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
cleaned, which has to do with family and social life, and unless he
or she shows enough virtue and integrity, the teaching cannot be
revealed. For example, I cannot reveal the exercise on Bigger Dipper unless s/he is under initiation and taking full responsibility for it.
I cannot tell a person based on social or family hierarchy.
The third most sacred part of the teaching has to do with timing, both the cosmic time and the readiness of micro-time within
each person. Besides the micro and macro time factors, are the
special influences of the Winter/Summer Solstice and the Spring/
Fall Equinox. These yearly time periods of significance reflect the
four time periods within a day, which are 11:00 to 1:00 am/pm and
pm/am, and 5-7 am and pm. This has been summarized in the
phrase: If you catch a days time, you master the entire year.
The most intriguing situation is the trinity of three dantians (tan
tiens) in our Taoist tradition. Because of the Chi that circulates
between body and mind, and is independent by itself, there cannot
be a single exercise for all. There is no such thing as an exercise
that can open everything. This is why all the pressure points must
be opened, and all the five levels of organs, skin, muscles, zang fu
(glands), bone and bone marrow must reach a final completion
before enlightenment can be achieved.
Because the body is so complicated due to the ancestral illnesses and social conditioningand because of the interaction
between body and universe, particularly the inner planets and close
stars out thereeach exercise must be treated specifically. It can
be handled only through consideration of an individuals quality. This
is why in northern Taoist practices, we constantly use mind to guide
the body, which generates movements or exercises as a result of
experience. Also, when the two hearts reach oneness, you cannot tell which is which. This is the most difficult situation for me to
explainwhich part of the exercises are inherently Lao Tzus and
which parts are my own understanding or reflection upon his teachingsor revelation. All the italicized words or phrases or sentences
appearing in the book belong to the Tao Te Ching.
If readers or students have any questions, they must find or
approach us directly in order to clarify the problems. We cannot
just give them the meal and feed them at the same time. Only the
right person can get the essential pictures of exercises. Or, if they
are advanced enough, by reading the words, they get an energetic
vibration right away. Then, they do not need exercises since the
- 57 -
Editors Introduction
Editors Introduction
Reference Source:
1. Olson, Stuart Alve. The Jade Emperors Mind Seal Classic (St.
Paul, MN: Dragon Door Publications, 1993), page 37.
2. Legge, James. I Ching, Book of Changes (New York, NY:
Gramercy Books, Random House Value Publishing, Inc., 1996),
page xix.
3. Griffiths, Anthony J. F. [et al]. Modern Genetic Analysis (New
York: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1999), page 18.
4. Ni, Hua-Ching. Esoteric Tao Teh Ching (Santa Monica, CA: Seven
Star Communications Group Inc., 1992), page 2.
5. Yan, Ph.D., Johnson F. DNA And The I Ching: The Tao of Life
(Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1991), page ix.
6. Griffiths, Anthony J. F. [et al]. Op cit, page 27.
7. Schonberger, Dr. Martin. The I Ching & The Genetic Code: The
Hidden Key to Life (2nd Edition) (Santa Fe, NM: Aurora Press,
1992) pp.910.
8. Schonberger, Dr. Martin. Op cit, page 153.
9. Capra, Fritjof. The Tao of Physics, Second Edition (Boston, MA:
New Science Library, Shambala Publications, Inc., 1985), page
160.
- 59 -
Chapter I
Wordless Uttering Sound: Tao
Defining the Tao
The word Tao or Dao (pronounced dow) is no longer a strange
term in Western society. Understanding its meaning is paramount
to viewing the magnificence of the Cosmos, tapping into the mystery of the universe, and searching for the origin of nature. It encompasses the vast outer reaches of the universe, invisible, unfathomable and unreachable, yet retains its remoteness, ancient
and untraceable. It is too irrational to conceive, too abstract to connote literally, mystic beyond comprehension. It remains forever silent, unaroused, sublimely peaceful. Before the Tao the voice can
no longer lower its pitch, eyes can no longer project their curiosity,
and movement is halted in its forward journey. The veil of its mystery cannot be pierced. Philosophy cannot define its elusive word.
Science cannot magnify its potential. Technology cannot digitalize
its incalculable number.
To define the Tao is to listen to the silence, observe the nakedness and activate the stillness. It can be likened to communicating
with your inner voice, awakening your innate talent, finding a home
with eternal beauty and releasing your full potential. There can then
be no alienation nor intimidation of your ultimate power.
To define the Tao is to catch your breath, focus your attention,
calculate and refine your action, move with care, and make friends
with the enemy. The breath is lifes inspiration, attention forms concentration, action results as meaning or consequence and stepping forward is the reward. As the enemy recedes in the shadow,
the Tao permeates your aura.
To define the Tao is to stand on the highest mountain peak, swim
in an ocean of love, and soar with the dove in the valley of death. It
is to connect with the power. To sense the Tao is to stand in a cool
spring shower; to view the Tao is to observe from a high tower; to
smell the Tao is to breathe in a fragrant flower. It is to sleep peace-
- 60 -
Chapter I
Communicable Tao
Tao can be expressed in many ways through our gifted power of
communication. There are three forms of communication: oral,
written and willful. Among these, oral communication is primary,
resulting from the power of voice: the manifestation of inner consciousness and our spiritual trumpet. Verbalization is our first approach to living an independent life, finding the gateway to the Tao
through the breath of life and vibration of sound. At the time that
oral communication no longer served our human needs and expectations, letters and numbers were employed symbolically, marking the beginning of civilization as a cultural process.
Embracing these two, the voice of will becomes the most powerful force reaching from one person (dead or alive) to the multitudes: the collective will. This sacred passage permits the self to
be expressed, to touch hearts, to justify morality and verify deeds
accomplished. Our inner justice is profoundly different from the
legal practice of justice for the sake of justice. It is a direct spiritual
communication that goes beyond ego-anticipation and social-culture, an actualization process of human willpower.
Lao Tzu, the Superior Master Lao Jun, is forthright in his teachings of Tao Te Ching, stating that the Tao that is voiced is no longer
that of eternal Tao. The name that is given is no longer that of
eternal name. The Tao that is voiced defines the origin of the universe through subjective expression. This is, in essence, the com- 61 -
municable Tao of inner self that connects deeply to both our microbiological and psychological self as well as our macrocosmic and
celestial self. The name that has been written extensively objectifies any subjective expression of this inner voice. Anyone who has
reached her/his prime can verbalize and name. Upon dying, the
voice and name are extinguished by the will enabling the person to
enter into immortal and eternal life.
Inner Voice
Inner voice is the most sacred spiritual vessel. Without this inner
voice, God is not alive, the Tao is not present, and the self is not
active. This inner voice expresses and characterizes the beauty,
the meaning and the strength of life. It is sometimes silent to the
degree that there is no focal point while at other times it is immeasurably powerful. Yet, we often turn a deaf ear to this inner voice,
refusing to abide by it or even give it credence. We choose instead
to rely on an external world, that of authority and discipline, to define our life as something meaningful, leaving us with confusion
and distortion of the true meaning.
Chapter I
Incommunicable Tao
We have discussed the first part of Lao Tzus first two sentences:
the Tao that is voiced and the name that has been written. The
second part of the two sentences warns us that the eternal Tao
cannot be voiced and the eternal name cannot be written. It
deminstrates to us also that what has been voiced can never be
the eternal Tao, and what has been given or written can never be
the eternal name. The Eternal Tao can never be expressed
completely and comprehensibly. The moment the minds intention
joins with the focus of the heart, the Tao becomes lost. The mouth
cannot express an image, a colorful vision or an awareness of the
total environment while simultaneously penetrating the very subtle
fine line. It is for this reason that voicing the Tao will automatically
and instantly disconnect from the eternal Tao. When an inner
message is verbalized, the speaker is lost and the listener will
interpret the received message according to whatever s/he may
hear, desire or wish. The eternal name is thus lost.
Before something is named, it is subjected to how the observer
regards it. Before Lao Tzu used the word Tao, many other words
may possibly have been chosen. When something is named,
changes occur due to its very nature or the nature of its creator or
user. Thus, the word Tao has become a fixed word with fixed
- 63 -
meaning, far and away from Lao Tzus initial vision, and it is forever
changing. This is why Tao has had many names, God has many
names and we have many names. What has been expressed is
not that which can be further described. No matter how hard we
try, we are bound to fail.
Connection In-Between
Between the mind and the heart, mouth and hand, the communicable and incommunicable Tao, are three bridges we must navigate: the inner voice, the mutual connection and the use of language. The first, the inner voice, is exemplified by the babys voice.
There is no thinking or reasoning involved; only the sound of the
voice. It is the soul of the Tao, the true innermost spirit of that person at that moment in that particular place and in that state of mind.
The second bridge is the mutual connection between the speaker
and the listener in the state of agreement and/or understanding. It
can be linked by either verbal or nonverbal form. When two people
hold an international phone conversation it is not the content that
matters but the continuous connection between them. Advertising
serves a similar purpose in that it is neither the truthfulness of the
message nor the quality of the products, but the securing of a mass
connection: the truth between demand and supply.
The third bridge is in the use of language. When the expression
is carried with clear and defining language, there will be no misunderstanding. The information is clear, as is the understanding of
the listener, successfully serving the purpose of the construction
and usage of language. When two people attempt to communicate using two different languages, their words sound like distinctive animal voices, incomprehensible to one another.
Usefulness of In-Between
Throughout the history of human civilizationthe course of mental
objectificationwe have evolved from the use of a single voice to
the many faceted forms of oral, written and the digital-computerized audio-visual communication. It is remarkable to realize that
we are now, in effect, moving backward. We simplify the use of
language and shorten the spatial distance in presenting the spiritual communication by means of global telecommunication. The
- 64 -
Chapter I
methods have changed dramatically, but not the source. We remain as we are. Each momentary flash of an idea differs from
other moments, and each individual idea differs from others, yet all
the ideas are but the manifestation of mind through the expression
of soul being guided by spirit. The eternal, invariable, unwavering,
enduring and unchanging Tao is beyond expressing.
How could we then know? Only through our own peace and
desire can we open ourselves to its ever-presence. When we have
peace and serenity, we capture its subtlety. While attracted and
seduced by the passion of desire, we experience its manifestation
as we distinguish it as individual or personal, always limiting it within
our own boundaries. When we are relaxed and free from passion
and excitement, we see beyond the futile pursuit of games being
played. To be engaged in the passion and excitement of the game
being played out is a deviation from our connection with the center
and balance. We are divided when we enact our little scenarios.
We become as two: being and non-being, birth and death, beauty
and ugliness, good and bad. Being and non-being give birth to each
other; difficulty and ease complete each other; long and short measure each other; high and low overflow into each other, voice and
sound harmonize with each other; and before and after follow each
other. This is how the world is harmonized in great accord. This
ancient teaching enables us to become non-judgmental, non-prejudicial and indistinguishable.
In-between these two lies the hidden mystery. The mystery
within the mystery is the door to all wonders. This mystery is where
the center, the medium and the equilibrium embrace, balance and
unify from both sides and both ends, while maintaining the middle
ground. It is where the emulation, competition and perfection face
their extremes and opposites in a peaceful manner, and where
beauty and ugliness no longer appear attractive or repulsive, where
good and bad are no longer distinctive.
Chapter I
good and the protector of the bad. By not rejecting or judging what
is good from what is bad, he is not desirous of being presented
with jade in front of the team of four horses but rather of having
without asking and forgiving the wrong doing.
What is thus? It is awareness of self and universe by being
one with the creative force and seeing through what is limpid, after
blunting the sharp edge, unraveling the tangles, husbanding into
light and being as ordinary as dust. Seeing through that which is
limpid is analogous to entering into the realm of the kingdom of
light. Blunting the sharp edge means diminishing all the desires of
heart. Unraveling the tangles is dissolving and clarifying the constant puzzles generated by mind.
When the body returns to its infantile stage and mind is completely cultivated, one is with the limpid light. In Taoist tradition this
light embraces both universal light and bodily light through the transformation and purification within the trinity of Jing, Chi and Shen.
According to modern quantum theory, photons or particles of light,
have the ability to share their existence mutually. Electrons, on the
other hand, have the ability to exclude each other from entering
their territory. When sexual electrons and light photons are joined,
their union is transformed into golden elixir. This is the meaning of
husbanding into light. As the spirit enters its limpid state, the body
returns to its original quality: dust.
Lao Tzu is aware that the substance of Tao seems boundless
and unfathomable. Since the substance of Tao is not a concrete
form, it cannot be perceived symbolically other than in the symbolic sense. As unfathomable and boundless as it seems, there is
form in it. It can be said that its form is the form of the world: the
image appears but is not yet apparent. Still this form seems boundless and unfathomable, there exists matter in it. The matter looks
embryonic and dark, there is essence (Jing) within. The essence
is very pure and complete, and there is trust in it. Because of this
trust, from now to the days of old, its name never dies even though
its name cannot be defined in human terms.
From substance to form, from form to matter, from matter to
Jing, and from Jing to trust, it is as though we are viewing an object
from a satellite or under a microscope. First, when we concentrate
on the outer formation of the world (the substance of Tao), we picture a great body of land, our continent (form). From this continent,
we focus on a country or region (matter). From the region, an ob- 67 -
Chapter I
and the Tao of all things is the very Tao of all things. This is why we
have the Tao of heaven, the Tao of earth, the Tao of human beings,
the Tao of plants and animals, and the Tao of sand and rocks. This
is why competition of any sort has no value or reality; it is nonexistent in the scheme of things.
In our modern society, we have evolved from animal-eating
predators into self-striving competitors. The gains and losses conceal each other; master and slave thrive on each other; wandering
souls and hungry ghosts abound between heaven and earth. Stress
is the consequence of our society, anxiety is the tactic employed,
and loss of self-esteem is the price we pay. Unless the awakened
mind is re-centered, the soul restored, kindness (Te) enriched, the
self, individually and collectively, will never survive.
Remember the word return reminded by the action of returning: body to its destiny, mind to its creativity and spirit to its oneness. Humankind is returning to earth since humanity takes its
origin from earth. Earth is returning herself to heaven since earth
takes her origin from heaven. Heaven is returning itself to the Tao
since heaven takes its origin from Tao. The Tao is returning itself
to Nature since Tao takes its origin from Nature. This is the ultimate reality: returning is the cornerstone of being Taoist. Only
through this practice can we find the way, the one direction, the
means to returning to our youth, our birth, our source, becoming
one with the Tao. This is the unwavering path leading to the door of
mystery where we will join and be the son who is exceeding the
Heavenly Emperor.
Returning
In Taoist inner alchemy, the empty harmony refers to the Cinnabar
Field or Cauldron where elixir is refined. Cinnabar initially represents the raw reddish stone used by outer alchemists in the process of refining golden elixir. The cauldron is a cooking vessel used
by the outer alchemists, while the inner alchemists define it as the
empty center area in the abdomen. It contains the golden elixir
crystallized from yin and yang Chi between the body/mind and
universe. The yin Chi is in the valleys of the earth and kidneys in
the human body, while yang Chi is in the entire cosmos and human mind. The yin (water) Chi in our body comes from the bladder, ovaries/testicles and prostate gland; whereas the yang (fire)
- 69 -
Chi in our consciousness and spirit arises from the heart and mental
awareness. When these two kinds of Chi (called Kan and Li) are
unified to form harmonious action, golden elixir is produced.
Chapter I
Chang-Chiang, Coccyx
(Sacral Pump)
Functional Channel
Governor Channel
Yung-Chuan K-1
(Bubbling Spring)
Fig. 1.3 Learn to circulate your Chi in the Microcosmic Orbit to assist
mastery of semen retention and transformation of sexual energy.
These practices enrich the quality of ones life and fuel the process of spiritual returning. This can be achieved in the context of
celibacy, sexual monogamy or multiple partnersdepending on
the individual and circumstances. The key is to merge sexual energy with loving compassion.
- 71 -
Chapter I
Bellows-Like Meditation
Meditation is, in a sense, expanding our mental space into the vastness of the universe. Human life and its existence on this planet
depend on creating and discovering the most useful space to occupy, then utilizing it fully and gratefully. When a person finds a
suitable space, they will survive and live a long life. This space can
be both physical and mental: a good physical space implies a good
location, good living conditions and a good business opportunity
while a good mental space must have the capacity for flexibility,
allowance and acceptance. These two are equally important and
often difficult to occupy, expand and preserve.
During our lifetime we are all granted a natural space in which
to dwell and make our life meaningful, enabling us to realize a dream
to make the heart joyful, and delight the spirit. Living in this environment we can exercise our kingship within our own precious kingdom.
In meditation practice we utilize the bellowsthe three precious
spaceswithin our body. The first bellows is the function of lungs,
the working breath of life. The second bellows is the perineum, the
gate to all-sea-flow. The third bellows is the third eye, the opening
gate to the reality of mystery. Conscious breathing is the proper
means to effect this procedure.
1. Breath-Related Problems: An array of chronic problems existing in the chest area and brainbronchitis, chest pain, tightness of shoulders, poor digestion, neck pain, sleep problem and
moreare the result of poor or improper breathing. If you are
experiencing a sleep disorder and desperately desire a good
sleep, lie on your back, place one foot over the other, and cross
your hands on your chest. Close your eyes and concentrate on
your breath. As you listen to your breathing, you will soon drift
into a deep and restful sleep. Before you realize it, it will be
morning. You will generate more productivity within this creative
environment with less time and effort.
- 73 -
2. Perineum: If you have lower back problems, constipation, frequent urination, poor or irregular menstruation and urination, and
other related problems you must pay attention to the perineum
pressure point. It is the key to a happy, healthy and energetic
life. Kneel down with toes in standing position. Bow forehead to
the floor and place hands together flat on the floor in front of the
brain. Take a deep breath and contract the perineum and muscles
as firmly as possible. Hold the breath and retain the contracting
position for as long as possible. Then release quickly. Relax for
a few seconds allowing the breath to run smoothly. Then begin
the second phase of breathing using the same technique. Practice this for at least fifteen minutes. This exercise can also be
done whether standing, sitting or lying down.
You may experience pain in all related muscles, joints or organs, as healing commences. Pain is the first step in healing.
- 74 -
Chapter I
When the lower part of the body is fully open and relaxed, the
entire back, neck and brain will become open and relaxed. You
are becoming your own best doctor. The benefit of this exercise
is beyond measure. Your appreciation of yourself and your life
will expand as you continue this practice.
Perineum
3. Third Eye: In order to open your third eye and expand your consciousness in both waking and dreaming states, practice the
following. Kneel, bend your head forward with hands flat on the
floor and tap the forehead on the floor in rapid momentum. You
may experience temporary pain and dizziness. That is a prelude to the joy that will ensue. When you no longer experience
pain when following this practice, the spiritual eye is ready to
open.
You then focus on the pituitary gland. Inhale and mentally gather
the cosmic light into the pineal gland through the yang third eye
in the middle of the forehead. As you exhale, visualize the energy being condensed and sent forth to the yin third eye at the
crossing-point between the two eyes. You may visualize numbers flashing on your mental screen as you count your breaths.
When you are able to see a white dot, the cosmic door is ready
to open. This is the key tool in Taoist healing diagnoses. When
you develop this ability, you will learn to see and read illness.
Chapter I
What is the model of being one with oneself; how does one lose
his selfishness? Water is the answer. Water provides the life force
for all creatures. It nurtures them, satisfies them, sacrifices itself,
and once again purifies itself. Water, on earth, is life. Nothing can
live nor complete its journey without water. This is the power and
virtue of water. This is the material that resembles most closely
the nature of the Tao.
Water is soft and gentle; nothing can compete with it. It occupies more area than anything on the face of the earth does. Water
is weak and pliable, yet nothing can fight against its power since it
remains proportionate as well as ageless. Water is clean and pure;
nothing can contaminate it since it purifies other matter by purifying itself. Water is at peace with nature; nothing can surpass it as
a tranquilizer, since its murky states are stilled by its inner tranquility. Water is inactive, yet nothing can be more active than water
itself; it is everywhere, ceaseless in its wanderings. Water is noncompetitive, conquers all.
Water is always happy in its present dwelling place. Pouring as
rain and drifting as snow, water travels endlessly through the seasons. Forming dews, storms and glaciers, existing as solid, fluid
and steam, it continues its endless forms of processing. It washes
away all toxic materials that harm living creatures. Being noncompetitive enables water to remain at peace at all times. Water joyfully speaks its true faith, but our poisonous understanding of it
dispels its tranquil state. Water is content to follow its course, but
our mismanagement of worldly affairs has diminished our course.
Water acts in its own right time; we manipulate our affairs with an
imaginative clock that destroys the natural rhythms of our bodies.
Water dwells within earthly creatures, and reveals itself as the
largest substance on earth. There is no need to demonstrate, prove
or dignify itself. The yielding strategy it employs enables it to be
- 77 -
- 78 -
Chapter I
Discipline
I always have three treasures: first is compassion, second is frugality, third is to not act in front of the world. So compassion enables courage. Frugality enables abundance. Not daring to act in
front of the world enables the mechanism to endure. Through compassion, fight and win; defend and be secure. When the heaven
establishes itself, it relies upon compassion.
heard. Because this is so, his words are few and few people can
understand them. He is precious and his teaching is precious; he
wears shabby cloth but holds a treasure within.
Words have their origin and events have their master. By reaching the ultimate emptiness, concentrating on the central stillness,
he found that all things work together. From this I observe their
returning. He concludes that truthful speech seems paradoxical.
Besides, being overly informed leads to exhaustion, and facile
promises necessarily result in little trust. Because of the discrimination of this paradox, Lao Tzu comprehends the knowledge to
walk in the great Tao and know there is no reason to be fearful. The
only fear is what is other than that. This is the most profound paradox of life. It serves as a powerful spiritual awakening practice and
self-realization practice as well.
Warning
Seeing what desire and ambition invite, Lao Tzu warns that I see
clearly that those who want to take over the world and manipulate it
do not succeed. No one can surpass the wonder of nature. The
sacred mechanism of the world cannot be manipulated. Those who
manipulate it will fail. Those who hold on to it will lose it. If Lao Tzu is
right, the manipulation of scientific exploitation in its many various
forms, including that of us, will necessarily bring about self-destruction. As the nuclear bombs and arsenals proliferate around
the world, due to mans pursuit of profit and power, there could
come a time of total self-destruction.
In regarding government, Lao Tzu asserts that the more prohibitions there are in the world, the poorer the people will be. The
more and sharper the weapons the people have, the more chaotic
the nation will become. The more know-how people have, the more
bizarre things will appear. The more rules and demands that flourish, the more thefts there will be. Instead, just let people enjoy the
food, appreciate the cloth, delight in customs, settle into their living
conditions. The neighboring countries are in sight. The sounds of
dogs and chickens are heard. People grow old and die without interference from each other. Spirits are calling, but bodies are at
peace with nature.
The other warning sign Lao Tzu declares is that whenever people
are afraid of death and are acting contrary, I will catch and kill them;
- 80 -
Chapter I
who else can act so? People are generally not afraid. Whenever
people are unafraid of death, how can killing be used as a threat?
If fear arises, it will be a great fear. As a result, nobody can kill
the fear of a nation. People will protect themselves out of their own
fear. As for himself, Lao Tzu is never fearful because he has no
place to die.
Advice
To expand on the above paradox, Lao Tzu cautions using the right
lawfulness to govern the country, using nonexpectancy to conduct
the battle, using disengagement to take over the world. When I am
inactive, people transform themselves. When I abide in stillness,
people organize themselves lawfully. When I am disengaged, people
enrich themselves. When I choose non-desire, people remain
simple.
- 81 -
Sensory Perception
Chapter II
Sensory Perception
How We Perceive
To perceive is to be aware of our surroundings as stimuli by the
means of senses. All living things from plants to insects and animals possess sensory abilities. Plant life carries the most simple
form of perception, that of transforming water and light through
minerals. All species of insects live on germs and viruses, whereas
animals depend on their five sensory receptors to recognize, identify and utilize their needs. Plants and rocks are active inorganically or vegetatively. Deriving from their inherent abilities, animals
have developed inter/intra-organic capacities in order to live actively and escape safely through their sensors. Their rudimentary
abilities enable them to interact with the five sensors of eyes, nose,
ears, tongue and skin. The human hands and feet as well as animals claws and birds wings, etc., are essential to their corresponding senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Humans
have also developed the ability to think and reason, to make and
utilize tools. Although mankind is incapable of running as fast as
jaguars, jumping as high as fleas, flying as high as birds or swimming as well as fish, we are the masters of sensory manipulation,
making the most creative use of all things as well as the most
destructive use.
Along with five senses, all animals possess souls or animal
spirits of that intrinsic and independent power. Taoists call this form
of spirit po, which is instinctive, vegetative, selfish and egoistic.
Just as plant lives range from seasonal to perennial, animal spirits
exist from cyclical to eternal. All animal spirits are cyclical, but the
human spirits, being the most highly evolved, can reach the eternal. All animal spirits are self-protective since they must safeguard
their own existence. Only human beings are consciously aware of
their traits of selfishness and are willing to somehow extend this
- 82 -
Chapter II
power beyond death. All animals are realistically selfish; only humans can sacrifice today for the benefit of tomorrow.
When a spirit/soul is regenerated into a physical body, it unifies
its organic ability with the conscious ability to form ego: the master
of the five senses. In the Taoist interpretation, ego, as a powerful
and destructive sensory receptor, manipulates both the biological
and instinctive awareness of po and the conscious and mental
awareness of hun. The human conscious awareness perceives
both the present reality (natural or cultural) and the projected reality (wished or planned). We define a natural presence (such as
time) through a consciously perceived presence (such as a specific time of a day), and project it into a future outcome (such as
predicting the weather).This is made possible through the interaction of the conscious spirit, the anticipating power, the make-believe of ego and the foreseeing and fear-controlling capability.
With spiritual discipline we become fully aware of the biological
and receptive presence, the consciously perceived and planned
presence, and the spiritually awakened and transcended presence.
This is the presence of oneness, a composite of matter, force and
the momentum of their interaction. This is the presence of spirit
and its wisdom force. In spiritual manifestation, the world is not
only perceived but perceivable as well. The perceived world is the
realistic world we now inhabit. The perceivable world remains forever present and mystic. Therefore, in spiritual cultivation practice,
the senses are organic and inorganic, biological and psychological, instinctive and conscious, egoistic and willful. Our sensory
power represents the power of nature, mind, force, and matter.
Spiritual Sensitivity
Everything is perceivable as it is perceived; Nature in Gods creation is perceivable and the Tao in life is a perceived journey. In
spiritual discipline, everything has its intrinsic healing power. To
perceive the power of each individual creature is exceedingly difficult because of its own sacred secrecy and interactive capacity.
On the one hand, when the secrecy is open the sacred becomes
manipulative. When an individual is isolated and becomes naked,
plain is the presence and simplicity is the workstation. On the other
hand, only when one is naked does one reveal its natural secrecy;
only when there is no more magic visible does it conceal the true
- 83 -
Sensory Perception
magic within: the gift of spirit. Between this paradox lies the nature
of mind and faith, underlining the path of research and returning.
The mind steals as many natural things as possible by exploring their nakedness, disregarding each ones privacy, giving no credence to the nature of secrecy, and paying no respect to the beauty
of simplicity. The scientific mind willfully and egoistically locks the
door to any naked entrance through the possible reconstruction of
elements and making the beautiful fruits of motherhood a profitable outcome. Equally alarming and tragic is the religious view of
abandoning the body, the love and the flow for the sake of institutional practices, making the sacred power of church (body and
son) deviate itself from its source, love and resource: the sacrificial power of mother.
The world begins with the mother as its source. When you have
the mother, you know the son. The Mother is the undivided natural
form of Maker, and her creative power is the mechanism of all
creatures and their functions. Knowing this, the smallest and the
subtlest particle of the seed and the son, the orphanage of your
true self, is through your innate experience. This is the understanding
of the science of each individual substance and its function, from
images to ideas to structures and to numbers. This is the source
of our minds search, both realization and actualization, and our
returning path.
Fig. 2.1 When the bodily parts work together, the spirit senses all.
- 84 -
Chapter II
Five senses are developed within the entire animal kingdom, coordinated through the primitive brain, or cerebral cortex. In humans,
the term cerebral cortex describes the thick layer of gray matter
encasing the cerebrum, just as fruit encircles its kernel. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, consisting of two hemispheres
separated by a deep longitudinal fissure. It is the central authority
for sensation as well as for all voluntary muscular activities. It is
the seat of consciousness and the center of the higher mental
faculties such as memory, learning, reasoning and emotions. It
consists of four lobes: occipital lobe for visual association, parietal
- 85 -
Sensory Perception
lobe for touch and taste, the temporal lobe for smell and hearing,
and front lobe for the motor activities of thinking and reasoning.
All sensory activities governed by the cerebral cortex are centralized through the thalamus glands and executed through the limbic systemthe name being derived from limbus, the Latin word
for ring. This ringing system enables us to learn and to memorize. This ability is the conductor of sound and its vibrating frequencies, ensuring the person of the next breath, the next meal or opportunity. Prior to development of the limbic system, all species
possessed a brainstem that encircled the top of the spinal cord
and was poorly developed, particularly among fish and insects.
The brainstem, even more primitive than the limbic system, directs (as it is preprogrammed to do) the functions of breathing and
metabolism. It controls our stereotyped reactions and movements
as well. It is vital in maintaining our conscious wakefulness and
alertness. The primary functions of lifeheart rate, blood pressure, swallowing, coughing, breathing and unconsciousnessare
charged by the brainstem. The alarm system in the brain, the reticulating activating system (RAS) consists of a reticular formation, subthalamus, hypothalamus, and medial thalamuswith hypothalamus serving the highest purpose of all. It contains many
tiny clusters of nerve cells called nuclei monitors that regulate body
temperature, food-intake, water balance, blood flow, sleep-wake
cycle and the activity of the hormones secreted by the pituitary
glands.
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Pineal Gland
Pituitary Gland
Chapter II
- 87 -
Sensory Perception
Amygdala
Fig. 2.4 Function of Amygdala
Chapter II
Sensory Perception
tectors who fought for their masters. For example, in ancient China
there are many written descriptions of the highly skilled commanders and martial artists employing wild animals in battle. This is
perhaps the earliest meditative power exerted by humans in dealing with their predators. Gradually, throughout the history, we have
internalized this skill into a two-sided, built-in self-preservation technique: positive and negative.
The negativity freezes or numbs the body/mind subconsciously
in its confrontation with danger. The positive side exercises the
human willpower to swiftness and fearlessness as characterized
by kingship, noble men and sages. Action (Te) in its profundity is
like a newborn baby. Poisonous insects and venomous snakes do
not sting it. Predatory birds and ferocious animals do not seize it.
In ancient literature, stories were written about kings, noblemen
and sages as examples of sovereignty, to be regarded by the commoners as spiritual or god-like creatures, worthy of worship. They
needed leadership, guidance, a common hope and belief. Since
the majority of the population was unable to survive due to rampant
disease, lack of food or becoming the food-supply of the stronger
wild animals, they were destined to die at a very early age. The few
who survived honed their skills in order to transform their fear and
reverse the prevailing life-threatening situations into a positive outcome.
According to pre-heaven theory in Taoist tradition, the abdomen
is yang and brain is yin. In the beginning of its life within the womb,
generally within three to five months, the body turns upside down
with the water at the top and the fire at the bottom. This flow is the
function between the North Star and the sun: tailbone and fontanels.
The North Star provides the holy water and spiritual light, while the
sun ensures the biological formative power and the conscious nutrients: blood and fire. The tailbone provides and directs the initial
spinning, rotating or swinging power. It also provides flexibility for
the pelvic structure to accommodate the birth process. The fontanels, serving as the cosmic urinary and defecating gates, channel the communication between the fetus and mother. As a fetus
grows, the nutrients coming through umbilical cord and placenta
shower through the sacral bones to the entire body. The spine becomes like a riverbed, allowing the water Chi to flow and nourish
the organs, muscles, tissues, bones and other bodily parts, enabling the fetus to rotate, moving from side to side and up and
- 90 -
Chapter II
down. The ears become as the mouth of this river flow, ready to
receive the vibration between the fetus and mother, and communicate between the skin and the amniotic fluid. The umbilical arteries
and veins within the cord provide the vital energetic circulation of
blood. Unlike other species in the animal kingdom, human babies
hang upside down in the mothers abdomen until the birth process
begins. Animal mothers give birth while standing on their four legs;
therefore there is no fear of darkness in baby animals. In contrast,
the human babys brain is always held vice-like in its mothers pelvis, looking down into darkness, causing the fear of darkness to
become a built-in biological reaction.
In post-heaven life, the nine sacral and tailbones are fused into
two, enabling the trunk of the body to stand upright. The resultant
walking ability defines the natural difference between a human baby
and an animal baby. It takes a period of six months or more for a
human baby to develop the ability to stand on its feet and walk,
while only a matter of minutes for a baby animal to do so. However,
later on in adulthoodin cases where lifestyle effects have resulted
- 91 -
Sensory Perception
Sacral Foramen
S1
S2
C1
C2
C3
C4
Sacral Hiatus
S3
S4
S5
Meditative Perceptivity
Humanity has developed abilities through their evolution to distinguish the differences among colors, sounds and smells with the
aid of the five senses. Possessing these facilities, we humans
experience other more subtle senses. Some examples are pressure, temperature, weight, resistance and tension, pain, position,
perceptional and visceral and sexual sensations, equilibrium, hunger and thirst. All these sensations arise from the interaction between internal organs and the external world. The primary role of
the sensesto ensure our survival and avoid any dangerous and
disastrous situationenables us to discriminate what is good from
that which is harmful, and what is valuable from what is useless.
Upon optimizing these sensory abilities, we gradually become more
- 92 -
Chapter II
artistic, instrumental and possessive. We continually strive to improve those abilities to discern or perceive the natural forms, to
make life simpler and more peaceful, ever more meaningful and
wonderful.
In spiritual practice two things are required. The first is to perceive something exactly as it is. This is the precision of accuracy.
The other is selflessness. When the self is absent, the discrimination and judgment will be absent as well. There can be no space
for duality when the true value of perception is apparent. Passing
judgment is the real poison to our life, our health and our spiritual
environment. True spiritual judgment is selfless: perceiving things
as they are and responding accordingly. In life, all good things are
transformative gifts and all bad things are valuable learning and
transforming materials. Understanding this realitythe meaning
of perceptionis the beginning of Taoist awareness practice. It is
being consciously aware that the perception of eyes, nose and
ears functions to form the greatest portion of information. When
we reach the point where what we perceive is ideal to what our
consciousness is perceiving, life then presents its true meaning to
us. At this point, the sensory organs are not only reliable tools but
also valuable conscious and spiritual vehicles. Through this organic awareness, deeper emotional and spiritual nature will be
awakened and comprehended. Only the true self is needed to
achieve this.
With the aid of light, all things can be seen. To know the Tao, no
special talent is needed and no perceivable knowledge is required.
All things on earth are sacred, gifted and selfless. To know this is to
know your true self and how to apply the skill of spiritual perception. With this device, we can know not only the worldly appearances we observe but also their hidden messages. Then oneness
is achieved, making human perception a joint venture between our
biological, emotional and spiritual world within as well as the external world negotiated by the mind and heart. The perception of the
world, of the Tao and of God is then achieved as life flows on of its
own accord.
Sensory Receptors
Do you know why all sensory receptors are located in the front of
the body? It is to direct us to move always forward, using colors,
- 93 -
Sensory Perception
sounds, tastes and pressure till our body finally dies. From its very
beginning our life is lost until death returns to take us. During the
day, we march forward. At night we return during sleep. However,
when sleeping on our backs, we block our spiritual communication
as dream-work replaces spirit-traveling.
When you learn to see things through the back part of your brain,
listen to sound through the center of your brain and breathe through
the navel, you become one with yourself and the universe. If you
cannot do so now, following the techniques outlined here will show
you the way. They will guide you through the outside world into your
inner world, not through hopes gathered in the forefront of your
imagination but with the dreams held back in your subconscious
mind. That is the meaning of meditation: returning to oneness.
Chapter II
colors, five flavors and five tones), followed by Racing and pursuing madden the heart, and Pursuing what is rare makes the action
deceitful. The standard version rigidly and forcefully places the
three fives together through the mental word processor of logical reasoning. It disguises the tragedy of human interaction with
simple calculation: compressing the human experience in a short
summarization. The artistic demonstration in the standard version
loses the most vital point: the position of heart and the center of
action.
Compared to the standard version, the Mawangdui texts show
more originality and are less wordy and polished. This expresses
the nature of Tao, responding naturally by ignoring completion and
perfection. Grand perfection seems lacking, yet its use is never
exhausted. Grand fullness seems empty, yet its use never comes
to an end. Grand straightforwardness seems bent. Grand skill
seems clumsy. Grand surplus seems deficient. This is an honest
reminder of how we should avoid becoming entrapped and being
satisfied with momentary limitation. Hopefully, through this naturally inspired and personally experienced reminder, we will walk
through this chapter and the entire book with grace, realization and
liberation.
Most importantly, the Mawangduis arrangement in chapter 12
has its own conscious sequence. It is not in the logical art of language but spoken to the natural conscious order: a combination of
intuition and rationality. It explains the process of using our immediate senses of colors, heartbeat and excitement first, followed by
sounds, smells and flavors. It concerns itself with the organic interaction of self with the world. It treats the mental reflection of the
worlds appearance and other qualities as an interactive and inseparable unity to be acquired from both biophysical experience
and conscious understanding. This is the nature of all recorded
wisdom traditions.
In Lao Tzus spiritual conscious order, the sentence five colors
blind the eyes reveals the eyes as one of the primary sensory receptors. Colors are the first visible objects in the universe and the
most powerful natural stimuli. Their significance is so important to
our life, both biological and artistic, that we dye our fabrics with
colors, stain utensils with color, paint our rooms and houses with
colors, and express ourselves through colors. And we are the consumers of colors. When colors, as the spectrums of light, enter
- 95 -
Sensory Perception
the heart through eyes, the heart is fired and maddened, and the
body is driven by the go for it message. Racing and hunting commence. Completion then comes into play since our survival depends on the colorful fruits of mother earth. The more rare an object is, the more intensely the body/mind pursues it. Pursuing what
is rare makes action deceitful: the beginning of human sinfulness.
The word rare is used in reference to the most sought after stimuli
since that which is rare pleases the heart, satisfies the ego, escalates the position and increases the value. Cheating, fighting, disguising, lying, envying, admiring, appraising, degrading, denying,
hiding, exaggerating, labeling, disregarding, abusing, humiliating,
killing, on and on endlessly. All for the purpose of pursuing five
flavors and enjoying the five tones: the rewards of racing and hunting. As the eyes are blinded, palate dulled, ears deafened, the body
becomes toxic and the mind numb. In spiritual discipline, the body
is the cycling temple of the spirit. The mind is the directing wind of
spirit. Their vital force or spiritual elixir should be used for two purposes only: to give birth to Gods beloved and spiritually connected
children, and to return us all to the true nature of self: the spiritual
and Godhead self.
Chapter II
Sensory Perception
- 98 -
Chapter II
Sensory Perception
Chapter II
Sensory Perception
Chapter II
their own master and their own God. Their mental seal has become a mixed entity of religious ownership and national censorship. They fail to realize that they all worship the same God; their
masters are children (within the same family lineage) of the same
God. Are they fighting for their hearts or their egos? Are they worshiping their hearts or their faith?
Sensory Perception
master to transmit everything to him and then announce his retirement. Equally, when we go outside the house for food or adventure, we know we must return. The further we go, the further away
we are from home.
The window represents the attractive beauty and sensational
mystery. It is the pull of the wanderer, the intention of soul, the
readiness of action, the patience of heart, the agitation of passion,
and the defense of protection. A window cannot reveal Gods image, but only projects our own reflection. It draws the connection
but denies the action. It invites without permeating and accepts
without releasing the information. It peers through curiosity, directs
our anxiety, leads to suspicion, is examined by the untrustworthy
and guided by the wanderer.
A wanderer never leaves his room: the border of his true nature.
Yet he wonders about the usefulness of his room, the meaning of
his border, and the value of his nature. A wanderer does not concern himself with his appearance; he is inside his image. He
marches across the landscape of fresh-smelling soil. He never
considers himself to be affectionate, but always loveable. His mind
has stepped outside rationality and his heart is faithful to his spirituality. He does not search in his journey, but only measures within
each step. He never stays inside his house, but is always at home.
The window reflects his own being, and the door connects his spiritual consciousness with his overall behavior. He looks at the all but
sees the one. He listens to the cosmic vibration but hears the silent wave. He rubs his fingertips for the sensational feelings of inner calling. He expresses his loving tenderness by crying for any
peaceful solution.
The Door to All Wonders is wide open, whether the wanderers
are at home or wander and dream breathlessly. The body is the
door and the feet are the ensuring doorsteps. The mind is the window as spirit reflects its virtuous freedom within the dancing soul:
the dreams of wonders.
Chapter II
Sensory Perception
serving face, keeping face behind the ego and being fearful of losing face are the best qualities of dignity. The roles of manager,
faithful follower and fundamental nationalist belong to this category.
They find themselves in the combined role of self-identity and dignity and willingly sacrifice their lives for it. These kinds of people
make excellent leaders because they have a sense of deep inner
psychic connection as well as the ability to direct their spiritual
power to their followers and energizing them. When they become
deenergized, however, they can be like a hungry dog, a killer without mercy or shame. Dignity is next to spiritual willpower, but the
latter has no need to prove and qualify itself. It has already been
qualified by God and proven by spirit.
- 106 -
Chapter III
Chapter III
Walking the Way:
Spiritual Cultivation
In the previous chapter, we dealt with the descending and suffusing order of the evolutionary process being undergone by our sensory receptors. These have since become characteristic to us.
Our intent at this time is to explain how these characteristics merged
from being different to being the same through the process of returning practice.
It commences with the simple practice of walkinga natural
processthat follows the development of inner strength. As the
legs gain enough strength to stand upright, the child begins the
human way of walking, thereby abandoning the animal mode of
crawling on all fours. Thus, the pilgrimage begins and cultivation
begins. The art of walking the way does not apply to the physical
act of walking, but centers on our drive to follow our dreams and
achieve our goals: the journey of our soul. On this journey, although
each step forward may prove difficult, it leads necessarily and naturally to the next: geared always toward the final restful eternity. To
die but not be forgotten is to be immortal is the heart of Taoist
pilgrimage.
Taoism has accumulated only a handful of documented teachings but provides endless practical and advisable suggestions. They
contain few rules to be followed but offer rich and invaluable direction. There are no commandments to obey but only mindful heartfelt revelations to be explored. Many enlightened teachers are here,
ready to guide your pilgrimage, to help you understand your body,
and to teach you how to distill your mind. You will then awaken to
the harmonious flow of universe where you will dwell within the
procreative state.
The teaching focuses essentially on the purification of Jing-ChiShen into its final product: the elixir of pure-person. Jing is interpreted as the essence of our biophysical body. Chi manifests as
- 107 -
Sensory Perception
Chapter III
- 109 -
Sensory Perception
Chapter III
Sensory Perception
not exist. The energy center for spiritual life is in the abdominal
area. The brain is but an empty storage space waiting to house all
our thoughts and desires. To vitalize the stomach is to retain
physical health and mental stability, while abundant kidney Chi
furnishes the drive to make life meaningful and practicable socially,
politically and spiritually.
In the second stage, through the fusion of five elements, the five
psychosomatic Chi are unified into a single psychospiritual Chi:
Love. Heaven and earth combine and allow sweet dew is the literal
representation. This results from gathering yang Chi in the universe
and bringing it into the Yellow Court at the Middle Cinnabar Field
where it harmonizes the Chi lifted from cauldron into a Pearl. The
color yellow refers to earth or golden season of spleen: the energy
distribution center. Microcosmic Orbit and Six Healing Sounds are
purposefully designed for this stage. In this psychosomatic center,
nutritional materials (e.g. air, food and water) absorbed into the
mouth and nose are generated into Chi-form, necessary to maintain
bodily equilibrium. This manifests through corresponding organs
as emotional attributions and supplementary personality
characteristics. The challenge is how to transform the emotion
into motionless, how to change personal into impersonal, and how
to purify selfish love into selfless love. The practical solution is inner
marriage between twin souls where negativity no longer exists,
where no more karma needs to be met, where there is no more
dual existence of male and female, where only the true selfless
self of pure-person and oneness are apparent.
In the third stage, the sweet dew invites, attracts or steals
Gods creative force of spirit in the Upper Cinnabar Field. The golden
elixir or pure-self will result in preparation for flight. This stage is
characterized as the three flowers unify in the head and the five
Chi return to the ethereal state, the state of the Tao since Tao is
beyond danger even when the body perishes. When a meditator
reaches this state, they will literally see the three different flowers
at these energetic centers: Buddha is seated on the lotus flower;
Jesus Christ adorns the snow-flaked flower; and Lao Tzu embraces
the star-shaped flower. In this psychospiritual center, shen is the
residence and master of hun (the heavenly spirit submerged in
human soul form) and po (the earthly animated soul form). It is
where the secret of natural mechanism is disclosed and their
mechanical copies (mental products) are researched.
- 112 -
Chapter III
Two Openings
In Taoist tradition the inner marriage is the performance of the inner
cosmic dance between virgin boy and virgin girl. This is made
possible by closing the heavenly gate and the earthly door. The
condition is pure love or Christ Love, the state is eternal, the
substance is light, the seed is virtue, and the result is pure-person.
Virgin girl is Mother: colors, creation, purification, yin, chromosome
Y, snake, lake and mountain. Virgin boy is Father: light, power,
transformation, penetration, yang, chromosome X, dragon, thunder
and star. To experience the inner marriage is to know the cosmic
marriage, to enjoy the eternal love, to act through selfless love, and
to preserve the cosmic Chi.
The two openings in our body/mind are the heavenly gatethe
third eyeexisting at the top, and the earthly doorperineum
pressure pointat the bottom. The bottom opening is locked before
the pubic stage begins, and closed after menopause or with the
absence of sperm, but opens fully in the productive stage and when
sickness manifests.
- 113 -
Sensory Perception
Perineum
Fig. 3.4 Perineum in the Female and Male Bodies
These are the only occasions in our human life during which we
experience a sense of living with God. In the history of human
evolution (both evolution and involution), as well as in religious
experience, scientific findings and the creative arts, all trace their
origins to this mystic source.
- 114 -
Chapter III
Reactionistic Map
In Taoist mentality our entire life, troubled by its inevitable illnesses,
is determined by the interactive results of Chi circulation of jingchi-shen and hun-xin-po.
Jing-Chi-shen
Hun-Xin-Po
Chi works between Jing and Shen just like xin (heart) balances
the forces of hun and po. By applying Lao Tzus Tao-Te-form-matterjing-trust, this suffused model assures us that heaven (the nature
of Tao) within us is Te, and the earth within us is Chi. When the Te
flows forth and Chi pervades everywhere, being forms. The origin
of being is jing. When two jing(s) are joined together, they become
shen. What comes and goes with shen is hun, and what goes
back and forth with jing is po. Jing, shen, hun, and po are the four
names of the fundamental building blocks in the structure of Chinese
biology, physiology, psychology and spirituality. Shen is the pure
yang shen or spiritual form residing in the head, while hun is the yin
shen or human soul. Jing is the biological substance of the body,
and po is the animated soul of jing within the body. Aside from
these four building blocks, Chi is the power source, and xin is the
working mind. Everything operates through the Chi; anything that
goes through the body must also go through the mind.
Looking at the concept of Chi in the traditional Chinese view as
well as libido in modern psychology, we see the diversity of this
energy manifested in two cultures. In Chinese, Chi is universal and
organismic, collective and individual, biological and spiritual. In
psychology, particularly Freudian psychology, libido is nothing other
than self-directed sexual pleasure and its gratification. The misuse
of Chi or libido contributes to both the Taoist idea of loss and
Freudian psychoanalytical concept of neurosis. Yet, to the Taoists,
Chi, especially concerning sexual energy or life force, is the most
precious treasure in the world; any misuse of it causes irreparable
damage to life. In Freuds opinion, this portion of Chi is gratified
either by artistic and intellectual romance, or suppressed in daily
life as a sickness. There is no middle ground. The Taoist approach
can make a valuable contribution to modern psychology and spiritual
- 115 -
Sensory Perception
Chapter III
Three Hun
Seven Po
Sensory Perception
is the gluttonous thief; the fifth is the strong poison; the sixth is the
abandoned seduction; and the seventh is the diseased lungs. These
seven po represent the seven emotional attributes, leading inexorably
to possessive action and self-destruction. In biblical tradition they
are the seven bowls or seven deadly sins. As Lao Tzu questioned
which is more cherished, the name or the body? Which is worth
more, the body or possessions? Which is more beneficial, to gain
or to lose? This bespeaks of the desire and drive of egoistic heart.
By getting nutrition from the spleen and stomach (the energy
center for digesting food), the light from sun, and the air from lungs,
the psyche or xin has the necessary tool to produce blood: the
kinetic energy supply for the body from the embryonic light. Xin is
the origin of human desire (for the basic bodily existence) and action
(mobility). The Chinese concept of xin for heart is xin originates
from matter and dies with matter. If there is no light outside the
world, xin cannot be conscious of itself; if there is no biological
form of bodily existence, xin has no need to live with pos instinctive
behavior of estimating things and being protective. Po or ego is a
very powerful concept but is empty on its own merits. Its powerful
nature goes to Western culture, which is active, demanding,
dominant, pragmatic and controlling, whereas the Buddhisms
empty view and Taoisms non-minded, non-egoistic action in the
East stress the usefulness of emptiness. Since ego is directly linked
with the subjective conscious self I, it surfaces through the
consciousness of hun and subjectivity of po to manifest with xins
passion and obsession. It is from this observation that we draw an
equation that xin and nao (brain) are the Chinese equivalent of
heart and mind.
Ming
Xin
Nao
- 118 -
Chapter III
Two Orbits
The Chinese discovered the energetic channelsmeridians
based on the practice of meditation, acupuncture, massage and
spiritual healing. These meridians can be charged and recharged
by the two internal orbits: xiaozhoutian (Microcosmic Orbit/Circle)
and dazhoutian (Macrocosmic Orbit/Circle). Xiao means small or
little; zhou is a 360-degree circle; tian indicates heaven or day, and
da connotes big or large. The Medical Microcosmic Orbit circulates between the Governing and Protective Meridian. Its Medical
- 119 -
Sensory Perception
Chapter III
During inhalation with the Macrocosmic Orbit, the mental concentration begins at the Lower Cinnabar Field. As it travels up to
the chest it divides the line in two in order to connect the armpits
with the three hand-yin-meridians that run to the fingers. Round
the fingers with the line from the small finger to the thumb in order
to join the three hand-yang-meridians. Then move the lines up the
outside of the arms, merging them together at the C-7 and up to
the head. During exhalation, mentally draw the yang Chi from
heaven to the crown point of the head, down through the spine to
the tail bone. Then separate the line into two. Move each line down
along the three leg-yang-meridians to the feet and around the toes.
Then return the lines to join the three leg-yin-meridians up to the
Sacral Pump. As they merge together as one, the white line travels
up to the Lower Cinnabar Field.
Heart of Troubles
Carnal Body Root of Trouble
Life is always troublesome, regardless of how the individual is
bounded by it. Suffering is the central theme in Buddhist philosophy; sinfulness is overly emphasized in Christianity; Taoism values the trouble as you do the body. Why so? If I did not have a
body, where would the trouble be? Body doesnt understand the
meaning of suffering; it is the conscious mind that embraces all
feelings, sensations and the meaning of suffering and sin. The egoistic mind deals with it as an intellectual concept. To the religious it
- 121 -
Sensory Perception
Chapter III
The theory and practice behind the six words formulas are that
natural sounds can vibrate our inner organs by stimulating the organic receptors and their corresponding centers. The expressive
sounds are then connected with the desire of the heart toward the
objects that produce sound. For example, when the feeling is grief,
due to either blockage of an inner organ or stimuli from the outside,
the voice resonates between low frequency and low force. When
the feeling is joyful, the voice resonates in tones from smooth and
steady to noisy and excited. Extreme positive or negative creates
disharmony within the organic system. The six words we discuss
at this time are the six healing sounds being paired to either replenish or dispense with the inner blockage of Chi in the six paired
organs.
Translated Traditional Chinese Text and Personalized
Teaching for Westerners. The nature of the six sounds has to do
with the five organic (vital organs) sounds, beginning with the lungs
plus the triple-warmer sound, like Y as the English vowel. Each
organ has three sounds: the neutral where the organ generates its
own purest expression and dual sounds where the Tao and Te, or
inhalation and exhalation are used, or the mental sound/physical
sound, or male/female sounds. That is why in the six healing
sounds, there are two distinctive sounds.
The six healing sounds presented in the text herein are the direct translation from Hua-to, one of the greatest Taoist (and medical) doctors in China. And, in the beginning of his title, he used Lao
Tzus spiritual nametai-shang-lao-jun, the Supreme Master LaoJungas the title, just like most of the writers of Buddhist literature do in honoring the teachings of Buddha. The six sounds are
about twelve meridians connected to twelve organs. Consequently,
- 123 -
Sensory Perception
the sixth [dual] sound presented in the text of this section refers to
the relationship between the bladder and the gallbladder, which
comes from a medical context. The other sixth healing sound, the
triple warmer soundused in the Universal Tao Systemis not
related to any particular organ; it is not included in the text discussion. It is hard to say whose system is authentic unless our organs
are clean to produce their own authentic sounds. The five vital organs each are connected to an associated organ(s) as well as to a
sense organ. For example: heart, small intestine and tongue.
In the chakra system, the first five sounds connect to the first
five chakras, from sexual organ to vocal cord; the sixth is about the
third eye sound, the awakening of the Goddess sound within. Only
when the five Chi-sounds are completely integrated and reach a
perfect silence, can the sixth sound arise; it cannot manifest by
itself.
Also, the first five sounds are about the five animal kingdoms, or
the five senses within humans. The human sound, which is the
spleen sound, connects the four animal deitiesGreen Dragon,
Red Phoenix, White Tiger, and Black Tortoisethrough the Yellow
Court (spleen, pancreas and stomach). The spleen is the largest
node of the lymphatic system, technically not an organbut due to
its importance in the immune system and, energetically, in Chinese medicineit is regarded as a vital organ. As the triple-warmer
is activated, the trinity of the hun is also activated, thus connecting
the three Tan Tiens: the upper conscious, the middle emotional,
and lower physical. When the hun connects the four animal deities, the seven is completed. The crown is awakened.
Since the translation is strictly literal, and Master Chias teaching is personal, whether created by him or transmitted from another teacher, the six sounds he is teaching are the six neutral
sounds. Master Chia has simplified the sounds by using the Inner
Smile process for neutralizing negative energies in the respective
organs before activating the appropriate sound and physical position. The processing of emotions is different from the descriptions
in the translated text. Also, he has further streamlined the procedure by activating each vital organ and its associate organthere
is a recognizable interconnectednessat the same time (i.e., lungs
and large intestine). Each sound is then performed three to six
times as needed for maximum benefit.
- 124 -
Chapter III
Sensory Perception
Become aware of
your lungs and
smile into them.
Close the
eyes; breathe
normally;
smile down to
the lungs.
Chapter III
Sensory Perception
Become aware
of the liver,
smile. Raise
the hands out
to the sides.
Release the
intertwined
fingers.
Press out
with heels
of the palms.
Chapter III
Become aware
of the heart;
smileinto it.
Open mouth,
rounded lips
Open your mouth somewhat,
Push more with the left arm. round your lips and exhale on
the sound Hawwwww.
Fig. 3.14 Heart Sound and Exercise - Fire Element, Li
- 129 -
Sensory Perception
The heart controls the Ninth Palace, the alarming gate. When
it is harmonious, the form is perfect. At 7:00 a.m. on the first day
of the summer season, sit facing the South, clicking the golden
roof (upper teeth) nine times, bubbling the mystic well (saliva),
then swallowing it in three even portions. Concentrate steadily
on inhaling the red Chi at the Li Palace (heart), then swallow the
red Chi three times in order to nourish the jade-maiden in the
spiritual Li mansion. When the spirit is pacified, the body is at
peace. Though a hundred disasters may arise, they can bring
no harm.
5. Map of the Spleen (hu-sound is for dispensing and ker-sound
is for replenishing): The spleen is the Chi of Ken (Mountain)
hexagram, the essence of earth, and the color of yellow. It is like
the cover of a tub. Its spirit is phoenix-like, and it transforms
itself into a six-inch-long jade maiden.
Press in with
the fingers,
more to the
left side
under rib
cage.
Exhale on the sound
Whooooooo.
Chapter III
The spleen connects to the eminent yin, and its corresponding facial organ is the mouth. When its appearance is moist and
soft, there is no problem. The spleen has no fixed position, as
do the other inner organs. It changes within an eighteen-day
period during each of the four seasons. At 5:00 a.m., sit at the
Central Palace (triple warmer, thymus) and avoid breathing five
times. Practice the beating-the-drum exercise seven times, and
then imagine the yellow Chi of the Central Palace, and swallow
it. Drink the jade-dew in order to reach a sublime state. Humans
depend upon the Tao of heaven to regulate vital Chi. Preserving
the essence of ones sexual Chi attains longevity. Concentrate
on the pearl-pond (mouth) and drink the jade-juice (saliva), the
harmonious Chi will then regulate all the meridians. Hold onto
essential source, sustain purity, and eliminate aging. This process is called the secret formula for concentrating on purity and
sustaining longevity.
6. Map of the Gall Bladder (xi-sound is for dispensing and xusound is for replenishing): The gallbladder is the essence of
gold, the Chi of water, and the color of blue. Its spirit is tortoiselike, and it transforms into a foot-long jade maiden, who is very
brave. The gall bladder connects to the bladder. When its color
is dark blue, there is no problem. During the first month of every
season, sit facing the Mystic North and inhale the black Chi into
the mouth, swallowing the Chi of the jade-well nine times. Ecstasy and anger do harm to the personality; sorrow and joy damage the spirit. When the spirit is damaged, life is endangered
and the innate personality is destroyed. Cultivate the personality in order to generate Chi. Preserve the spirit in order to rest
the heart. When Chi is pacified, the body is balanced, the essence is perfected, and the heart is rested. This is the formula
for cultivating purity, preserving spiritual essence, and enhancing longevity.
- 131 -
Sensory Perception
Triple Warmer
1. Lie down on your back.
2. Close the eyes and take a deep breath, expanding the
stomach and chest without strain.
3. Exhale on the sound Heeeeeee made sub-vocally, as you
picture and feel a large roller pressing out your breath.
Upper
Warmer
Middle
Warmer
Lower
Warmer
- 132 -
Chapter III
Desiring Heart
The Owner of the Troubles
The desiring heart (wang xin) is a joint venture between soulful
spirit hun and animated spirit po. Xin is the ruler of the body and the
master of the human spirit. It is the foundation of self and the trajectory of egoistic mind. Xin exists with material things and dies as
a result. The reversed situation would be out of sight, out of mind.
This is because of its device, the eyes. Eyes are the window of
hun and po, and tears are the manifestation of joy and of loss. Xins
stimulus comes from the eyes and the eyes are the medium and
connection between light and energy, and colors and passions.
The heart reflects the materialistic world and the inner state of mind.
Bio-somatically speaking, the blood, our main energy supply, comes
from the nutritional Chi of spleen and stomach. Under the streaming of solar light that enters through the eyes as well as the body,
the nutritional Chi changes its color into red and then distributes
itself throughout the whole body.
In the eyes of Taoism and Chinese medical theory, the heart of
the mind is the shen that is stored in the heart and governs all the
activities of the body/mind. The pure function of shen, which is
spiritual, suffuses into mentality and connects with the emotional
organs. Intuitive knowing, complete anticipation and subtle understanding are the picture of shen. Conscious thinking or reasoning
and moral conduct are the services of shen. The triangular organic
connection of shen is heart, eyes and brain. Brain is the headquarters; heart is the energy supply; eyes are the expressive outlet.
The organic (biological) nature is that five zang (liver, heart,
spleen, lungs and kidneys) and six fu ( stomach, bladder, gall bladder, large intestine, small intestine and the triple warmer) are constantly vying for energy. As a result, there are six desires (color,
sound, fragrance, texture, flavor, thought or reaction). Color is the
desire for sex; sound is the desire for voice; fragrance is the desire
for smell; texture is the desire for touching and skin connection;
flavor is the desire for food; and thought or reaction is the desire for
attention and understanding. According to Taoist practice, those
biological behaviors are not instinctive. Breathing is the most instinctive behavior of the body. Meditators can gradually reduce the
frequency of breathing to that of the earliest embryonic breathing
stage. The following exercises are designed to achieve this purpose.
- 133 -
Sensory Perception
Wu Chin Xi
As one of the most popular holistic exercises, Frolics of Five Animals (daiyin) has circulated among meditators, healers and martial arts practitioners for thousands of years. Modern bionics and
animal research rely on the same resource from animals. By observing the natural behavior and activities of animals, the corresponding human organs and abilities will be awakened. The ancient sages could stretch their body and bend their necks like a
bird, allowing the energy to circulate outside the skin and inside the
body so that the sinews and joints remained smooth and flexible.
Its purpose is to relax the body, eliminate bad Chi, strengthen physical power, and heal disease. This is the way to challenge disease
and the aging process of life.
Tigers Game: Drop to the ground with
both palms and feet flat on the floor, rock
forward and draw backward three times.
Then stretch the back upward and forward as high as possible without allowing the palms and feet to leave the
ground. Then raise the head up to face
the sky, walk forward and backward
seven times with both hands and feet on
the floor.
Chapter III
Bears Game: Lie down on your back holding the knees with both
hands. Raise the head and lean over to the ground alternating both
left and right side seven times each. Then squat on the ground
with hands pushing down on the ground. Do seven times each, left
and right.
Deers Game: Stand on all fours, both hands and feet, stretch the
neck up, move the head to the left three times and then to the right
three times. Then, while moving the head to the left, stretch the
right leg. While moving the head to the right, stretch the left leg.
Following this, stretch the neck and tuck in the head three times.
- 135 -
Sensory Perception
Birds Game: While standing, raise one leg and strenuously stretch
both arms while raising the eyebrows fourteen times. Do the same
with the other leg. Sit, stretch out the legs, hold the feet with hands,
and move each foot forward and backward seven times.
- 136 -
Chapter III
Sensory Perception
to the readers or audience. The entire cultivation forms the learning process of spontaneously knowing, readily evaluating, and timely
readapting and reinforming the unpredictable certainty.
No one values us more than we ourselves do; no one knows us
better than we ourselves do. Maintaining a strong and healthy body/
mind prevents disease from establishing a foothold. The greatest
mystery of disease lies in the fact that all negative conscious structures are causes of illnesses, not the cellular formations toward
illness. Cells are not the root of the problem since cells derive from
non-cells. Consciousness is the underlying root of all, both health
and illness. Viruses are neutral, a bridge between health and sickness. Medicinal treatments cannot cope with them all. Cultivation
provides the power. Mind over body is not only the most ancient
formula but also the most powerful and practical.
Chapter III
Sensory Perception
2. Heart: Visualize the bright, red light above the head and in the
sky and draw the color mentally into the heart. Feel the illuminating message, the virtuous love, joy, and happiness in the
heart. Form it into a virgin child and let it breathe out the redcolor-breath as a red pheasant. Then form the fire element force
within the body and let the red pheasant embrace the force.
Place the red pheasant at the front of the body to serve as the
protective animal.
3. Liver: Visualize the bright, green light above the head and in the
sky and draw the color mentally into the liver; let this pure, virtuous energy of kindness penetrate the liver. Form a virgin child
and let it breathe out the green-color-breath as a green dragon.
Then form the evergreen wood element force within the body
and let the green dragon embrace the force. Place the green
dragon at the right side as the protective animal.
Chapter III
4. Lungs: Visualize the bright, white color above the head and in
the sky and draw the light mentally into both lungs; let this virtuous energy of encouragement pervade the lungs. Form it into a
virgin child and let it breath out the white-color-breath as a white
tiger. Then form the universal creative forcewhitewithin the
body and let the white tiger embrace the force. Place the white
tiger on the left side as the protective animal.
5. Spleen: Visualize the bright, yellow color above the head and in
the sky and draw the light mentally into the spleen; let this virtuous energy of fairness and openness vitalize the spleen. Form
it into a virgin child and let it breathe out the yellow-color-breath
as a yellow phoenix. Then form the earthly creative forceyellowwithin the body, and let the yellow phoenix embrace the
force. Place the yellow phoenix at the top center of the head as
the protective animal.
Fig. 3.27 Spleen: Shown projecting toward the Above and attracting
the Phoenix Earth Force of the Middle.
- 141 -
Embracing Oneness
Chapter IV
Embracing Oneness
As you begin walking the way of your pilgrimage, your body will be
gradually detoxified and vitalized, the mind distilled and tranquil.
Life history, whether at the present time or since the beginning of
its ageless spiritual core, becomes a vibrating tool for the pilgrim to
teach and people to follow. His preaching voice and welcoming
arms draw the gathering crowds and clarify the confusion while
his wordless teaching and inner discipline generate trust and elevate the spirit. The pilgrimage of spiritual walking is both a purification process and a liberating time, as well as an inner journey
and an expressive path. As the pilgrimage continues its course,
the body and mind begin their inner and ultimate marital relationship. Within this true spiritual family, the feminine role of realistic
attendance harmonizes with the masculine role of self-disciplined
guidance. The experiential journey and awakening path walk side
by side, promote one another, and refine each other to produce the
pure-self. All the personal, social and ancestral relationships are
vehicles facilitating this inner sacred relationship. This is the undertaking of the real task of your own pilgrimage, walking with your
own past within the confines of your own family.
Chapter IV
represents the driving force that gives birth to worms and parasites. A biological worm normally takes eight days to transform
itself. An annual cycle takes eight wind-periods to blow from one
Winter Solstice to the next. The eight wind periods within a year
guide accordingly the eight moon phases within a month, with 45
degrees in each phase, manifesting together daily, with 45 days in
each period. This all lies within the power of eight, the shao (young)
yin, the sheep, and the separation after union. The Chinese character ba for eight indicates the separation of the union from six
(liu) and the breakthrough of seven (Chi). Its structure depicts two
persons sleeping back to back. This is also the power of eight
hexagrams in I Ching, the trinity of the harmony of yin and yang, the
inner and outer connection of the four corners of the world, and the
manifestation of three. Tao gives rise to one. One gives rise to two.
Two gives rise to three. Three gives rise to all things.
The meditative power of wind, representing upper trigram in
Family hexagram, is located in a northeast direction: the trigram of
Ken (mountain). It applies to the gentle, warm breezes of gentle
spring wind. It represents conscious awakening, tender loving,
peaceful awareness, and careful direction. Wind is the inhalation
of cosmic breathing while light is that of exhalation. In our body,
wind represents the respiration of lungs, the wheel of the thighs,
the drumming of the ears, and the vibration of temples. The personal wind is the conscious sensation and reflection; physical wind
is the psychic direction; family wind is the fathers guiding role;
social wind is the governing principle; inner wind is the holy fire/
water, or the spiritual mind. In the worldly sense, wind represents
the direction of physical sensation, the degree of cosmic vibration,
and the intensity of interaction between light and its form: the void.
In contrast, the fire, being at the bottom position, represents the
power for purification and transformation. Heat generated through
fire must be in a condensed flowing form to allow its flame to purify
all things along its awakening course: a combined task of inner
consciousness and biological process. The inner consciousness,
representing the spiritual wind and stillness, chills down or heats
up the intensity of loving fire, thereby ensuring purification, completion, and transformation. Meanwhile, there must be a place to produce the heat.
Fig. 4.2 50th Hexagram (Cauldron)
- 143 -
Embracing Oneness
Chapter IV
Taoist Approach
The gut feeling is the most instinctive common experience shared
by all, whether it arises as doubt or misunderstanding, trust or mistrust. The information is immediately perceived with no time or
opportunity for organic interaction and emotional counter-play. This
is the cleansing, the formation and the flow of the world. In this
perceptual and perceived environment, all the five sensory abilities
and five organic functions are completely centralized. The three
energy Fields are in one place, with no mental distraction and no
spiritual wandering. As the opening at bottom is closed, the sexual
Chi flows upwardly and inwardly. Lao Tzu has summarized this as
thirty spokes joined at one hub, yet it is the emptiness inside the
hub that makes the vehicle useful. Thirty spokes refer to the five
facial organs (eyes, ears, nostril, mouth and tongue), five internal
organs (liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys), ten fingers and ten
toes. The one hub is the one spinal column of vertebrate, particularly the tailbone, which connects to the empty center of heart.
This is based precisely upon the numerical changes of universal
orders appearing between the River Chart (He-tu) and the Luo Drawing (Luo-shu).*
Embracing Oneness
- 146 -
Chapter IV
(*Continued)
If the three glands are controlled by the pineal gland, it is spiritual,
wisdom and intellectual power. The four lobes surrounding the brain are the
illuminating, echoing coming through these four glands. So now we have
two interactive maps of eight extra meridians, between emotion and body
or between wisdom and body. The two sets of four in the brain are the
mystic functioning of 44, the volume of Te.
This is the nature of transforming seven emotions and six desires in our
Taoist tradition. As the positive emotions are transformed, they become
the wisdom illumination. As for the negative emotions, they become the
virtuous and mystic awareness practice. So, Tao and Te are unified, and
body and mind reach their final marriage.
- 147 -
Embracing Oneness
Scientific Manipulation
The historical development of science is based upon the rational
mind, dogmatic institution and religious practice of Western culture. When the rational mind becomes the defining line between
yes and no, when dogmatic institution separates man from God,
when the religious practice condemns human beings as sinful by
nature, institutional religious worship is transformed into personal
scientific devotion. Rational dogma becomes scientific law. Mental
products replace natural products. The position that the rational
mentality takes is that yes is absolutely yes and no is absolutely no, having no connecting link. This mentality of separation
and isolation gradually arrives at its dominant position in the history
of human evolution. Its fine line becomes the lineal notion of universal law; its method and technical device become the social justice.
Consequently, communication in our complex society thrives on
the usage of scientific vocabularies, rational hypotheses and statistical lies. Those who are unfamiliar with the terms are often classified as uneducated and alienated indigenous beings.
In our present time, the power of science can often supply instant gratification. Yesterdays scientific fact may be disproved by
tomorrows new theory derived from a different calculation through
a more advanced technology. It is a merciless pronouncement, a
dream-catching imagination, and an ultimate self-rejection. The scientific measurement is based upon the repetition of research and
recycling between the two as well as the statistical calculation and
evaluation of one and three: one is the discovery stage; three is the
marketing practice; two is the marriage between subjectivity and
objectivity. This is the abstract point, the rational law, and the fine
line of scientific view as it results in a distortion of our natural rhythm.
Harmony is diversified into classification and categorization, and
flow is the commercial advertisement and stock fluctuation at the
expense of a natural cycle. Lao Tzus statement of acting upon/
within good timing becomes an old-fashioned concept, one that is
easily discarded. We have locked ourselves into a pattern of selfdestruction, forgetting that our advancement relies on going with
the flow, on adapting and coping with changing circumstances.
When an unexpected turn of events occurs, we are woefully unprepared to accept the changes. As the situations become more
chaotic and beyond our control, the boss blames the employees,
- 148 -
Chapter IV
the employees blame the bad road condition, and mind blames the
natural disasters.
When science discovered the growth hormone, its potential
appeared to be unequaled but quickly went awry in experimentation, having developed as a malignancy in the stomach. Those
affected could choose to either live with their condition or take drastic
measures, including surgical removal of the resultant tumor.
With the invention of the digital satellite cable communication
system we could watch TV (our own image) in our home. Yet this
advanced technology is hardly more than the small mirror carried
in a womans purse. When scientific knowledge led to the invention of machines such as automobiles, the poisoned air of the exhaust system leached into our lungs. It then escalated further, developing into our present smog-filled polluted atmosphere that in
turn led to an array of disabling diseases.
When the scientists buried their nuclear waste in the ground, it
seeped into our drinking water and contaminated the soil that grows
our food and the home where we reside. With the invention of bottled
formula, babies were deprived of natures perfect nutrition that would
enable them to develop a strong immune system.
Finally, organic receptors are extended by technological
equipment; organic malfunctions are replaced with transplants. Satellites replace the welcoming open invitation of God in His heavenly realm; telemarketing becomes the biophysiological gratification; technological reinvestment and advancement become the ultimate psychospiritual gurus. All the mechanical techniques we
have accumulated throughout our civilization, especially from the
modern scientific revolution, are at the very least partially removed
from the natural phenomena of change.
Directed by the minds anticipation, natural reaction evolves into
mental projection. The world shrinks, dominated by competition,
verging on the catastrophic. As science progresses and matures,
its natural limitation will invite a backlash, the ultimate punishment
for manipulating the sacred mechanism of nature.
Embracing Oneness
Chapter IV
Vision of Oneness
Lao Tzu realized that when he centered himself, sensory receptors became useless before the eye of the Tao. Look for it and
not see it, it is called invisible; listen for it and not hear it, it is called
inaudible; reach for it and not touch it, it is called intangible. The
invisible, inaudible and intangible is the manifestation of the Tao.
Our bodily mechanical tools for seeing, hearing and touching are
limited to the formal and materialistic environment. They manifest
only through the appearance of the Form, the multiplicity of One,
and the creation of Non-being. The nature of Oneness, at any level
and any time, is beyond our bodily communicable capacity. The
invisible is the fine color that eyes cannot see. The inaudible is the
subtle vibration that ears cannot hear. The intangible is the pure
appearance that the hands and bodily skin cannot touch.
Pure color is beyond reckoning even if our eyes were endowed
with the maximum capacity for sight to visualize as clearly as a
microscope or a telescope. Our ears may be equipped with digital
audio devices to enhance sound, yet subtle vibration is beyond our
detection. Our hands reach beyond the tangible appearance of
matter, yet we cannot grasp pure appearance. These three are
beyond reckoning since Natures true state is beyond any mechanical calculation employed by our human mentality. Yet, when these
three are merging together, they are One. As for this One, there is
nothing above it remaining to be accounted for, there is nothing
below it that has been excluded. Ever searching for it, it is beyond
- 151 -
Embracing Oneness
Psycho-Spiritual Unification
The Taoist cultivation practice is psycho-spiritual in its nature. Willpowerthe best weapon of mindis essential for the transformation of the spiritual upon the biophysiological. Without psychological unification, the energy cannot be centered and crystallized. For
example, the endocrine and immune systems, so essential to our
existence, would dissolve into nothing more than superstitious institutional practice. The Oneness of yin and yang cannot possibly
be reunited. Therefore, psychological transformation is a means
and a must. Through this transformation, the process of drawing
the spirit and soul into Oneness has its necessary outcome. The
biophysiological nature of yin (female) and yang (male) will inevitably return to their complete and unified Oneness: androgynous unity.
Chapter IV
Exercises:
1. For the male, place the thumb and middle finger of both hands
together, then visualize the head of the standing penis. When
the penis is relaxed, visualize your two testes with two eyes.
After this, rest the conscious mind at the level of the cerebrum.
The sexual Chi will then be reabsorbed.
2. For the female, massage the breasts as you visualize the clitoris
and follow your breath. Then draw the sexual Chi from the clitoris
upward following a line (the white line) to the central point between
the breasts. Following this, connect this portion of Chi with the
thyroid and parathyroid glands. Store the final Chimixed at
the center between the second and third ribsbehind the
sternum, that is the center of lungs and thymus gland.
This crystallized Chi will cleanse the psychosomatic
problems caged in the chest, reduce the amount of flow during
the period, and invite the virgin boy (spiritual light) into the flower
to produce the spiritual seed: golden elixir.
- 153 -
Embracing Oneness
- 154 -
Chapter IV
Mystical Female
The body is a mystic field, whether male or female. There are three
areas representing the mystic female. The first area is that of the
perineum where the biological seed of love that gives birth to new
life is received. The second area is in the thymus gland for receiving the love of light and the lost self. The third one is the pituitary
gland that receives the cosmic power and spiritual understanding.
- 155 -
Embracing Oneness
Pituitary
Fig.4.5 Well Valley, Thymus and Pituitary Glands are the Mystic Triad.
The first area exemplifies the oceanic, unconscious and lifedeath state. When a practitioner concentrates on the perineum
pressure point and muscles, they will experience the union between a vagina and its partner penis. For the female practitioner,
when the energy runs directly from perineum to vulva and to clitoris, the heat generated from contraction will naturally run into the
ovaries to internally transform the eggs into useful substances to
sustain her body.
In regard to the male, all the muscles around the perineum pressure point should be open and in a relaxed state. Restrained and
tightened muscles signal all chronic conditions, e.g. lower back
pain, sciatica, premature ejaculation, impotence, fear, low self-esteem and poor mental performance. Most importantly, lower sexual
energy results in poor mental function and vice versa.
The second area, for opening the gate of unconditional and selfless love, lies in the thymus gland. When the thymus gland lacks
resource of itself, it reveals the traits of selfishness and discrimination and egotism. While unifying with the lost love, this gland
becomes the sacred vessel in which to manifest a consciously
selfless and blissful love. Anyone who has not unified with the lost
love within, will become the loser in a love relationship regardless
of past history. Any long-term relationship requires constant sacri- 156 -
Chapter IV
fice that in turn provides the opportunity for liberation and growth.
Marriage, both biological and soulful, is a false promise underlying
a karmic blockage between the two, and an opportunity to transform it. Neither participant can live what the other must and neither
promising soul can satisfy the other lost soul. Terminating a relationship before transforming the karmic blockage will bring disaster to both the self and the ongoing relationship. A promise, in itself,
demonstrates a precise lack of self-esteem and trust. Spirit has
no reason to promise anything. The ultimate unionspirit and
lovecannot live up to the high standard of self-promise and sworn
vows.
In the third area, the most rewarding experience is awakening
the unconscious that is stored in the abdominal area and the emotional love residing in the chest. This can occur when the active
mind is stilled and the pituitary gland is calm as its hormone-directing functions are balanced and minimal. In sustained conditions of
darkness meditation (such as in a mountain cave), this desirable
subtle effect is especially profound when the pineal gland becomes
the energy centerthe entire biological process of life is altered.
The triad relationship among spirit, love and pineal gland will create the finest marriage on earth and in heaven: oneness.
Embracing Oneness
us. The enlightened ones are the images, the pictures and the
lights seen by our envisioned spirits. They can transform a certain
power within us, but cannot maintain our physical bodies. Neither
can we depend entirely on them. We must feed ourselves, which
involves gathering the Chi and cultivating ourselves. Never think
that because we believe them, they will supply us with everything
we need. Know that our ego mind will not please them. There has
been no evidence that any religious founder or a spiritually enlightened person did not need to first experience his biophysiological
process from birth to death. What we are struggling to learn today
is how to integrate their life experiences and fundamental teachings within our daily practice. A sage, a true spiritual doctor, can
help us open the door to the wondrous core of our longings, but to
do so we must surrender to our true natureour complete self
to absolute freedom and creative spontaneity.
Religious practice is partly cultural ramification; religious beliefs
are culturally defined ideas. In Taoist terms the goal of entering the
Tao is to be One with Tao. Certain useful cultural practices are
shamanistic healing and I Ching counseling. The most powerful of
these cultural aids are the Tao and yin/yang, but they are neither
culturally concluded nor limited within their own cultural framework.
Living beyond culture and self is the ideal model of Taoist
cultivation towards psychospiritual Oneness.
Historically, our ancestor(s) lived with only one connection, one
faith and one belief. The connection is between the self and universe, the faith is between the self and God, and the belief is the
pure spiritual knowing and the mental conscious practice. Since
we have the connection between our biological parents and spiritual parent, we have more detailed beliefs than faith and more
mechanical techniques than beliefs. We have moved from the river
banks to the ocean beaches, and have shifted from a spiritual connection to scientific imagination. Our spring water is now a mixed
drink, the spiritual belief becomes a scientific paradigm, and the
mental connection develops into a mechanical operation. There is
more pollution than there is untouched nature. There are more
activitiesa mixture of good and badthan pure conscious acts
and virtuous deeds.
The greatest task in cultivation is the restoration of this. It can
be accomplished by focusing inwardly where intention and perceptual awareness become totally interactive guiding steps. When
- 158 -
Chapter IV
the organic functions are centralized, and their organic appearances merge with universal light, the eyes will see naturally the
internal organic colors, their metabolic functioning, the past experiences and future events. The ears will hear the vibratory activities of natural phenomena. The mind regains its shens ability of
knowing by unifying hun and po as well as reducing xins demands
and pos desire. Working hard for continuing existence will be replaced by active meditation practice. The daily conscious state
and nightly dreaming state will merge into one. Sex life will be internally balanced and neutralized. Name and fame will be expanded
into the image of universal activity. Possession and obsession
transform into kindness, caring and giving. Out-of-body experience,
near-death experience, extrasensory perceptions, being one with
the universe, stoppage of time, and finally being One with God will
be the accumulating grand experiences.
Three Oneness
There are three types of reunions in life experience. They are namely:
biophysical marriage, ideal connection, and spiritual reunion commonly called marrying to God. The biophysical marriage is the
connection of the yin and yang kidney Chi. Climax is its peak experience, followed by the products of offspring. The ideal connection
is the mental communication between yin type of humanly hun and
yang type of universal mechanism. The peak experience is the
insightfulness and thorough mental clarity. The products are the
ideas, thoughts and all the manifested products dealing with understanding of nature and the evolution of civilization. Spiritual
marriage is the connection of bodily pure yang force and heavenly
yang force. The peak experience is bliss. The products are pure
persons or Gods children.
Among these three, the first reunion is the earthly one of a couple.
Though they enjoy the process and experience Oneness, the act
is a simultaneous exchange between death and birth. The Oneness is the reunion of the two suffused, separated and manifested
entities of yin and yang, of male and female, of anima and animus.
It is originally, in itself, the complete Oneness, which is also three.
As for the ideal connection, the subjective side is the pure internal connection between mental flash and light, self and thought,
insightfulness and experience, huns soulful consciousness and
- 159 -
Embracing Oneness
shens pure consciousness, idea and reality, and reality and eternity. After these subjects are transformed into letters and numbers, tools and machines, their end result is totally unlike its original form. The process is ongoing from individual identity to professional practice, from self-discovery to social justification, from internal understanding to culturalization. Their duality exists between
voice and order, conscience and justice, convenience and practice.
It is this individual action and the cultural process that gives rise
to inventions, which become highly prized and valuable, but serve
only to make our lives more miserable. In life, we have innumerable choices but they are all based on the parents we chose. In
society, we can enjoy freedom but perhaps not its cultural practice. In government, we speak out with conviction concerning our
personal views but have little to say about its political structures. In
worship, we can be entranced with esoteric experiences but cannot openly challenge any religious belief. We could blame our parents for our imperfections just as we could blame society for imposing its standard but limited cultural practices, which are based
upon the mental creativity, discovery, legislature and sanction of a
limited few.
This is why the Taoist cultivation opens still another door, a new
road for those who are unhappy with restraints inherited from their
parents and their society, for those who long to be themselves. To
be a Taoist is to have the smallest mind, make the least number of
choices and enjoy the most freedom. The only choice to be made
is to follow in the footsteps of the sage, going backward and being
One with the Tao. It is not another mandatory rule; it is reverting to
the original unified nature where we are meant to be. The life of a
sage creates no social ramification since he lives beyond social
qualification and cultural limitation. This is why being One with Tao
means abandoning the egoistic mind and self-inhibited culture.
- 160 -
Chapter IV
- 161 -
Embracing Oneness
Yang
Creation
Yin
Super Cluster
Super Cluster
Tai Chi
5 Elements
Earth
Oneness is the first and oldest child to which the Tao gives birth.
Existing within this oneness are the co-dependent, co-existent and
co-supportive forces of two. This two is the harmony of yin and
yang. When yin and yang unite, combining their opposite forces,
threethe son of all sons, the copy of all copies, and the seed of
myriad things in the worldis produced. This is the evolutionary
process defined as Tao gives rise to one; one gives rise to two; two
gives rise to three; three gives rise to all things.
- 162 -
Chapter IV
When Tao enlivens, it fuses, suffuses and diffuses into the form
of matters. The function of the Tao is the fusion within harmonious
emptiness. The role of the Tao is taken over by the Action (or the
virtuous Te) since Tao is lost into the harmonious existence of yin
and yang. Through the goodness, kindness and nourishment of
action by the Mystic Female or Divine Mother, matter enters into
existence. This matter is the seed of all matters. It is the mechanism that generates and regenerates all existing matters. Matter is
the form of the world, while mechanism is the operation of the
world. In our everyday existence language is the mechanism of
mind; cooking is the mechanism of the stomach; books are the
mechanism of the scholar. Words and ideas are the mechanism
of intelligence, machines are the mechanism of science, the surgeon is the mechanism of bodily reconstruction, nonattachment is
the mechanism of a healthy mind, and illumination is the mechanism of spiritual enlightenment. Most importantly, sex is the mechanism of life and death.
From the earliest beginnings of our human form, the original
mechanism has been the single, pure, primary, primordial and illuminating yang Chi: the seed with the potential of suffusing into two.
This seed carries the potential of the co-existence of Father-Mother
or Progenitor-Progenitrix as well. The loving force of Chi draws
them together into a temporal union, thus giving birth to the three:
the origin of our biological self. Chinese mythology tells us that
human beings have existed since the earthly Mother received Chi,
Gods sexual energy of illuminating light and cosmic orgasm. She
felt suddenly a complete orgasm (sexual, emotional, intellectual
and spiritual) within herself. Her two children, brother/husband Fuxi
and sister/wife Nuwa, became the common ancestors. Nuwa established the first law in China to abandon the practice of marriage
between siblings as a result of their tragic experience. Fuxi went
on to devise the practices of worship and accounting, as well as
the understanding of the Eight Diagrams. He taught his children
how to fish and hunt.
The incestuous taboo between siblings is the most forbidding
disclosure of our common secret: we are all brothers and sisters.
Our parents as well as our grandparents were brothers and sisters. For this reason any sexual activity is religiously sinful. It sheds
light on why, generation after generation, we have been constantly
and continuously searching, trying to unify yet constantly and sadly
- 163 -
Embracing Oneness
failing. The separated and lost Self opens its arms, always inviting
us into its embrace, always elusive, finally rejected. We cannot
grasp it. The sacred mechanism of the world cannot be manipulated. Those who manipulate fail, those who hold on to it lose.
The hidden truth is that we all have the male and female selves
within us: the brotherhood and sisterhood of our biological ancestor. We are as lonely as widow and orphan without support. Widow
is our Great Mother, and orphan is her child who is not being supported and cared for by its heavenly Father. But Lords and rulers
name themselves these. Any individual who is crowned becomes
the ultimate orphan on earth and in that country, since no one else
can sit in his chair and no other person can speak for him: only
God. He speaks to the people on behalf of our creator God. This
chair is the ultimate prison on earth, more solitary than spirit. Sage
will never occupy the palace; he could never be happy nor even
exist in such a self-restrained position.
Outcome of Cultivation
Lao Tzu has written with detailed and poetic expression about the
nature and the history of attaining and preserving the Oneness. He
summarizes the lives of those in the past who have attained Oneness through natural phenomena of human experience. His defining words are: by attaining Oneness, heaven is clear. By attaining
Oneness, earth is at peace. By attaining Oneness, the spirit is
quickened. By attaining Oneness, the valley is filled. By attaining
Oneness, the king puts order in the whole world. All these result
from Oneness. Without its clarity, heaven is liable to explode. Without its peace, earth is liable to erupt. Without its quickening, the
spirit is liable to die out. Without its fullness, valleys are liable to
dry out. Without proper esteem, the king is liable to fall. Esteem is
rooted in the humble. The high is founded upon the low. This is why
the lords and rulers call themselves widows and orphans without
support. Is this not the root of being humble? Much praise amounts
to no praise. Without preference, being is as resonant as Jade and
as gravelly as stone. Yield, and retain integrity. In the depths there
is stillness. The hollow enables the plentiful. The old gives way to
the new. The small allows for increase. Excess breeds confusion.
Therefore the sage holds oneness as the shepherd of the world.
The quality and meaning of life is all contained in the One. As
- 164 -
Chapter IV
the Chinese have philosophically defined it: one is all and all is one.
We have one life to live on earth at this time, regardless of the
history of our past or the hope for the future. If we waste it or destroy it, there is no more chance at this life. Life is regarded as a
very serious matter. If we do not open ourselves to this solemn
truth, we will lose our spirit-self in our downward spiral to our ultimate destination: death. Lao Tzu has wisely concluded that the
reason people are not serious about death is because they seek
the burdens of life.
- 165 -
Chapter V
World of the Sage
What is a Sage?
Chapter V
4. Therefore the sage says: When I am in-active, people transform themselves. When I abide in stillness, people organize
themselves lawfully. When I am disengaged, people enrich
themselves. When I choose non-desire, people remain simple.
To be a sage and to live a sages life is neither easy nor impossible. It is a life devoid of desire, ambition, name, competition,
wealth, and possessions. The sage bears a wonderful name called
immortality, a quality that cannot be defined socially and culturally.
To reach immortality is to become self-effacing. Exercising only
the right conduct of speech and action, doing no more and no less
than what is required. It is acting at the right time with the right
person within the right space, expressing no self-explanation and
no self-advertising. Voice is the complementary vehicle of action;
Tao is transformed into the virtuous Te of kindness. The term Taoism can be construed as obscure, abstract, ethical and forceful, but a sages behavior illuminates the Tao as alive, active, and
achievable.
Chapter V
mind, allowing the body to wander without direction, racing headlong to the edge of a cliff, nor is it expecting the body to confront
risk with no assistance. Coming to the fore is permitting the body
to by-pass mental calculation and expectation, being free to move
with its own rhythm, at its own pace, measured with its own
strength, and in its own time. Thus, the mind reaches beyond the
body, yet, the stillness within holds it at bay.
When the body comes to the fore on its own, poisonous insects
and venomous snakes do not sting it. Predatory birds and ferocious animals do not seize it. Its bones are soft and its sinews
supple, yet its grasp is firm; without knowing the union of male and
female, its organs become aroused. Its vital essence comes to
the point; crying all day, its voice never becomes hoarse. Its harmony comes to the point. The central and essential location arrives in the right environment at the right time, engaged in the right
bodily conduct. This is why the mind must be removed, relaxed
and returned. The arousal of organs supplies the power of willful
penetration to grasp the central attention, and to voice the harmonious organic vibration. Softness creates the space of firmness,
grounding generates the pointing power, and homesick crying is
the voice of sobering souls.
Because the sage values the world as he does the body, he can
be entrusted with the world. Because he loves his body as he
loves the beauty of the world, he can be responsible for the world.
As strength, will and harmony is achieved, the value of body is
displayed; the meaning of the country is revealed in its beauty: the
treasure of sacred vessel. The sage, with his quiet strength and
intrinsic value, bears the disgrace of the country and becomes the
ruler of the country. With grace and beauty, sage bears the misfortune of the world and is the ruler of the world.
On Water
Four meridians in the Chinese system are related only with water
flow in and out of the body/mind. They are: bladder meridian, belt
meridian, yin chiao and yin wei meridians. Ren, kidney and thrust
meridians are also closely related to the water function.
In Taoist healing practice, the first step is to reopen and rejuvenate the thrust and belt meridians. They are the first set of Kan
(water) and Li (fire): without water, without kidney fluid and bodily
- 169 -
Fig. 5.1 Meditating to activate the wei meridians (inside lines) and the
chiao meridians (outside lines).
- 170 -
Chapter V
1.
2.
3.
4.
A: Beginning Level
B: Advanced Level
5. Now, feel the energetic change occurring in the body. Then inhale, press the hands flat against the front part of the abdominal area. Feel the connection of the front and back joining.
6. Hold the breath and feel the intensity of the air pressure or heat
or warmth or whatever sensation appears.
7. When you can no longer hold the breath, exhale and let the
pressure inside the abdomen escape.
- 171 -
8. Practice 5, 6 and 7 until you can feel the heat and steam literally fusing in the body.
9. Open the hands. Inhale, gently moving the heat around the belt
meridian crossing the pelvic bone. Exhale and place the thumbs
touching the tip of the pelvic bones (ilium) on either side. Join
the hands together with four fingers from either side.
10. Feel the energy circulate for awhile before returning the hands
to the navel area. Begin this practice again until you feel the
energy circulating evenly in the entire abdominal area.
11. Open the hands with palms facing the ground. Send the Chi
from the palms down to the feet. Inhale, gather the energy up
and into the belt meridian area. Exhale, feel the circulation within.
12. When you have sufficient energy surging up across the belt
meridian, it will naturally move further to the chest and brain
area. The highest point where the hands meet should be parallel with the eyes.
- 172 -
Chapter V
13. By the time the body is literally cooked, place the palms face up
to the sky. This will cool everything down at once.
14. Massage any desirable areas in the body/mind.
Wu Wei
Wu Wei has been an ideal phrase in Taoist philosophy, very close
to the notion of being in Western philosophy. Combined with the
character wu for no or not and character wei for act or become, the phrase can be translated as inaction, non-action,
in-active, not acting, non-doing or actionless, depending on
- 173 -
the most suitable for the situation. Wu Wei doesnt suggest stay
put, motionless, numb and without doing anything. Nor does
it mean not to engage action or not to be mindful. The essential
meaning is not to act desirably, not to engage egoistically, and
not to become possessive. Its thrust is the use of psychological
action over philosophical speculation; leaning more toward mindful engagement than rational projection; reflecting spontaneous acting rather than mechanistic involving.
Through living in actionless engagement and preaching wordless doctrine, Lao Tzu discovered that the myriad creatures act
without inquiring, nourish without possessing, accomplish without
claiming credit. In ordinary life, we are educated and trained to
project a possible outcome before taking action, to foresee a planned
result through action from ego-guided emotional sacrifice. We expect the acceptance of social values for an accomplishment before it is achieved. But when the ego is in remission the mind does
non-doing, engages in non-affairs and savors non-flavor. Not even
relying on selflessness enables the self to be fulfilled. When the
self is active, the work is done, the body withdraws; this is the Tao
of heaven. As the Tao is all-pervading, it operates on both the left
and the right. Success is consequent to all affairs. It does not proclaim its own existence. All things return, yet there is no claim of
ownership, so it is forever desireless. This can be called small.
This is because mind can seek what is difficult with ease and effect
what is great while it is small. From natural observation Lao Tzu
realized that the most difficult things in the world are done while
they are easy. The greatest things in the world are done while they
are small, since what is easy necessarily entails difficulty. Thus
the sage, through extreme trials, ends up with no difficulty.
All things return, yet there is no claim of ownership, this can be
called great. It is accomplishment without claiming credit that makes
the outcome self-sustaining. The idea is essentially to become
aware of the undeniable difference between an accomplished
affair called success and a desirable result named success. The
sage accomplishes greatness in not planning a great thing and not
acting great; as it turns out, he accomplishes what is great. Through
non-action, the sage does not fail. Not clinging, he does not lose.
The cultivation outcome experienced by Lao Tzu is when I am
in-active, people transform themselves. When I abide in stillness,
people organize themselves lawfully. When I am disengaged, people
- 174 -
Chapter V
Wu Zheng
The character zheng means far more than to strive or compete
as demanded from the ego. It further represents mental confusion
and intellectual challenge as in disputing, arguing or debating.
The meaning of wu zheng is not to strive for what is beyond self
and not to pursue what does not belong to self. People are inclined to project a negative attitude toward the transliteral meaning
of non-competition. The term non-competition represents a person torn between two extremes: being magnanimous, overly generous and too accommodating, or conversely being too capitulating, withdrawn, vulnerable, soft, and feeble. The person could also
be someone lacking confidence, self-respect, having no self protecting qualities and exercising no reservations. This is the ideal of
quietism and passivism but unlike the nature of Tao. It is not the act
of water, nor the complete expression of wu zheng: no giving in and
no giving up. Everything deserves what it gets in return and everything should receive its due naturally, without manipulation.
Equally, when the sage abandons extremes, extravagance, multiplicity. He desires not to desire and does not value goods that are
hard to get. He learns not to learn, and restores the common
peoples losses. He is able to support the nature of all things and
not daring to impose action. Then what is the point of competing
and what is the purpose of competition?
In Mawangdui texts, the standard phrase of Wu Zheng in chapter 8 Text A is youjing. In Text B it is youzheng. You means have
- 175 -
and jing is tranquil. Whether the second character is either tranquil or competition, the first character means, has and not has
not. The full sentence in Mawangdui texts can be translated as
water is good at benefiting all things, yet it actively competes. Who
can prove that water doesnt compete; who is to say that water is
not active? In human history people try desperately but unsuccessfully to control floods: the madness of rushing water. Untold numbers of lives, human and animal, have drowned and been obliterated by the fury of flooding. Water is the most active and powerful
matter on earth, the very reason it can retain its inactive state. The
special application is that when water retires to undesirable places,
the stillness within the water embraces and balances all the competitive measures, leaving nothing undone. Thus, it is near the Tao.
As the cultivation goes through the last loss, there is no negativity remaining as the desire and danger of mind is transformed into
subtle awareness. The final competition will not be about gains,
success, name and possessions, but the death of them all. Whoever overcomes death overcomes life, whoever lives beyond death
lives beyond life. Sustaining the source of mother, the sage realizes that as soon as he exists for others, he has more. As soon as
he gives to others, he has more. So the Tao of heaven benefits
and does not harm. The Tao of humankind exists and does not
compete. At this level, the sage is able to manage the loss that
causes all losses; he uses all negative influence as the treasure of
teaching. Thus, being a good warrior does not entail power. A good
fighter is not angry. One who is good at overcoming the enemy
does not contact him. One who is good at leading people acts humbly. This is called the Action of non-competition. This is called leading
people. This is called the Ultimate as old as heaven.
Shan
In the text of Tao Te Ching, the character shan is equated to kind,
good or compassion, even though its original meaning in Chinese is simply kind. There are characters depicting good and
compassion in the Chinese language, yet Lao Tzu strives to illustrate fully the meaning of shan. He emphasizes that kindness is
the virtue of action: the sage is kind to those who are kind, he is
also kind to those who are not kind. It is the kindness of Action
itself. In this regard, the kindness of Action is not judged by the
- 176 -
Chapter V
Xian
The term Xian in Chinese is equivalent to sage (holy man) in English. Among all the existing languages, the Chinese character xian
is perhaps the clearest visual description for the life of the sage. It
is composed with strokes of human (ren) and mountain (shan).
In the ancient structure of language, the human stroke appears at
the top and the mountain stroke at the bottom. It translates as
human stands on the top of a mountain. Mountain is the ideal
- 177 -
location for man, whether sleeping, meditating or for viewing. Nothing on earth is higher than a mountain. Only the wind, clouds, and
the standing tower of a human form can loom above the mountain
peak. When the character was later rearranged, the human stroke
was placed at the left side, and the mountain stroke was set at
the right side. Perhaps the change was made because it symbolized cold, dry, windswept, and lonely. Or perhaps the emperor resented a human form other than his own occupying the highest
position on earth. He ordered the linguists to reconstruct the character, placing a prone sage sleeping side by side with the mountain. In this position there was no one standing at the top to threaten
his image. His prestige and unequaled power were restored. The
emperor could then fully enjoy his family life and resume conducting his business affairs within his palace, reigning supreme.
The soul seeker, the wandering pilgrim, anyone on the spiritual
quest prefers to dwell in a mountain cave rather than a warm house
or grand palace. Mountains are the symbols of life on earth. The
earth without mountains could be compared to a mother without
nourishing breasts. Mountains contain a vast amount of nutrition
for the survival of all earthly creatures. The flow of nature enables
the natural formation of rain and snow, the activity of clouds and
winds, the circulation of dry air and exuding moisture. They are
formed in the range and scope of latitude, the degree of warmth
and cold, the condition of light and shadow. In the exchange of
bright and darkness, the lanterns of sun and moon, and the cycles
from summer and winter, we continue to exist.
The generating, developing and transforming power of earth lies
in the vastness of mountains. In contrast, valleys are their resting
ground, echoing place, and rejuvenating resource. The image between a mountain and a valley is similar to the images between life
and death: male and female, heaven and earth, being and nonbeing. Because of mountains, the gravitational force generates the
winds and clouds, rain and snow, plateau and plain, sufficing the
needs of all creatures. Thus, they are the most sacred places on
earth. In their nurturing atmosphere consciousness is expanded
and sickness is detoxified. Walking the way becomes the returning
journey; external search becomes internal embracing.
- 178 -
Chapter V
and po cannot take over the power of shen. Because of the eternal
fire, ghost can not steal the passionate love; and due to the inner
stillness, spirit cannot destroy the innocent virtue. The body will not
be hungry for the fire of love and the mind will not chase away the
inner stillness. Thus, the wise see.
- 180 -
Chapter V
With each breath the sound and meaning of the Tao is exercised,
thus one hears the Tao. By hearing and entering the Tao through its
returning process, the thirst for knowledge is quenched by the light
emitted through the gate of heaven. This ensures a complete knowing around, a literal phrase used by Lao Tzu. Worldly others are
known to us, enabling the self to become rich with what the world
suffices. When one no longer feels compelled to be a knower, the
sickness is over; enlightenment is achieved. Yet, knowing remains
constant: a spontaneous interaction between the self and the environment. It cannot be taught, repeated or recorded. There is no
need to attempt to explain the inexplicable and to search for invisible. This is why Lao Tzu concludes simply that to know oneself is
enlightenment.
Knowledge that is shared, taught, repeated and recorded, is no
longer that of self-knowing. It is simply a learning process; not alive,
present, spontaneously interconnected with the mutual-action of
self-knowing around. To know others is to be knowledgeable, albeit
limited, bounded, restrained. Our limited knowledge is never sufficient to explore the comprehension and understanding of others.
Shared knowledge merely promotes further searching, reaching
out to grasp the power of mastering and endless control. In this
manner, pursuing knowledge becomes a consuming desire, a fixation, and a possessive action. It is upon this mental persuasion
that Lao Tzu kindly advises that to know what is sufficient is to be
rich. He also distinguishes the actual knowledge the mind has acquired from the mental appraisal we form on being knowledgeable.
He states that knowing that you dont know (everything) is superior
and not knowing that you dont know (everything) is a sickness.
Only hearing and entering the Tao can be known.
Our ability to obtain everything now and know that anything that
is returned to us is the manifestation of true paradox. Eminent action is like a valley, complete understanding resembles being disgraced, vast action seems yielding, action that builds up seems
remiss, pure integrity seems perverse, the great square has no
angles, the great talent matures late, the great voice sounds faint,
the great image has no form. The Tao is praised but is unnamable.
- 181 -
Chapter V
Richness of Frugality
With plain as the vision and simplicity as the measurement, frugality becomes the single most useful device. Since frugality is the
most direct and effective calculation of energy consumption, waste
would be eliminated, and there would be no debt, no recycling, no
regret, and no punishment. This is why loss is very necessary
from Lao Tzus point of view. When the cost of ego is reduced to
zero and when bodily metabolism functions at its provisionary state,
energy is consumed for the benefit and goodness of others. Thus,
frugality ensures the simple way of life and simplicity can be fully
exerted.
Frugality has no connection to the selfish strategy of meanness
or greed. Meanness and greed transform a persons mental obsession into reality. Meanness has its source in fear and obsession; obsession feeds on meanness and greed to occupy the space
of selfishness. The entire world then becomes an endless source
to satisfy the lust of selfishness, abounding in worldly manifestation. Frugality is the direct opposite. There is no energy waste derived from selflessness. The negative loss transforms into positive gain, the pure gain. Lao Tzu applies this to the construction
of a society by saying that: For governing people and affairs, nothing is better than frugality. Only frugality enables the pre-empty
measures. Pre-empty measures mean a great accumulation of
Action. A great accumulation of Action leaves nothing to be conquered. When nothing needs to be conquered, no-boundary is
known. When no-boundary is known, it allows the country to exist.
The country, existing from its source, can endure. This is the Tao
of having a deep root, a strong stem, a long life and an enduring
vision.
- 183 -
Non-Dualistic Mentality
Emerging through the door of the mysterious action is the codependence of the dualistic aspect as well as the process of both
mutual construction and mutual destruction. Do not be victimized
by either of these. It is a mystic attraction, the highest and purest
quality of human perfectionloveshapes lifes destiny. Beauty
becomes the primal attraction for human desire, and good is the
finest fixation for the activation of this desire.
When one searches only for this beauty, one stigmatizes the
ugly, and when ones conduct is guided by goodness only, one
acts within the behavior of prejudice. When people see beauty as
pure beauty, they view the ugly disparagingly. In valuing the good
as purely good, their judgment is based upon their idea of bad.
When the universal manifests through the division of two from one,
each side should live upon the opposite as well. The interaction of
connecting and separating from these two sides of oneness makes
one truly individual. This in turn makes an individual a non-individual. Beautiful or ugly is but two sides of the same coin. How
much difference is there between beautiful and ugly? It is a fine
line. Oh, that unstoppable glory of heart and the disgust of mind!
Based on these paradoxes, Lao Tzu proposed that being and
non-being give birth to each other, difficulty and ease complete
each other, long and short measure each other, high and low overflow into each other, voice and sound harmonize with each other,
and before and after follow each other. Yet, we need individual character as a measuring ground between individuality and totality. Since
disaster is what fortune depends upon, fortune is what disaster
subdues. Who knows a final outcome? There is no right lawful- 184 -
Chapter V
- 185 -
Suffusion of Self
For his worldly presence, the sage keeps the mind simple and is
always without mind. Simple mind is the heart of kindness and not
the intellect of mind. Simple mind is no-mindthe largest expansion of mindand the highest clarity of mind. No-mind means no
ego-mind. The expansion is the fusion and expanse of mind spreading over and around all angles and trajectories in its image, whereas
the clarity of mind refers to the purity of spiritual quality. This is the
practical side of cultivation: how the sage lives for the world and
not for himself.
How? First of all, the sage keeps the mind simple: no distraction of attention, no waste of energy, and no confusion of mind.
Secondly, by keeping the mind simple, he projects his mind into
peoples minds and lives, their minds become as his mind. To clarify
this matter, Lao Tzu comments: Nature has no benevolence, it
treats all things like strawdogs; the sage has no benevolence, he
- 186 -
Chapter V
treats his people like strawdogs. Thus, since the sage wants to
elevate the people, his speech is down to earth. Since the sage
wants to advance the people, he positions himself at the back.
When he is at the front, people do not harm him; when he stands
above, people do not feel pressure. The whole world supports him
without tiring. Since he does not rely on competition, the world has
nothing with which to compete.
Thirdly, there is no restraint and no fixation of the mind or for the
mind. When mind is fixed and constrained, boredom follows. Mind
is then constantly changing, shifting, questioning and demanding.
This is the power of ego and the karma of restraint. Not constraining the living environment, they do not get bored by life. Because
we do not get bored, there is no boredom. Therefore the sage is
self-aware but not introspective, he has self-respect but does not
price himself. He rejects one and takes the other. Because of this,
when the sage lives for the people of the world, his mind is as open
and adaptive, as are the peoples minds. The hope of people is his
encouragement and their sorrow is his misfortune. When people
want him, the sage is already there, waiting; when people need
him, the sage is the pillar that braces them. How could the people
live without him and how could they distance themselves from him?
Chapter V
The wise is old and new, experienced and refreshed, knowledgeable and humble, ready to die and ready to fly. He has a memory
of life but is not restrained by memory; he has the richness of life
but is unbounded by the meaning of life; he values the quality of life
but is far removed from the unity of life. He is a teacher and friend,
guide and companion, destroyer of the old and protector of the
new, a battery for generating anything and recharging or rejuvenating everything. He is a body of soul and a heart of spirit, an attorney-at-law and a justice for the situation, a speaker for the nation
and a symbol for the human race. He speaks in a voice without
language; is native to a country without nationality; occupies a body
without mortality; possesses a mind without mentality.
- 189 -
Uplifting Te
Chapter VI
Uplifting Te
Chapter VI
Use of Language
Unlike the word Tao whose original transliteration remains the same
in English, the character Te was handled in another manner. In
1864 Chalmers presented the first English meaning of Te as virtue. Since then, Te has been interpreted as character (Lin Yutang,
1948), intelligence (Balm, 1950), or integrity (Mair, 1990), as well
as the transliteration Teh (Shrine of Wisdom, Manual No. 8, 1924).
But what is Te? From the Taoist point of view, Te is what Tao drops,
- 191 -
Uplifting Te
Chapter VI
Uplifting Te
These two fields are fully explained in I Ching between 9th and
26th hexagrams which contain an identical lower trigram: the creative power of Cosmo and the invisible light of heaven. In the 9th
hexagram, the upper trigram is wind representing the heavenly order, conscious awareness, and instinctive behavior. Mobility, agitation, unsteadiness and unreliability are its characteristics. Cloudiness, murkiness, rigidity and scattering are its tendencies. Mind is
windy with no clear mental picture. There are clouds but no rain,
wandering but no awakening, only confusion with no self-understanding. The external character is refined but there is no awakening of the inner character.
In contrast, the 26th hexagram shows us that wind is replaced
by mountain, agitation by stillness, mobility by self-action, unsteadiness by steadfastness, unreliability by trust. When the mountain
grounds the spirit and nourishes the soul, the mind is clarified, the
body purified, the attitude made flexible, and the result completed.
This is accomplished by the establishment of grounding upon
mother earths fruitful breasts, relinquishing reliance on manmade
products.
The self is never lost, the energy is never exhausted, and spirit
is never dead. As the last line indicates: one attains the way of
heaven. Not eating at home and crossing the great river are
the most accurate depiction of the 26th hexagram. Its translation is
that a sage is never bounded by the food prepared in the house. He
sustains himself from the mother resource. He does not rely upon
family in order to continue his existence but is everywhere in the
world. He has no need to be protected and comforted by the sheltering house, he is clothed with the light, he breathes the vital force,
and settles down in the universe. This exemplifies the highest meditation state: the fasting state.
- 194 -
Chapter VI
In the construction of Te, the right side of the character is composed of four characters, hand, vessel, one and heart. This
part of the character can be expressed as: The single heart supports and directs the vessel of the body carried by hand. Truly, the
body is the most sacred vessel, and the hands are the most powerful and useful tools. Yet, without heart there is no foundation;
without the single-minded heart, there is no transformation. The
right part is a meditative state in which hands are unified with the
bodily vessel and guided by the single devoted heart. This action is
accompanied by the careful steps of walking, executed by the
thighsnot legs, as represented by the left side of the character
Te. Therefore, the activity of handspicking and gathering food
and putting it into mouthis freed from being responsible for the
bodily vessel. The one Chi of heaven is then the procreative force
in the cauldron sustaining the vessel and satisfying the heart. Hands
are held together as in a meditative state. The five elemental Chi is
charged by the mountain dew. The action of conscious vibration is
donned with the cosmic light. The changeable are viewed, the unchangeable are reflected. The world is in its perfect order and the
body/mind is in its perfect harmony.
There is one remaining Chinese character that expresses the
meaning of the Te. Its composition is straightforward and heart.
The character straightforward for zhi is composed with ten,
eye and bend/curl, meaning looking and examining with gazing
eyes and intensified back. Ten is the visual image that covers
eyes and extends from the nose to the eyebrows, or the Y portion
of the eye. This implies that, The eyes are inside the heart, and
the heart is inside the spiritual consciousness, the spiritual
conscious is inside the character of nature. Everything is there
and nothing is there. All the lines, angles, joints and points are penetrated, vaporized, purified and transformed by the fire of light.
Husbanding into light is what Lao Tzu has experienced, a matching fire between consciousness and light. This is the magic play of
a sage within the good fortune of returning to the Tao and the power
of the Te.
- 195 -
Uplifting Te
Uplifting Te
According to the descending order, even if natures act is inhumane, impersonal and impartial, there must be kindness granted
into human souls via spirits. This enables human beings to perform texing or the character of Te, as well as to exercise falu
or law and justice. If one fails to obey the fa, there will be punishment from government. If one does not have the texing, the punishment will be the bad luck and bad karma carried out by ones
inner conscious decision as judged by the law of heaven. Even
though you cannot describe the texing, you can sense it. You cannot verify the texing but you can wait the result of it. You cannot
exalt the texing but you can follow your heart-consciousness. You
cannot find a rule to validate the texing but your gut sensation knows
it all. This is because the marks of profound action follow only from
the Tao. This is why sage accumulates nothing other than kind
action: cultivating and uniting through kind action, honoring and being
rewarded or punished only by kind action.
In the ascending order, spirit unifies with action, preparing to
rise and be elevated. The path has been cleared. Consciousness
is no longer a series of single-minded dots and flashes. Ego fails in
it role as ruling monster of life. A persons action is kindness itself.
The mentally fixed projection of searching for truth is replaced by
kind action: the truth of experience and expression. Spontaneous
and interactive action between humans and nature is the reality of
truth. Lao Tzus meditations have been revealed as: Being at peace,
one can see into the subtle. Engaging with passion, one can see
into the manifest.
In practicing kind action, love is no longer a conscious game
played by ego. It no longer functions as an obsessive mental longing, an uncontrolled emotional outburst, or in continual soul-searching. Prejudice is overcome by the human freedom to act: the vulnerability of ego and the interaction of shen. The more valuable
ego deems itself to be, the more spontaneously will shen act out.
When they work smoothly together, empathy will be the mutual
outcome. Sympathy becomes mutual encouragement. Pity reverses itself to merge as the fearless act of loving. Negative emotions do not hurt people and positive emotions cannot drag them
down. Since all these emotional attributes are purified into compassion, there is no burning sensation manifested through com- 196 -
Chapter VI
Accumulation of Te
Uplifting Te
Humiliation
Humiliation is one of the most devastating emotions one can face.
Lao Tzu describes that Favor and disgrace surprise the most.
The word disgrace is synonymous with humiliation, a reaction no
one wishes to experience. When humiliation occurs, the conscious
mind is completely darkened and filled with despair, placing the
recipient into a despicable state with no opportunity to hide or escape. Personalized words and fruits of God are completely stripped
away. They render one valueless, seemingly non-existent. On the
other hand, it evolves into the most valuable time to examine oneself objectively, to face the situation with grace and understanding,
to become like a child, and glorify God once again. The recipient
owes thanks to the person invoking the humiliation.
The essence of getting in touch with humiliation is to purify oneself from all the distorted aspects of life, discovering that the true
meaning of life, both simplistic and mysterious, will run its course.
Following is the meditative passage to engage.
1. Mentally picture the scene that precipitated your humiliation.
Feel the presence of that energy vibration.
2. Stay with the pain and suffering. Hold as long as possible. Then
release it and be liberated.
3. Do not be angry and frustrated about your humiliation. Look
into it objectively. What does this humiliation mean? What was
its purpose?
4. Handle the humiliation just as you do the wind blowing or the
daily events that are long forgotten. They are nothing and should
never be pondered as anything special. It does not suggest
that blowing wind and daily events are nothing, but that all things
existing in life are normal and nothing about them is special.
5. Then consider why someone chose to humiliate you. Draw an
equation between the two of you, destroying the rigidity within
you that disables you to be open to new and unexpected things.
6. Position yourself as President Clinton in his most grievous position. Think of yourself personally and not professionally. You
will find more truthful traits in human nature than in professional
individuals.
7. Then observe which of you has received the greatest benefit
from the situation. You will find that in being humiliated is attached to expectations, a certain knowledge that underlies a
lack of self-esteem and freedom.
- 199 -
8. Allow your humiliation and your mind to be painstakingly purified in the same way that your body could be objectively examined and the source of its illness surgically removed. The full
realization of this humiliation process has the same connotation as having your identity, position, esteem and self-worth excised.
9. Decide if you will allow your body/mind to heal itself, or do you
prefer to cling to the pain for reasons you may not be fully aware
of?
10. The lesson is to free yourself from burdensome situations. Be
aware that further humiliations may be in store, but now you
are better prepared to deal with it should it arise.
11. Once the decision is made, take immediate action to clean and
purify the body/mind.
realistically apply this concept is to fill the stomach with Chi before
food is absorbed, and to restore the tranquility of spirit in the mind
before ego pounces. There will be no elements of time limitation,
competitive environment, or other pressures that forge a person to
pursue with most gains ahead of others. The mentality of precaution and proactivation destroys the environment of selfness. The
pre-empty measures embrace selflessness, existing before the
matter, through kind action, and within the Tao.
Through frugality, the mind occupies itself with the material of
universal energy. The mentality of universal space and the action
of universal timing are uppermost in the mind before self-identity
takes place. Self-identity is tied to self-esteem. With self-esteem
comes self-dignity. Self-identity ensures the growth of self-esteem
which then elevates itself to the position of self-dignity.
Self-dignity is totally opposite to ego-dignity. It is the self-center
and self-interest. We all need these attributes to center ourselves.
No one can do this for us. We must like ourselves if we expect
others to like us. The conscious center of self-dignity is none other
than conscious awareness. It exists for the sole purpose of abiding by the nature of kindness. Self-dignity is viewed as awareness,
not an attained position. It is a state of openness with no self-restraint. It has no dignity in itself, but functions as an energetic circulation.
It is not surprising that dignity releases us from our last imprisonment before opening the spiritual door. Dignity has greater power
than ego. By clinging desperately to dignity, ego maintains its staying power behind selfishness, ethnic identity, and belief patterns.
When dignity occupies the crown of mind, the spiritual mentality of
forgiveness, acceptance, generosity, kindness and compassion is
lost. In abiding by the rules of administrative orders meted out by
dignity, the entire world is under mechanical control.
In a world of me-first, above all others, how can we begin to
contemplate the accumulation of kind action! With selfness at the
helm, the standard definition of moral deeds is nevertheless based
on the possession of a few immortal and divine beings. This application has no bearing on the unconditional, selfless, and universal
Love that is already stored within the deepest layer of pure is-ness.
Universal love is attained as the final destination of selfness existing by itself, having been released from its last stronghold. This is
the real nature of Mothers mystic action, the Reality of Minds realization, the Truthfulness of Natures act.
- 201 -
Ji Te
The phrase ji te is used to represent the homework for spiritual
practitioners: the blissful suffering of cultivation practices, and the
objective measurement of any meditation outcome. The word ji
means accumulate. Ji Te is accumulating Te, the most challenging homework in all spiritual practice, more demanding than meditation and more difficult than sharing and giving. It is a constant
purification process based upon the discipline of frugality as described above. Te is an objective energy entity but not a concrete
object to be identified and possessed. It is the accumulation of
kindness, loving energy and self-sacrifice. Ji Te is the transformation of the biophysical body into the loving Chi body. It is instrumental in elevating sexual and emotional Chi into loving and liberating
Chi. It is a lesson in building an invisible energy world based upon
deep conscious understanding and spiritual penetration.
In Chinese, Ji Te is the process of establishing the quality of
Texing or Te-character. Without an accumulation of Te, there is no
objective quality to be perceived by others. It is this accumulative
practice, day after day, event following event and trial after trial, that
dissolves the ego, purifies the body, and distills the mind. Whether
one is spiritual or religious, an ethnic Chinese or foreign born, Ji Te
exists as the objective reaction to ones actual being in all things.
The highest concentration of material in both Buddhist and Taoist
literature is devoted to Ji Te and Texing. In Taoism, it is said that
36,000 works of ji-ing the Te must be performed before one can
think about transforming Shen into Xu. That appears to be an inordinate amount of homework, but is a necessary discipline. It is not
insurmountable.
In our society there are many meditation techniques to learn,
many skills to master, many opportunities for status seekers. Ji Te
can be taught but not learned since once something is taught it is
already secondary. You cannot process Ji Te; you simply sacrifice
your life to its practice. It is more painful than any sickness, more
degrading than humiliation. It entails more suffering than the nature
of suffering itself. Yet, any one wishing to overcome oneself must
first overcome these blockages. Are you ready to begin?
The accumulated Te of a master will be applied to her/his spiritual name. It belongs to the master. Nobody can give someone
- 202 -
Chapter VI
else Texing, even though they may be the recipient of its loving
kindness and hospitable generosity. Texing is very selfish; it honors only the one who honors it. That is the nature of spiritual energetic circulation. Any student desiring to build a good reputation in
the practice of Texing will quickly learn that it cannot be mastered
by learning from others. It must be a process of self-mastering. Ji
Te and Texing belong only to the spiritual world. They are the feng
shui of cosmic kindness, representing the mystic Te in kind action.
Uplifting Te
- 204 -
Chapter VI
Uplifting Te
the action is pure. Self is such an entity that it subjectifies the form
of body/mind. It objectifies subjective images and visions with rationalized meanings and linguistic expressions. It further takes in
images that body/mind receives and expresses through action that
body/mind has internalized. It focuses on awareness, listens to
the heart, speaks through the mouth, projects through mentality,
and battles with non-self and false-selves. It is demonstrated by
the body, conducted by mind, valued by justice, protected by
selfhood, and greatly admired by the ego. When all these bits and
pieces of selves are unified and crystallized through the nature of
Tao, there is no difference between individual selves and others
selves; there is no separation between inner self and outer self;
there is no space between pure self and no self.
Selfhood is such that individuality cannot exist where self-awareness does not exist. When the self is not understood, the truebeing bears no specific meaning. But when awareness is selfbounded, the selfish comes to the fore. If the meaning of awareness is held only subjectively, there is no interaction or communication, only the constrained, isolated and frozen body. Should such
a self be open to the public, it would be viewed as a disposable
self, an unwanted blowing wind, a contaminated virus. If such a
self should be desired by the public, it is deemed an ideal object, a
mental connection or a wishful longing. Staying in this mode becomes boring, lonesome, and suspended. Moving outwardly with
it is troublesome, exhausting, and boundless. Identifying with it is a
fixation and letting-it-go becomes directionless. This is the poor
selfless self, the self-bounded selfhood.
One way to treat the self is by understanding it according to the
standard of self. Treat it as an objective entity, with no physical,
emotional and mental attachment, whether as a carnal body, a
conscious being or Gods given specialty. Once this is out of the
way, there will be a clear and thorough understanding of the color,
texture, quality and usefulness of that self. Since Tao is suffused
and blended within that self, it must be acknowledged as the only
role model for the family in society and on earth.
What is inside and what is beyond will manifest uniformly. Within
is the pure and true nature of that self. What is beyond is the boundless embracement and unification with the world of universe. When
the identifiable self is pure, the mental space is boundless. It goes
to family, community, nation and world. Cultivate the family, the
- 206 -
Chapter VI
Uplifting Te
Chapter VI
Uplifting Te
left-hand tally but does not blame people. Left-hand tally is the stub
kept of the record of the initial agreement. It is a promise of both the
initial contract and the mindful hope for the result, but not the promise that no change can be made. The sage, of course, honors this.
Should the sage hold fast to the tally and fight for the sake of an
empty agreement? He should not, and he never does. Instead, his
mind is open and his heart is open. Before kind action, he holds
onto the tally. Before kindless action, he holds onto openness. That
is the virtue of trustworthiness. That is the virtue of Loving. That is
the virtue of kind action.
Before kind action, tally is always useful, not in itself, but because kind action makes it useful. Before kindless action, tally is
the stone wall, the confronting distance, the initiation of violence.
As previously discussed when selfish love holds the position, nothing else matters. What is the use of keeping ones promise? It has
already been promised by and for selfishness. Love our enemy as
we love ourselves; our enemy is the very hatred of our own self!
This is the symbolic representation of difference as two individuals, two nations, and two countries. This is the application of
how we are all inseparable. Male and female are different but they
need to sleep together; two races are two different families, but
they must share the same land; two countries fly different flags but
they share a common territorial line. The Tao of heaven is impersonal, it enhances those who are kind. It is the genuine Love and
unconditional Love that ties two people together. It is kindness and
generosity that binds two families together. It is the vision and image that unify the two nations. This is the only way we can overcome the problem of hatred. There is no other choice, not now or
ever.
Conditional love is unstable and unreliable, subject to change,
varying from love to hatred; unconditional Love has no boundary,
no territory, no limit, no self. It is the ideal transformation of cultivation. Because of its unwavering love cultivation harmonizes people
and nation, pure-person and universe, one and all.
- 210 -
Chapter VII
Chapter 7
Between Palace and Temple
The sixth line, at the heading of the 34th hexagram in I Ching, indicates that: When the goat butts against the hedge, he can neither
move forward nor go backward. Nothing further is served. Difficulty brings in good fortune. In this line the hedge represents both
the divine religious orders and the institutionalized governing laws.
People, as represented by the goat, are trapped in their country of
residence as well as their temple of worship. Their spiritually transformed seed of goat (pelvic bones) in structuring the abdomen, is
restrained by the blood of flesh and the passion of fire. Marching
boldly forward defies the laws of the governing country (body), and
falling back is against the natural rules of transcending power
(sleeping spirit). They (sheep transformed from goat) live in conditions that will necessarily evoke a Revolution (Ge) of 49th hexagram.
Chapter VII
establish the Tao into a rigid and concrete entity, but were inevitably met with failure. At one time in the past, there was a verbal and
literal confrontation between Buddhism and Taoism, although no
violence occurred, and no lives were lost.
Lao Tzu exclaims I want to be wholly different from everybody
else by taking the substance from the mother source. When the
inner alchemy practice, meditation and cultivation, arrive at kind
action, the body has sufficient energy to sustain itself, the mind is
pure enough to allow shen to conduct daily business. The meditator is thus capable of performing kind action in society by loving
the people and governing the country. Loving the people is loving the energy (Chi), governing the country is governing the body.
Body is the image of people; love is the energy of people; military is
the means of managing the energy, and kingship is the holy crown
of true self.
In Chapter 58 Lao Tzu explains that when the government is
silent, people are sincere. When the government is intrusive, the
state is decisive. The word decisive is guai in Chinese or jue in the
Mawangdui texts. Linguistically, jue means to decide, to make a
choice or to confirm. Jue was extended from guai whose meaning
was to split, separate, break-through or resolve. The character guai,
which is the 43rd hexagram, is the only one that Lao Tzu has applied from the teaching of I Ching: Resoluteness (Guai). The character guai initially means to separate, break apart or split material.
It is composed with the strokes of hand and object, indicating that
hands break an object into pieces.
Chapter VII
body transformed, and karma purified. This is the cosmic Chi Kung
practice, the third stage of Taoist inner alchemical practice: transforming Shen into Xu. The mind should no longer be selfish, the
soul no longer egoistic, sensation no longer scattered, and body
no longer contaminated. We then have the most desirable marriage, the highest unification, and the most peaceful harmony. The
inner body/mind is in harmony to process food and interact with
the environment. The decisive mind never wavers from awareness of inner stillness and inner sacrifice. Chaos must be put in
order. The striking footsteps must be firm. Any alarming distraction
must be registered subconsciously. Ones facial expression should
be serene, yet severe and firm. Ones lack of creativity (represented
by the skin damage on the thigh in the fourth line) should be awakened by spontaneous inspiration rather than anticipated participation. Poisoned meat must be eliminated, the weed-covered land
must be cultivated, and the sickened body/mind must be purified.
This is the literal expression of the Guai and the practical application of this chapter.
Chapter VII
Chapter VII
Practical Success
Success is determined by self-accomplishment toward affairs
through the inner power of dedication, determination and will. Without inner accomplishment, there can be no social recognition of
success. Success is consequent to all affairs. It does not proclaim its own existence. Why cleave to it? In Taoism, success is
about the personal liberation upon energy transformation with no
acknowledgment of social appraisal. Since the value of life itself is
constructed within kind action, there is no need for social recognition. It is within the peoples hearts, and its reward is the final outcome, that of becoming immortal.
In regard to the majority of people, their engagement in affairs
fails prior to the success. They are either lost within themselves or
they exhaust themselves before they reach success. To quote:
Give as much careful attention to the end as to the beginning;
then the affairs will not fail. It is on that account that the sage desires not to desire and does not value goods that are hard to get.
He learns not to learn and restores the common peoples losses.
He is able to support the nature of all things and, not daring, to
impose action.
Chapter VII
is the mind, people are the consciousness, religion is the conscience, government is the ego, founding fathers are the spirits or
the worshipers. Within a country, people are the essence, culture
is the vitality, and administration is the spirit. People must engage
with a peaceful mindset and be at ease with themselves for the
land to be cultivated and the country healthy. When the culture is
vital and energetic, the mind is nurtured and the country is rich.
When the administration is clean and simple, society is well preserved and the country is tranquil.
A country is the identity of a strong ethnic group that is foreshadowed by weaker ones. A small country is a small family, and a
large country is a large community. The territorial line between countries is like a projection of thought, an image of mind, an identity of
ego, a sign of victory, a call to attention, and a protection from fear.
The gates within the line are wide open and as smooth as the
communication between two lovers. The walls between the line
are as firm as the belief systems of two distinguished cultures.
The light shining through the line is as bright and joyful as our individual dreams, and the fire burning upon the line is as hot and
flaming as a cultural expectation.
The territorial line itself is the mark of a war, the bloody stain left
by the sacrificer, the victorious declaration of the winner, and the
surrendering confirmation of the loser. The territory is where the
nationality is defined and passports are required. It is where politics rule, immersed within their own inseparable boundaries. It is
where the bodies of two nationalities attract one another, the minds
of two languages communicate in one way or another, and the
seeds of cultural unification give birth to one another.
The line itself is as subtle as the flow of two different streams of
consciousness and as broad as the projection of the minds eye. It
is the longest distance the ego can cover with acceptance; the
final proof that justice can demonstrate and protect. It stands before the eyes when ego speaks forth, but is hidden behind a curtain
when consciousness flows through. It is why two nationalities can
exist with each other and two cultures can meld. The life of an
individual, a family, community, nation and culture is the demarcation of this territorial line. What powerful marks the mind has been
drawing! What a beautiful inspiring flag the ego has been waving!
What a comfortable state in which the people are caged!
- 221 -
Chapter VII
like cooking a small fish. Use the right lawfulness to govern the
country. How do I know this is so? When no-boundary is known, it
allows the country to exist. The country, existing from its source,
can endure. The role of a government is to integrate the diversified
social elements into a grand harmony without judging or valuing
the goodness of intention, efficiency of process, quality of the products, and resultant teachings. The character of government is an
invisible mind with kindness and a visible body with force. It is the
fusion of will and the penetration of power. It should be a beautiful
harmony of simplicity, not a diversified organization of complexity.
This is the right lawfulness, the art of cooking (frying) a small fish,
that each and every soul swims in the oceanic body.
Whoever understands the peoples needs knows how a government should govern. Whoever stands on the peoples side wins
the war, and whoever envisions the picture of a clean, healthy, productive and harmonious environment, is capable of taking over the
power of beauty. When the country is in big trouble, there arises
patriotism. Whoever can bear the disgrace of the country is the
ruler of the country. Whoever can bear the misfortune of the world
is the ruler of the world.
The story of Gandhi serves as an example of this statement. He
might not have read Lao Tzu or the book of Tao Te Ching, but it
makes no difference to either Gandhi or Lao Tzu. What Gandhi did
was not for himself although the power emerged from his inner
self. What Lao Tzu stated was not for his benefit even though it
came through his own mind.
have only small rivers running miles to or away from the sea. A
small country or nation is already in the lower position. It lacks the
resources to expand. With no valuable resources, her most important and only business is her people. The small country of Japan has emerged as an economically powerful nation by thriving
upon her peoples business: the collective power of mind.
The application of international relationship is not to stomp upon
the divisions but to whirl around them, not to draw the line but to
flow along the line. The cultural dots are already there and the racial lines have already been there. The coating of cultural dots cannot be covered up since they are the cultural image and personality. How can one understand modern Western culture without the
aid of a scientific approach? How can one engage in Indian mystical practice without first knowing Yoga? And how can one understand the Chinese mind with no knowledge of Chinese philosophy?
With the same reasoning, one can walk along the racial line, but
find no way to cross it. The line is invisible. Inside that invisible line
the race is a sleeping lion. The line cannot be crossed without
destroying its existence. If the mind is open, the line becomes visible; the space around the line vibrant. Everyone can walk through
or even step on the line. That is the nature of mutual and neutral
co-existence. That is the nature of the communicative heart of
human beings, the bearers of the greatest potential existence on
earth.
Military
Nature of War
War is the final result of mental conflict, the breakthrough of ego
confrontation, the reconstruction of distorted justice, the restoration of absent conscience, and the redistribution of the power structure. When there is a conflict or confrontation due to misunderstanding and mistrust, the tension and heat may accelerate to the
degree that antagonism and contention are the only reality. This
can escalate, resulting in war as the best or only solution. When
- 224 -
Chapter VII
Chapter VII
form the masses. They are relegated to carry out the more menial
tasks, to be subservient. The financially poor, the mentally retarded,
the uneducated live out their natural life span. Consequently, the
richer, stronger and smarter must take charge of their submissive
partners lest might they be overtaken by new invaders who emerge
from the ranks. Lao Tzu revealed that: When opposing armies clash,
those who cry win! In world history, Rome, Persia, China, Mongolia,
France, England, all enjoyed their time of glory. America is now
having its time. Can it last?
On this subject Lao Tzu proposes: Using the Tao as the rule for
governing the people, do not employ the army as the power of the
world, for this is likely to backfire. Where the army has marched,
thorns and briars grow. Being good has its own consequence, which
cannot be seized by power. Achieving without arrogance, achieving without bragging, achieving without damage, achieving without
taking ownership. This is called achieving without force. Matter
becomes strong, then old. This is called Not-Tao. Dying young is
Not-Tao.
ers. Of course, the victory should be celebrated as a funeral service. The personification of patriotism is at most an extension of
selfish love. It does not entail a picture of fairness and non-partiality. Also, war is the extreme of competition; both the winner and
loser have mixed feelings of accepting the reality, there is resentment and dissatisfaction. A sense of fear and uncertainty about
the future lurks on the victorious side and a strong will for vengeance and retaliation arises on the losing side.
The ultimate reality, as Lao Tzu explains, is that even if weapons are far more numerous than people, they are not used. The
more and sharper the weapons the people have, the more chaotic
the nation will be. Let people be serious about death and enjoy a
long journey. Though there are carriages and boats, they are not
useful for travel. Let people return to use the technique of knotting
the rope, to enjoy the food, to appreciate the cloth, to delight in
customs, and to settle in their living conditions. The neighbor countries are in sight. The sounds of dogs and chickens are heard.
People grow old and die without interfering with each other. How
beautiful such a picture of country and people is: the simple government and plain citizens. If all people mind their own way, are
mindful only of their own business and content with themselves,
then everyones mind is at peace, the whole world flows harmoniously at the pace of a peaceful state.
Mentality of Winning
Being a good warrior does not entail power. A good fighter is not
angry. One who is good at overcoming the enemy does not contact him. One who is good at leading people acts humbly. This is
called the Action of non-competition. This is called leading people.
This is called the Ultimate as old as heaven. When there is an
absence of power, the mind preserves its total clarity and awareness. When a person is not angry, there is no emotional disturbance before the action. When there is no confrontation, there is
no exhaustion of energy consumption. When the mind is humble,
the people are encouraged and the work is done.
Lao Tzu further explains that I dare not be the host, but rather a
guest. I dare not advance an inch, but rather retreat a foot. This is
called performing without performing, rolling up ones sleeves without showing the arms. By not holding on to an enemy, there is no
- 228 -
Chapter VII
enemy. There is no disaster greater than having no enemy. Having no enemy almost destroys my treasure. What Lao Tzu is saying is that one should never underestimate anything, especially the
enemy. In the use of military force, overestimation loses an opportunity and underestimation loses the war. Being a host welcomes
the war, being a guest conducts the war. In advancing the body is
exposed; in retreating the body preserves the resource. The body
must be relaxed, the mind must be disengaged. Exploring this,
before action, the mind anticipates without expectation. During confrontation, the body/mind is actively engaging without losing its
ground. When the battle is over, no scar is found on the body and
there is no memory remaining in the mind.
Military Strategies
Use the unexpected to conduct the battle. Use disengagement to
take over the world. This is because when you want to constrict
something, you must first let it expand; When you want to weaken
something, you must first enable it; When you want to eliminate
something, you must first allow it; When you want to conquer something, you must first let it be. This is called the Fine Light. The
weak overcomes the strong. Fish cannot live away from the source.
The sharp weapon of the nation should never be displayed, nor
should it be traded. Treasure is something that should be kept
secretly and preserved carefully. When it is displayed, it invites
manipulation, its secret is exposed, rendering the treasure valueless. Nor should the treasure be considered an economic gain; it
is an act of self-betrayal. Judging how effectively America keeps
its military weaponry under wrapsa closely guarded secretwe
can understand that displaying it would be an open invitation to the
enemy. There may be a monetary gain to some, but it would prove
to be self-defeating action. We would create an unthinkable backlash of retribution. Can we afford to pay the price of such a backfire? Can we secure ourselves safely behind our best defensive
mechanism?
- 229 -
Kingship
Widow or Orphan?
What the world hates is the widow and orphan without support. But
lords and rulers name themselves these. Widow, on the one hand,
is the mother without a husband. She lives with the nature of Motherhood; welcoming the power of penetration. She enjoys the unselfish care-taking, provides the needed nourishment, and returns
finally to her frozen empty-womb state where the egg again becomes milk.
Orphan, on the other hand, is the son whose mother gave birth
to him. He remembers only the sucking but the source is no longer
there to sustain him. He holds the memory of his father inside his
blood without the conscious awareness of the fathers identity. So
he returns to the mountain and sleeps inside the cave. The memory
of sucking is restored with embryonic breathing; his mothers image is vibrating within his body, and his fathers spirit shines inside
his heart. His mother cries tearfully, expressing the peoples joyfulness. His father laughs willfully, demonstrating the peoples faithfulness. He becomes the Oneness of One.
Chapter VII
refers to the procreative stage that ensures the maturity and complexity with the primary vitality. It serves also as the returning and
revitalization that channel the changes merging from maturity and
complexity. Unifying this notion of the Tao endows one with a peaceful mind, a happy life, and a full stomach. What more can be needed?
- 231 -
Chapter VIII
Longevity and Immortality
In I Ching, this notion is expressed by the 45th hexagram: Gathering Together (Cui). As we learned from a powerful and representative decision rendered by a sage, all the spirits gather together to
purify their wounded souls and cloudy minds. A temple is built to
- 232 -
Chapter VIII
independent from that of physical life. The body has no choice but
to die, but the mind can choose when to release a final exhalation.
The willful anticipation of mind plays an important role in terms
of the overall situation of death and dying. If a person has made up
they mind to commit suicide, no one can prevent it. The unfinished
jobs that have been devised by the mind must be updated or displaced before the spirit departs the body and this world. The decision comes from within. The proper approach is to live life fully
without fighting against the nature of death. This can be illustrated
from the life stories of Buddha or Jesus, both of whom were religious founders as well as superior masters of meditation. Buddha
once ate poisoned meat to hasten his last breath; Jesus was crucified after his last meal. They each knew what awaited them: to
liberate from death through mastering the spirits way.
A life span of several hundred years was not uncommon for
ancient Taoist sages. For example, Guang Chengzi, the Yellow
Emperors guru, lived over one thousand and two hundred years
according to Zhuang Zi (Chuang Tse). Yet longevity cannot replace
immortality. One neednt live a long physical life in order to achieve
immortality. Wang Chunyang, the founder of the Complete-Reality
School of Taoism, lived only to the age of fifty-eight years.
Chapter VIII
The formation of the world is constructed within the mechanism; great ruling is what governs it. This is the mechanism of life
and death, birth and rebirth. From sunrise to sunset, from night to
day, it is a sleepless resting continuity of free changing process.
From male to female, white to black, fire to water, it is the power of
penetration. From female to male, black to white, water to fire, it is
the power of receptiveness. Penetrating and receiving continues
with no sign of beginning or end. The two never stray apart from
each other: the Oneness within, the formation of the world. This
action comes from nowhere, is present and exists everywhere.
There is nothing above it still to be accounted for; there is nothing
below it that has been excluded. Ever searching for it, it is beyond
naming. It returns to no-thing. Its state is described as no state, its
form is described as formless. It is called the vision beyond focus.
Follow after it, and it proves endless. Go before it, and no beginning is found. Employ the Tao of today in order to manage todays
affairs and to know the ancient past. This is called the principle of
Tao.
Visioning Immortality
The nature of unchanging before the Oneness with no birth/death
is the longevity of Nature and the immortality of the Tao. To define
this more clearly, longevity deals with form, both transforming and
deforming. It exists between birth and death, growth and retirement, moving forward and turning back. Immortality reveals the
presence of everlasting eternity. Lao Tzu realized that what makes
heaven and earth eternal and long lasting is that they do not give
birth to themselves. It is this that makes them eternal and long
lasting. He further explains that reaching the ultimate emptiness,
concentrating on the central stillness, all things work together. From
this I observe returning. All things under heaven flourish in their
vitality, yet each returns to its own root. This is stillness. Stillness
means returning to its destiny. Returning to its destiny is steadfastness. To know steadfastness means enlightenment. Not to
know steadfastness is to act forcefully. Acting forcefully brings disaster. Knowing the steadfast implies acceptance. Acceptance is
impartial. Impartial is regal. Regal is heaven. Heaven is Tao. Tao
is beyond danger even when the body perishes.
In this chapter, Lao Tzu is examining the Tao through mindful
observation by returning to the total stillness of that rooted destiny.
He finds that destiny moves along its steadfast course without being troubled by the mind; that is the realization of being enlightened. Knowing this is the minds acceptance of being with the impartiality of the kingdom of heaven. This impartiality is being with
the body of the Tao, a process of returning, a backward movement
towards its procreated state, no-being and nothingness. Our mind
never questions another sunrise after saying goodbye to the sun- 236 -
Chapter VIII
set, but it dreams of a wishful returning. Yet, the mind doesnt need
to be regarded as being balanced as you would a checkbook, a
time recorder. Body/minds rhythm has the capacity to handle the
necessary business of life just like the motion of the sun and the
waning and waxing of the moon. Time takes care of itself. There is
no need to remember everything and there is no need to hold onto
everything. That is the child of the Tao: the renewal of change. The
sun, moon and earth are more conscious of their actions and activities than anything we could ever impose upon them. This is the
process of acceptance; this is the ability of staying with the steadfastness; this is the regal mind, the body of the Tao.
Nature of Changing
All that we experience is change. From the conscious marriage
between our parents to the formation of our independent individual
life process; from the flash of an idea to its concentrated form of
thought; from that internalized thought to the expressive activity;
from a programmed activity to an extended wish beyond the final
productivity; they are all the evolutionary process of involuntary
changing. Nature never acts, since it is always the same; Nature
never stops acting because it never remains the same within its
changing form. Lao Tzu continues by saying that: Gusty winds do
not last all morning, cloudbursts do not last all day. What makes
this so? Heaven and earth will not last forever, how could a human
being last!
On the surface and linguistic levels, the sentence Heaven and
earth will not last forever appears contradictory with the sentence
Heaven is eternal, earth is long lasting. The love imbued in human nature is different than specific loves guided by emotional,
mental and conscious desires. This illustrates the difference between the pure presence of spirit (shen) and its ever-flowing momentary conscious activity. It also clarifies the difference between
faith and belief. That which is present is long lasting. That which is
beyond mental calculation and ego anticipation is the all-pervading
Love. That which is beyond rational evaluation and experiential judg- 237 -
ment is the faith that goes beyond the depth of life testament. Faith
is individual/universal while belief is personal/cultural. A scientist
will follow the guideline of a scientific belief system. At a Jewish
funeral ceremony, their customs and rituals are followed. Upon
entering a Buddhist temple, you observe the rules being followed
within the temple. But transpersonally and cross-culturally, the scientists, the Jewish people, and the Buddhists have the unspoken
trust within, individually and universally. This trust within is called
faith, which is unconditional, collective and universal. A belief is a
set of experiential habits, rationalized rules and mentally programmed systems within a cultural milieu, while faith is more subtle,
deeper and much more pervasive and inclusive. It envelops the
Love and the eternity of Nature.
Eternal faith never dies whereas experiential belief must die.
Only after each timed and experienced belief dies and transforms
can the mind return to its child-like state, awake from sleep, be
humble and ready to face whatever may come. But one thing remains constant: all the living reality becomes a cosmic reality, but
each must exist, die and move on. Glory or failure, gain or loss, are
nothing but constant change. Take it easy, relax and let it go.
In the meantime, each movement is an enlightened journey. If
the mind is not present and the body is not ready, repetition and
continuation must take place until the mind is free, the body is ready
to sleep. This is the glory of living reality and the grace of enlightening reality. Live fully, die completely. Then move on without looking
back just as though nothing has happened. This is the true paradox of Lao Tzus teaching. To practice this requires purity, innocence, and humility. This must be the right expression, right understanding and right attitude.
Chapter VIII
- 239 -
- 240 -
Chapter VIII
Crown
Jade Pillow
C-7
T-11
Cauldron
Sacrum
Perineum
Fig. 8.2 Sexual energy is drawn up the spine to the crown, refined in the
Microcosmic Orbit, blended with positive organs Chi and stored in the
Cauldron. Internal Achemy begins at the Cauldron.
Fig. 8.3 The Taoist Practices of Healing Love open the Way
to experience the Greatest Freedom. Refined sexual energy is use for
improved health and for spiritual alchemy in creating our spirit body.
- 241 -
The only gain is possibly the bodily experience stored within the
memory, preparing to be replayed anytime the mind wishes to initiate a climax. Children are sometimes the byproducts of that experience.
In addition to that, love becomes a loss; sexual life is a loss;
having children is a loss. Living through married life is not conducive to finding the lost part of the pure self: the harmonious Oneness. The initially loving relationship has been transformed from
the romantic stage of searching for the other Chi, the other side of
Oneness, the very lost part of Oneness. It is initiated into a commitment to maintain the relationship and accepting the responsibility of raising the children and keeping the self-promise alive. Only a
few married couples are true soul mates. When it is obvious that
the relationship cannot lead to eternal satisfaction, when it cannot
be granted by social recognition, the marriage can be dissolved.
Though the searching is continuous and endless searching, the
lost self can never be retrieved. People then blame love as the
scapegoat even as they continue the futile search. They blame
their spouses and their children. The search for the lost part of
Oneness is curdled into hatred, and the initial passion for reunion
of the two takes a turn toward revenge. They are looking in the
wrong place.
- 242 -
Chapter VIII
- 244 -
Chapter VIII
Longevity to Immortality
Walking through the Death
We all die just as we are dying at this moment. Our parents wish
has died into our life and our wish will die, or has already died into
endless future generations. This dying wish is the specific act of
love. We are constructed with the form given us (physical, mental
and spiritual) and the formless form we have within. Form is composed of everything about our individual being, from hair to nails.
Formless form is the collective seed (sperm and egg) granted by
our Great Mother. Form must die, but formless form never dies. It
is the very nature of energy transformation. At a subliminal level,
matter and energy are inseparable. They are two of the One and
One of the two. It is form because of its innate completion and
perfection; it is not form because of its changing and transforming
quality. The fire never extinguishes itself, and each fires glow must
be extinguished. The water is never dried up, yet each water molecule evaporates. We are going to die, yet we will never die. Who
dies? It is the dying transformation of body/minded form. The body
must die and mind must die.
For those who are good at preserving their livesWalking
through, not avoiding rhinos and tigers, entering battle without wearing armamentsthe rhino has no place to dig its horns. The tiger
has no place to drag its claws. The soldier has no place to thrust
his blade. Why is this so? Because they have no place to die.
Living between birth and death is subject to the control of soul (mind)
and flesh, between ten and three. Living beyond the cyclical formation of death is the integration of ten and three, making the completion complete and trinity return. The completion of the son of God
and the maker of His trinity become one again, the true spirit.
Open to Longevity
There are two kinds of longevity: biophysiological and psycho-spiritual. The Confucian family spanned five hundred generations according to the existing genealogy, with members scattered all over
the world. Psychospiritual longevity is the ideal formation of psycho- 245 -
spiritual creations, inventions and discoveries. Human beings, individually and collectively, are possessed of longevity and immortality. Our form is always that of a human body and a mind with
wishes and dreams. Our form is never the same one lifetime to
the next. It changes and we are all different yet existing within the
Sameness of that change. We die individually time after time according to the longevity of that Sameness. Anyone desiring to
achieve longevity must live through their longevity. If someone is
searching for immortality, they must live through the mortality of
their longevity. No one but yourself can understand your willful determination; no other person could answer to your personal destination. Do not reply with yes or no to any circumstance, simply live
through all that comes. Yes is the structure and body of the Tao
while no is the meaning and functioning of the Tao. The structure
and body of the Tao is the longevity of the Tao in our being, and the
meaning and functioning of the Tao is the immortality of the Tao
without our being.
Longevity lives formlessly within each form; immortality exists
beyond any meaning generated by mind. When each form lives
fully there is no form held back; there is only the formless transformation. The mind seeking its own meaning becomes meaningless itself. This is the living Tao with form through formless form.
This is the functioning Tao with meaning above the meaningless.
Is that Tao really formless or meaningless?!
Chapter VIII
light, this individual spirit crystallizes itself into golden elixir or spiritual being, like an intensified and condensed beam of laser light.
Among living individuals, the high spiritual masters, whether religious or shamanistic, have the capacity of a laser light. They emit
the bursts of light energy as a form of selfless love, pure heart,
total awareness and passionate action. The beam of crystallized
or concentrated pure light within those masters is comparable to a
beam of condensed or intensified pure light produced within a laser machine. Many people have no consciousness of death in our
human history regardless of any specific religious belief. God loves
me is not a hallucinatory mental formation or grandiose conscious
wish. When love is purified selflessly and completely, it is the pure
self and pure love of God-self within. The spiritual body is light and
spiritual motion is love; its body is formless and its action is deathless.
This is what is meant by Lao Tzus statement that: To die, but not
be forgotten, is to be immortal. Death is nothing other than a morbid and consciously fixed memory; death itself is a pure form of
fear, an inability to release that habitual obsession. The mind thinks,
the ego controls, the final deed is done. To be immortal is not a
form of desensitizing, but rather a pure sense beyond the physical
and mental. It is a sense of both conclusion/inclusion and integration/embracement leaving nothing pushed aside or left behind. There
is blissful satisfaction within and no fear of being alone. Wishes
are no longer needed and dreams are infantile memories. There is
no sense of who is dead and who is alive; no awareness of living
and dying. Soaring from life is not a sadnessone has passed
through the forgiveness of heart and the attachment of mind. Consciousness becomes a mirror and ego is nothing other than an old
habit. This is lasering with pure light, being with pure light, returning
to the complete self and Gods Love. This is the application of being immortal and entering immortality. Lao Tzu calls this the Tao of
having a deep root, a strong stem, a long life and an enduring vision. Root is the source and stem is the form; life is the act and
vision is the light.
- 247 -
- 248 -
Chapter XI
Chapter IX
Faithfulness
Faithfulness
time the ancestors slept in caves and lived in the wilderness. The
sages later elevated these conditions to palaces and houses. They
were constructed with a ridgepole above the ceiling, to allow the
wind and rain to be blown from the eaves and not into the house.
They called this Dazhuang.
The symbolic meaning is that the sage does not walk the way
that is incongruent with established orders. The orders are the
guiding principles necessary to accumulate Te. Houses and palaces represent the vessels for the existence of the physical body,
family, and for the nation as well. Churches and temples are the
vessels for the existence of ethereal body, soul and spirit alike.
Law and justice, as represented in number 43, are the building
blocks for a harmonious social life where each individual body can
find its safety in society. Rules and disciplines, however, represent
the vessels or cauldrons used to establish a foundation for the
enrichment of the spiritual life. They are the safeguards for the
inner conscious activities. Without the house, family has no place
to stay; without temple, spirit has no room to dwell. Without laws,
society is in chaos; without discipline, spiritual life is aimless.
Meanwhile, however, how to liberate oneself from all the establishments and habits is the true meaning of spiritual liberation. This
is accomplished with both Liberation (Ge) of 49th hexagram and
self-purification, which is Splitting (Bo) of 23rd hexagram. Revolution allows new vitality to flourish in society. Through self-purification, life is transformed. Therefore, the need to overcome oneself
becomes the greatest challenge. Laziness, indulgence, pride, fixation, lack of discipline and self-control, agitation, anxiety, fear and
all the external projections are the trials encountered along the path.
Any improper indication or implication can hinder the progress of
the path. These roadblocks are spiritual mirrors. By constantly
observing these signs, one begins to see oneself clearly. God becomes the focus of the eyes, leaving self behind. Each and every
action leads inevitably to its final destination as the external speech
becomes an inner discipline, and as the external action becomes
an inner reflection. That is faith being practiced within and without.
Chapter XI
Two substances, water and fire are required to build such faith.
In this life, we are constructed with water and charged by fire. We
all possess these two basic substances that, when managed harmoniously, allow one to live a happy family life and fully enjoy the
spiritual life. The partner and the soul mate are there. Self and love
are there. God and Goddess are there. This is perfectly illustrated
by the hexagram number 63, Completed (Jiji) (Ji Chi). The first
character ji stands for finishing the meal. It can be interpreted
from the characteristic construction as wolfing down the rice with
spoon. The left side of the stroke is constructed with white and
spoon, indicating rice or millet. The right stroke means wolf
down. The second ji means enhancement or succeed. It is
composed with a water stroke on the left and organized or orderly stroke on the right side. It is initially a river name. Thus, the
term of this hexagram can be interpreted as wolfing down ones
success or finishing the order.
Faithfulness
- 252 -
Chapter XI
develops into the symbolic structure of Tao. It is a combined character with two sub-characters of head and foot. Head manifests
the speech from conscious thinking to outward expression, which
is characteristic of voice as well as handwriting. Feet walk and
dance, walking for pursuing and dancing for healing. Voicing and
dancing are harmoniously circulated through the body/mind as and
over an active inaction, while walking and writing carry the body/
mind into active engagement. It also signifies that the head initiates
and directs the bodily action carried by the feet.
To ask the meaning of this voice is to ask the meanings of sounds
of thunder, earthquakes, rain, bird-song, or any natural vibrations
that come through natural phenomena. We hear them and know
them. There is no need to understand or interpret. Understanding
is engagement and interpreting is disengaging from that which has
already been engaged. To interpret such is like weaving with bodily
dizziness, acting with mental fuzziness, and smiling behind the
intellectual cunning.
Our feet normally respond to whatever the mind orders; they
are responsible for maintaining groundedness while providing security and transportation for mental actions and physical activities.
One head and two feet are the trinity or triangular diamond of body/
mind between heaven and earth. One head and two hands are the
trinity or triangular diamond of body/mind that manipulates the
mechanism of heaven and earth. The heads action is an actionless
action that acts without engaging, moves without marching, talks
without walking. It is the weightless clouds and colorless spirit that
execute this actionless action. The action of feet is an active engagement; it engages without knowing, marches without direction
and walks without stopping. It is the intellectual mind and biological
body engaged in action. When paying a visit to a friend, it is the
mind making the visit. The mind drives the body to its destination
as the body transports the mind for the engagement. When performing the act of physical love it is not the body that creates the
excitement but the mind pushing the body/mind into climax. When
someone thinks to murder, the hands dont understand what the
killing action means. This action is the configuration of mind.
When one head and two feet act harmoniously, the feet do not
work independently. They are the One since they must work together, and neither completes an action by itself. The quality of this
trinity or triangular diamond is that it leaves no space for projected
- 253 -
Faithfulness
or specified activities, such as mental creativity, conscious manipulation, personality configuration, and emotional expression. Nor
does it separate the body from the mind by dividing the total harmonious energy circulation into small, stagnated or dynamic pieces.
Yet, through our civilization process, especially industrial evolution, the coordination of harmonious action between head and feet
is diminished by the mechanism of wheels. Wagons and cars replace what feet can do and reflect a mechanical manipulation of
life and a mental control of life. Feet are used as pedals to control
the wheels, and hands are extended into manipulation of machines
and innumerable products in the world. It is not dangerous itself,
but soon becomes self-destructive. There is no real danger other
than the fear of physical death. Death is itself not dangerous, but
acting dangerously is injurious to the body/mind. Better to say mind,
since the body doesnt understand the meaning of danger.
Character of Speech
In itself, speech is only a partial body/minded action and an expression of the active state of mind. It is both self-explanatory and
a self-doubting, self-promising and self-disguised, a self-belief and
a self-disbelief, and a self-trust and self-mistrust.
There are four characteristics in speech:
1. Lao Tzu states that: Those who know, do not say. Those who
say, do not know. If someone truly and absolutely knows, what
purpose does it serve to talk about it? Communication is, in a
sense, an attempt to clarify mentally. Speech itself serves as a
vehicle moving back and forth between knowing and not-knowing. The speech expresses what one already knows, explains
what one wants to know, requests what one seeks from self
and others, and defends the habitual position of merely knowing.
2. Speech is a self-promise, a way for encouraging oneself, being
continuously engaged with oneself, and building total trust within
the self. The twofold purpose of the speech is: 1) to establish a
relationship and build a mutual trust; 2) to cling to fixated habits
ensuring addictive connectiveness and grasping firmly the attachment to body/mind. The order of business in making a promise is to ensure engagement, to commit to the process, and to
- 254 -
Chapter XI
bind to the result of what has been planned. The virtue of promise must be realized as a promise to only oneself but has no
bearing on the change and final outcome. The nature of this
process is so replete with change and complexities that it can
render the individual self powerless and helpless. To control the
changes and foresee the outcome is inconceivable.
On the social scale the practice of promising is within the
realm of possibility only in a situation where one has absolute
control. Promise is a sacrifice, especially when one is unsure
of oneself or when two parties are involved. Life is not a promise; there is no need to relegate its richness into a programmed
self-promise. In its depth, promise deals with self-insecurity; it
is a powerful form of ego protection and fear suppression. The
more insecure one feels, the deeper the fear one encounters.
When promise is made easily and frequently one continues to
make more promises. The other element existing in the depth
of promise lies within the need and demand. At this level, promise is a bargaining process regardless of its purpose, whether
material gain, emotional satisfaction or spiritual connection.
Much of the trust is done through hand-shaking, not word-processing. Addressing this, Lao Tzu explains natural speech consists of few words and speaking with good trust. The action of
promise carries the meaning of Lao Tzus characterization:
Beautiful words can advertise well.
3. Speech is an expression of the belief system of the mind, individual and collective, personal and cultural. It is a premise or a
statement to which the mind adheres. It is a technique of binding and rejecting. Individual identity, group dynamics and social
construction are all based upon the effective and powerful use
of speech. In this manner the individuality, singularity and personality suffuse in the content of social group and cultural environment.
4. Speech is a way of revealing inner trust clarifying and confirming the ability and capacity of trustworthy relationships between
the inner self and self appraisal or between self and others. Based
on this inner trust, phrases or sayings such as the Power or the
Message or the Voice of God are universally accepted and understood. Before the power, the message and the voice of God,
there is nothing to fear; not even death itself. This highlights the
authentic meaning of speech, the trustworthiness, and the deepest inner trust within the Self.
- 255 -
Faithfulness
Quality of Speech
Upon accepting the limits of speech, we must then appreciate the
values of speech. It is the primary signature of human action as
well as the exclusive conclusion of that action. From this we know
that speech can save or destroy the lives of self and others. Being
careless loses the foundation. Being restless loses mastery. Foundation is the existence of body; mastery is the tranquility of mind. A
good speaker is without flaw. Firstly, one knows oneself very well;
therefore, the source of his speech is authentic and original. Secondly, the intention is nothing other than innocent self-display. There
can be no motivation within the speech other than that honest heartfelt vibration. Thirdly, the purpose of speech is clear and complete
within the speech itself; there is no further need for clarification and
supplementation. The sage wants to elevate the people, his speech
is down to earth. Also one who is good at leading people acts humbly.
Any experienced individual understands the result of over indulgence and is aware of the consequence of excessively informing:
being overly informed leads to exhaustion, better to be centered.
Information is similar to energy molecules. Each time specific information is exchanged there is energy transmission, whether
mental, emotional or mechanical. Also, to inform is to teach and to
cultivate. There are countless elements that shape the meaning
and quality of propagation of information, colored by the inner conflict of the informant. It is not an easy task to accurately pass information from one to another. It remains a challenging and meaningful process to be accessed between individuals and from one generation to the next.
If there is no gap in the space between speaker and listener, the
information is tangible, sentient, attractive or trustworthy. There is
no identity crisis between teaching and learning, and there is no
blockage between supply and demand. They are the One. No one
is unqualified, no one is egoistic, no individual is counted as better
or worse. One supplies the demands of the other. There is no rigid
identity between one called teacher or master and the other
named student or disciple. The teacher is rewarded by teaching and the student is informed through learning since they arise
from the same source with different names. The older generation
passes down and is left with nothing; the recipients receive every- 256 -
Chapter XI
Speechless Action
When we solve the problem of the central network of the speech
organ-brainwe can then return to the energy center of stomach.
When we were living in our mothers womb, we were more than
just an image in her head. When the sage produces a self-fertilized gamete, based upon the principle of universal construction
and the story of human history, he reaches the state of immortality:
devoid of the desire for sex, food, and sleep. The son (seed) he
produces is within his body but without a body. It has no root but is
deeply rooted. When the sage achieves this goal he is no longer
an earthly creature; he is transposed into a different kind of species in the universe. He has reached the final stage of what Lao
Tzu described as immortality.
During this stage, the sage inhales in the world and smiles like a
child for the world. He realizes two things: one is the Tao of heaven
is good at responding without speaking and appearing without
- 257 -
Faithfulness
being asked; the other one is wordless teaching and the riches of
non-action are matched by very little in the world.
In reference to the child-like smile, it is the most authentic expression of love and being in love. This kind of smile is: vibrating
but not tingling, bright but not dazzling, innocent without wrongdoing, humble without the need of acknowledging itself as knowing-how, vulnerable without the desire to be rescued. This smile
indicates: happy but not overly excited, joyful with full self-control,
recognizing with no preference, communicating without cunning,
understanding without prejudice, and respecting each other without self appraisal. This smile has no pre-cognition, no defensive
mechanism, no fearful protection and no intellectual wisdom. Yet,
it is this smile that expresses pleasure for the food, communication, protection and growth. This smile is so powerful that a mother
would die for it; it is so pure that any evil-minded adult must necessarily reflect upon the true nature of inner-child. Who could possibly turn away from that innocent and radiant smile? This is the
quality of pure Love, the manifest of passionate loving, the expression of kindness, and the ultimate communication with no further
need.
This child-like smile also conveys the meaning of a wordless
teaching which addresses two functions: real teaching with no prerequisite nor limitation of language. The first one is love of light and
for life. It is always there when you are unaware of it, but when you
mindfully seek to investigate it in any manner, it is not there nor has
it ever been. The second function is the indication and conclusion
of the limitation of language. There is never enough of it; it can
stimulate a state of completion. Anyone who is not obsessed with
the mental structures, who cannot be totally gratified by the language imprinted in the mind, knows that it is simply a tool to communicate feelings and sensations between the body and mind, a
vehicle to transport the flashes and patches of mentality.
- 258 -
Chapter XI
Trustworthiness
Mechanism of Trust
In addressing the mechanism of trust, Lao Tzu states that: Trustworthy words are not beautiful. Beautiful words are not trustworthy.
True words seem paradoxical. This is because the knower does
not know everything; the know-it-all knows nothing. And kindness
is not over-indulgent; over-indulgence is not kind. The first statement refers to openness toward knowledge. The second accentuates the beauty of kindness. Knowledge is a virtue. There is no
need to display it. If someone regards knowledge for what it is, as
imperfect as the self, then that person has accepted and applied it.
This is a true knower of not knowing any more than what was
- 259 -
Faithfulness
Way of Trustworthiness
On the surface most people do not appear to be trustworthy. Their
trust is anxious and fearful, based on their desirable wish or eventful engagement. This is unlike the trust established between two
people who are confident that they know each other very well. It is
feasible that, even if their situation is soured, no damage is done to
their relationship. However, to establish trust within and to build a
trustworthy relationship are two separate entities. Although it takes
time, effort and a suitable environment to build a trustworthy relationship, the demands and requirements for self-trust within are
much greater. Normally, people are unwilling to investigate the nature of self-trust. It requires a thorough knowing of the self, complete immersing in the nature of this self, objectively applying it and
happily suffusing with the outcome. Self-examination must be objective and selfless. To be trustworthy is to place trust in oneself as
well as others without preference or prejudice, thereby performing
fully with that trust. He is trustworthy to those who are trustworthy.
He is also trustworthy to those who are not trustworthy. It is the
trust of Action itself. It is not necessary to trust others before trusting oneself, nor is it necessary to act for others in order to be trusted.
The nature of trustworthy action is to be possessed of it, act upon
it, and be worthy of the trust of Action.
- 260 -
Chapter XI
Faithfulness
Virtue of Faithfulness
Faith generates trust, promotes the loving activity, assures kind
action, ensures the meaning and quality of life, and elevates the life
above and beyond its cyclical activation of birth and death. From
the joint adventure on earth between the Progenitors penetrating
- 261 -
Faithfulness
light and the Great Mothers whirling magnetism to the genetic engineering of in vitro fertilization between sperm and egg, faith gains
nothing, loses nothing, deviates from nothing, integrates nothing.
Search for faith within belief becomes disputable. In the attempt to
create faith within the church, we are left with self-imposed isolation. In constructing faith with words, the linguistic interpretation
becomes the main attraction. When we connect faith with action,
the result is purposeful rejection. When we express faith with love,
sexual and asexual attraction abounds. When we defend faith by
raising the sword, revenge is forthcoming. Gambling our faith
against life is rewarded with an exhausted corpse. Visualizing faith
conjures up a stained symbol. Making sense of faith brings up a
consciously activated hallucination. Projecting faith with rationality
constructs a self-defined delusion.
It is this faceless faith that enables us to see our truth, to observe our action, to express our feeling, to share our love, to exchange our transcendental message, and to reveal our eternal
nature. Faith can never be a beneficial commodity nor a valuable
possession in the mind of our ego eyes. They see only to capitalize on it, to employ its service to their benefits.
We have become so fixated with our quest for material gain that
we fear to face God. There has always been a space reserved in
our mind for God yet life is over for us. We selfishly and mercilessly exploit our environment, consuming dead organs and inanimate matter. Life has become the driving force of a pursued direction, a magnified pleasure, a sensational feeling, an imagined goal,
and an illusive mind. Our habits and beliefs are concluded from the
beginning to the end from one experiential moment to the next transitional moment in the continuum of the interval between birth and
death. We view life in our world as a shining star moving along in
one direction. We treat the meaning of life as following a projected
goal with the conclusive solution that death becomes the only answer.
We are dying, as we all must do. Why should we bother with a
life already troubled with such a meaningless solution? How can it
be so meaningless and void of matter as its empty form? We seize
life greedily before casting it aside to visit its twin sibling: death.
Death is equally as meaningful as life; it is life in and of itself.
- 262 -
Chapter XI
- 263 -
Faithfulness
- 264 -
Faithfulness
- 265 -
Appendix I
Lao Tzus Tao Te Ching
Translated by Edward Brennan and Tao Huang
Chapter 1
1. The Tao that is voiced is no longer that of eternal Tao.
The name that has been written is no longer that of eternal name.
2. The nameless is the beginning of the cosmic universe.
The named is the mother of the myriad creatures.
3. Being at peace, one can see into the subtle.
Engaging with passion, one can see into the manifest.
4. They both arise from a common source but have different names.
Both are called the mystery within the mystery.
They are the door to all wonders.
Chapter 2
1. In the world,
Everyone recognizes beauty as beauty,
Since the ugly is also there.
Everyone recognizes goodness as goodness,
Since evil is also there.
2. Since
Being and non-being give birth to each other,
Difficulty and ease complete each other,
Long and short measure each other,
High and low overflow into each other,
Voice and sound harmonize with each other,
And before and after follow each other.
3. Therefore the sage
Lives in actionless engagement,
And preaches wordless doctrine.
4. The myriad creatures
Act without beginning,
Nourish without possessing,
Accomplish without claiming credit.
5. It is accomplishment without claiming credit that makes the
outcome self-sustaining.
- 266 -
Chapter 3
1. Do not exalt intelligence and people will not compete;
Do not value rare goods and people will not steal;
Do not display for public view and people will not desire.
2. So the sages governing methods are:
Emptying the mind,
Vitalizing the stomach,
Softening the will,
Strengthening the character.
3. This always makes people not know and not desire.
This always makes the knower dare not act.
Therefore, nothing is beyond ruling.
Chapter 4
1. Tao functions in itself empty harmony.
When used, it remains full.
2. For sure, this source is the very ancestor of the myriad things.
3. Blunting the sharp edges,
Unravelling the tangles,
Husbanding into the light,
Being as ordinary as the dust.
4. Ah! Limpid, it seems to exist forever.
5. I do not know whose son it is,
This whom is exceeding the Heavenly Emperor.
Chapter 5
1. Nature has no benevolence,
It treats all things like strawdogs;
The sage has no benevolence,
He treats his people like strawdogs.
2. Between heaven and earth it seems like a bellow:
Empty, yet inexhaustible,
The stronger it is activated, the greater the output.
3. Being overly informed leads to exhaustion,
Better to be centered.
Chapter 6
1. Valley-spirit is deathless, It is called the mystical female.
2. The gateway of the mystical female,
Is called the root of heaven and earth.
- 267 -
Chapter 7
1. Heaven is eternal, and earth is long-lasting.
2. What makes heaven and earth eternal and long-lasting is that
they do not give birth to themselves.
It is this that makes them eternal and long-lasting.
3. Hence the sage,
Relaxing the body, the body comes to the fore.
Beyond the body, the body comes to the fore.
Beyond the body, the body exists of itself.
4. Not even relying on selflessness
Enables the self to be fulfilled.
Chapter 8
1. Eminent goodness is like water.
2. Water is good at benefitting all things,
Yet it actively competes.
It retires to undesirable places.
Thus it is near to Tao.
3. Dwelling in good places,
Drawing from good sources,
Supplying from good nature,
Speaking with good trust,
Governing with good rules,
Conducting with good ability,
And acting within good time.
4. For this reason,
There is no competition,
There is no concern.
Chapter 9
1. Hanging on to it will cause overflow; better to let go.
Forced consent does not endure.
Filling the house with gold and jade will not bring safety.
Riches and royalty result in pride; they bring about their own
punishment.
2. When the work is done, the body withdraws.
This is the Tao of heaven.
- 268 -
Chapter 10
1. Donning the spirit and soul, and drawing them into Oneness,
Can this come apart?
Gathering in Qi and making the body supple,
Is this not an infant?
Being clear-headed and eliminating any mystic vision,
Can even a speck exist?
Loving the people and governing the country,
Is this not inactive?
Opening and closing the Gate of Heaven,
Is this not the female?
Comprehending the four corners of the world,
Is this not knowledge?
2. Begetting and nourishing;
Begetting but not possessing,
Enhancing but not dominating.
3. This is Mysterious Action.
Chapter 11
1. Thirty spokes join at one hub,
Yet it is the emptiness inside the hub that makes the vehicle useful;
Clay is molded into a vessel,
Yet it is the hollowness that makes the vessel useful;
Windows and doors are cut out,
Yet it is their empty space that makes the room usable.
2. So, any having makes for excess,
Any not-having makes for usefulness.
Chapter 12
1. Five colors blind the eyes.
Racing and hunting madden the heart.
Pursuing what is rare makes action deceitful.
Five flavors dull the palate.
Five tones deafen the ears.
2. So, the sages method is for the belly, not for the eyes.
He abandons the latter and chooses the former.
Chapter 13
1. Favor and disgrace surprise the most.
Value the trouble as you do the body.
- 269 -
Chapter 14
1. Look for it and not to be seen, it is called invisible;
Listen to it and not to be heard, it is called inaudible;
Reach for it and not to be touched, it is called intangible.
2. These three are beyond reckoning, so
When these three merge, they are One.
3. As for this One,
There is nothing above it remaining to be accounted for,
There is nothing below it that has been excluded.
Ever searching for it, it is beyond naming.
4. It returns to no-thing.
Its state is described as no state,
Its form is described as formless.
It is called the vision beyond focus.
5. Follow after it, and it proves endless.
Go before it, and no beginning can be found.
6. Employ the Tao of today in order to manage todays affairs and to
know the ancient past.
7. This is called the principle of Tao.
Chapter 15
1. The ancient sages of Tao are subtle and mysteriously penetrating.
Their depth is beyond the power of will.
2. Because it is beyond the power of will,
The most we can do is describe it:
3. Thus, Full of care, as one crossing the wintry stream,
Attentive, as one cautious of the total environment,
- 270 -
Chapter 16
1. Reaching the ultimate emptiness,
Concentrating on the central stillness,
All things work together.
2. From this I observe their returning.
3. All things under heaven flourish in their vitality,
Yet each returns to its own root.
This is stillness.
Stillness means returning to its destiny.
Returning to its destiny is steadfastness.
To know steadfastness means enlightenment.
Not to know steadfastness is to act forcefully.
Acting forcefully brings disaster.
Knowing the steadfast implies acceptance.
Acceptance is impartial.
Impartial is regal. Regal is heaven. Heaven is Tao.
Tao is beyond danger even when the body perishes.
Chapter 17
1. The eminent has consciousness of self.
The next down are loved and praised.
The next down are feared,
At the bottom is the source.
2. When faith is weak, there is distrust.
Especially in the worth of speech.
3. Results speak for themselves.
This, people call me Nature.
Chapter 18
1. When the Great Tao is abandoned,
There is benevolence and righteousness.
When intelligence arises,
- 271 -
There
When
There
When
There
Chapter 19
1. Get rid of wisdom, abandon intelligence, and
People will benefit a hundredfold.
Get rid of benevolence, abandon justice, and
People will return to filial piety and kindness.
Get rid of skill, abandon profit, and
Thieves will disappear.
2. These three are inadequate.
So just let things be.
3. Observe the plain and embrace the simple.
Do not think much and do not desire much,
Get rid of learning and worry will disappear.
Chapter 20
1. How much difference is there between yea and nay?
How much difference is there between beautiful and ugly?
2. What one fears is what he cannot help but fear.
3. One is in the wilderness without central ground.
4. Ordinary people are fulfilled,
Eating delicious food,
Reaching the climax of romance.
I am desireless and without anticipation,
Like a baby who does not yet.
Gathering energy together, entering the abyss beyond the point
of no return.
5. Ordinary people have more than enough,
I am a fool at heart, as a water droplet is to the spring.
6. People of affairs are bright and intelligent.
I alone am unintelligent.
People of affairs are cunning and clever.
I alone am dull and unsophisticated,
Unnoticed in the depth of the sea,
Looked for in an endless horizon.
7. Ordinary people are productive,
I alone maintain the living essence within.
- 272 -
Chapter 21
1. The marks of profound action follow only from the Tao.
2. The substance of Tao is boundless and unfathomable.
Unfathomable and boundless,
In its center there is form;
Boundless and unfathomable,
In its center there is an object;
Embryonic and dark,
In its center there is essence;
The essence is very pure,
In its center there is trust.
From now to the days of old,
Its name never dies,
Because it creates all things in their beginning.
3. How do I know the source of all beginnings?
From this.
Chapter 22
1. Those who boast of themselves lose their stance.
He who displays himself is not seen.
He who justifies himself is not understood.
He who lashes out does not succeed.
He who builds himself up does not endure.
2. In the sense of Tao,
This is said to be eating too much and acting too much.
It results in disgust.
3. Those who desire will not endure.
Chapter 23
1. Yield, and retain integrity.
In the depths of whirling, there is stillness.
The hollow enables the plentiful.
The old gives way to the new.
The small allows for increase.
Excess breeds confusion.
2. Therefore the sage holds oneness as the shepherd of the world.
- 273 -
Chapter 24
1. Natural speech consists of few words.
2. Gusty winds do not last all morning,
Cloudbursts do not last all day.
What makes this so?
3. Heaven and earth will not last forever,
How could a human being last!
4. So the person who works according to Tao unites with Tao.
In the same way he unites with action.
In the same way he unites with loss.
5. Uniting with action, the Tao becomes action.
Uniting with loss, the Tao becomes loss.
Chapter 25
1. Matter is formed from chaos.
It was born before heaven and earth.
Silent and void.
Standing alone, without territory,
Able to be mother to the world.
2. I do not yet know its name,
I call it Tao.
With reluctance I deem it to be Great.
Great refers to the symbol.
The symbol refers to what is remote.
What is remote refers to returning.
3. Tao is great.
Heaven is great.
Earth is great.
Kingship is great.
These are the four great things in the world,
Kingship is one of them.
4. Humankind takes its origin from earth.
- 274 -
Chapter 26
1. The heavy is the root of the light.
Tranquility is the master of the restless.
2. Thus, the noble person will travel all day without leaving his seat.
Though the center of the highest authority,
And surrounded by luxury,
He remains clearminded.
3. How could the king of myriad chariots treat his body with less care
than he gives the country?
4. Being careless loses the foundation.
Being restless loses mastery.
Chapter 27
1. A good traveller leaves no tracks.
A good speaker is without flaw.
A good planner does not calculate.
A good doorkeeper does not lock, yet it cannot be opened.
A good knotter does not use binding, yet it cannot be undone.
2. Therefore, the sage is good at his earnest demands upon people.
So no one is left out.
No talent is wasted.
This is called being in the tow of enlightenment,
And it ensures the good person.
3. For everything that is good is the teacher of the good person.
Everything that is bad becomes a resource for the good person.
No need to honor the teachers.
No need to love the resources.
4. Though knowing this is a great paradox,
It is the subtle principle,
Chapter 28
1. Understanding the male and holding onto the female
Enables the flow of the world.
This being the flow of the world, the eternal action abides.
Knowing that the eternal action abides is to return to childhood.
2. Understanding the pure and holding on to the impure
- 275 -
Chapter 29
1. I see that those who want to take over the world and manipulate it
do not succeed.
2. The sacred mechanism of the world cannot be manipulated.
Those who manipulate it will fail,
Those who hold on to it will lose it.
3. Matter
Either leads or follows,
Either heats or chills,
Either strengthens or weakens,
Either enhances or destroys.
4. So the sage abandons extremes, extravagance, multiplicity.
Chapter 30
1. Using the Tao as the rule for governing the people,
Do not employ the army as the power of the world.
For this is likely to backfire.
2. Where the army has marched, thorns and briars grow.
3. Being good has its own consequence,
Which cannot be seized by power.
4. Achieving without arrogance,
Achieving without bragging,
Achieving without damage,
Achieving without taking ownership.
This is called achieving without force.
5. Matter becomes strong, then old.
This is called Not-Tao.
Dying young is Not-Tao.
- 276 -
Chapter 31
1. The army is the mechanism of bad luck.
The elements of the world may oppose.
So those who have ambitions cannot rest.
2. Therefore the nobleman takes his place on the left side,
And the commander on the right side.
3. So the army is not the noblemans weapon.
As a mechanism of bad luck,
He uses it only as the last resort.
Then the best way is to use it quickly and destructively.
Do not enjoy this.
To take delight in it is to enjoy killing people.
Those who enjoy killing people do not attract the favor of the
world.
4. The good inclines to the left,
The bad inclines to the right.
5. Thus the intelligent officer stays on the left,
The army commander stays on the right.
6. Speaking in an image of sadness,
After killing the people, every one stands in mourning.
Victory is celebrated as a funeral service.
Chapter 32
1. Tao is eternally nameless.
2. Though simplicity is small,
The world cannot treat it as subservient.
If lords and rulers can hold on to it,
Everything becomes self-sufficient.
3. Heaven and earth combine and allow sweet dew.
Without rules, people will naturally become equal.
4. At the outset, the rule must be expressed.
Once it exists, stop speaking of it.
The result of not speaking of it is to eliminate danger.
5. In a manner of speaking, Tao is to the world
As the rivers are to oceans and seas.
Chapter 33
1. To know others is to be knowledgeable,
To know oneself is enlightenment;
To master others is to have strength,
- 277 -
Chapter 34
1. As the Tao is all-pervading,
It operates on both the left and the right.
2. Success is consequent to all affairs.
It does not proclaim its own existence.
All things return.
Yet there is no claim of ownership,
So it is forever desireles.
This can be called small.
All things return.
Yet there is no claim of ownership,
This can be called great.
3. The sage accomplishes greatness in not acting great.
Thus can he accomplish what is great.
Chapter 35
1. Holding on to the great Symbol,
The whole world carries on.
On and on without doing harm.
2. Being happy at peace,
Enjoying greatly the music and food.
Travellers stop by.
3. When the Tao is spoken forth plainly
It has no flavor at all.
4. Look, but that is not sufficient for seeing.
Listen, but that is not sufficient for hearing.
Use it, but it is not exhausted.
Chapter 36
1. When you want to constrict something,
You must first let it expand;
When you want to weaken something,
You must first enable it;
When you want to eliminate something,
- 278 -
Chapter 37
1. Tao is eternally nameless.
If lords and rulers would abide by it,
All things would evolve of themselves.
2. What evolves desires to act.
I, then, suffuse this with nameless simplicity.
Suffusing with nameless simplicity is eliminating humiliation.
Without humiliation, peace arises.
Heaven and earth regulate themselves.
Chapter 38
1. Eminent action is inaction,
For that action it is active.
Inferior action never stops acting,
For that reason it is inactive.
2. Eminent action is disengaged,
Yet nothing is left unfulfilled;
Eminent humanness engages,
Yet nothing is left unfulfilled;
When eminent righteousness engages,
It reduces the results of engagements;
Eminent justice engages, but does not respond adequately to
situations.
For that reason it is frustrated.
3. When Tao is lost,
It becomes Action;
When Action is lost,
It becomes benevolence;
When benevolence is lost,
It becomes justice.
When justice is lost,
It becomes propriety.
4. Propriety is the veneer of faith and loyalty,
- 279 -
Chapter 39
1. Those from the past have attained Oneness.
2. By attaining Oneness, heaven is clear.
By attaining Oneness, earth is at peace.
By attaining Oneness, the spirit is quickened.
By attaining Oneness, the valley is filled.
By attaining Oneness, the king puts order in the whole world.
All these result from Oneness.
3. Without its clarity, heaven is liable to explode.
Without its peace, earth is liable to erupt.
Without its quickening, the spirit is liable to die out.
Without its fullness, valleys are liable to dry out.
Without proper esteem, the king is liable to fall.
4. Esteem is rooted in the humble.
The high is founded upon the low.
5. This is why the lords and rulers call themselves widows and
orphans without support.
Is this is not the root of being humble?
6. Much praise amounts to no praise.
7. Without preference, Being is as resonant as Jade and as gravelly
as stone.
Chapter 40
1. When eminent persons hear of Tao,
They practice it faithfully;
When average persons hear of Tao,
It seems that they practice it, and it seems they do not;
When inferior persons hear of Tao,
They ridicule it.
2. Without such ridicule, it would not be Tao.
3. Thus, the aphorism that suggests the way is:
Knowing the Tao seems costly.
Entering Tao seems like retreating.
- 280 -
Chapter 41
1. Tao moves by returning.
Tao functions by weakness.
2. All things under heaven are born of being.
Being is born of non-being.
Chapter 42
1. Tao gives rise to one.
One gives rise to two.
Two gives rise to three.
Three gives rise to all things.
2. All things carry yin and embrace yang.
Drawing chi together into harmony.
3. What the world hates is the widow and orphan without support.
But lords and rulers name themselves these.
4. Do not seek gain from losing, nor loss from gaining.
5. What people teach, after discussion becomes doctrine.
6. Those who excel in strength do not prevail over death.
I would use this as the father of teaching.
Chapter 43
1. What is softest in the world penetrates what is hardest in the world.
Non-being enters where there is no room.
2. From this I know the riches of non-action.
3. Wordless teaching and the riches of non-action is matched by
very little in the world.
- 281 -
Chapter 44
1. Which is more cherished, the name or the body?
Which is worth more, the body or possessions?
Which is more beneficial, to gain or to lose?
2. Extreme fondness is necessarily very costly.
The more you cling to, the more you lose.
3. So knowing what is sufficient averts disgrace.
Knowing when to stop averts danger.
This can lead to a longer life.
Chapter 45
1. Grand perfection seems lacking, yet its use is never exhausted.
Grand fullness seems empty, yet its use never comes to an end.
Grand straightforwardness seems bent.
Grand skill seems clumsy.
Grand surplus seems deficient.
2. Activity overcomes cold.
Stillness overcomes heat.
Peace and tranquility can be the measure of the world.
Chapter 46
1. When there is Tao in the world, work horses are used to fertilize
the land.
Without Tao in the world, the war horse flourishes in the
countryside.
2. There is no crime greater than fostering desire.
There is no disaster greater than not knowing when there is
enough.
There is no fault greater than wanting to possess.
3. Knowing that sufficiency is enough always suffices.
Chapter 47
1. In order to know the world, do not step outside the door.
In order to know the Tao of heaven, do not peer through the
window.
2. The further out you go, the less you know.
3. So the sage knows without moving, identifies without seeing,
accomplishes without acting.
- 282 -
Chapter 48
1. Having a zest for learning yields an increase day by day.
Hearing the Tao brings a loss day by day.
Losing more and more until inaction results.
Inaction results, yet everything is done.
2. Managing the world always involves non-engagement.
As soon as there is engagement, there is never enough of it to
manage the world.
Chapter 49
1. The sage is always without his own mind.
He uses peoples minds as his mind.
2. He is kind to those who are kind.
He is also kind to those who are not kind.
It is the kindness of Action itself.
He is trustworthy to those who are trustworthy.
He is also trustworthy to those who are not trustworthy.
It is the trust of Action itself.
- 283 -
Chapter 50
1. We live, we die.
2. The companions of life are three and ten.
The companions of death are three and ten.
That people live their active life necessarily leading to the ground
of death is three and ten.
3. Why so? it is the nature of life itself.
4. As a matter of fact, I hear of those who are good at preserving
their lives;
Walking through, not avoiding rhinos and tigers.
Entering battle without wearing armaments.
The rhino has no place to dig its horns.
The tiger has no place to drag its claws.
The soldier has no place to thrust his blade.
5. Why is this so?
Because they have no place to die.
Chapter 51
1. Tao enlivens.
Action nourishes.
Matter forms.
Mechanism completes.
For that reason, all things worship Tao and exalt Action.
2. The worship of Tao and exaltation of Action are not conferred,
but always arise naturally.
3. Tao enlivens and nourishes, develops and cultivates, integrates
and completes, raises and sustains.
4. It enlivens without possessing.
It acts without relying.
It develops without controlling.
5. Such is called mystic Action.
Chapter 52
1. The world begins with the mother as its source.
2. When you have the mother, you know the son.
- 284 -
Chapter 53
1. Through discrimination, I have the knowledge to walk in the great
Tao.
The only fear is what is other than that.
2. The great Tao is quite smooth, yet people prefer a short-cut.
The court is so busy legislating that the fields go uncultivated and
granaries are all empty.
They wear the magnificent clothing, girdle the sharp swords.
They are gorged with food and possess many brides.
Their bounty suffices but they continue to steal.
3. This is opposite of Tao.
Chapter 54
1. What is well-built is not pulled down.
What is well-fastened is not separated.
Sons and grandsons worship unceasingly.
2. Cultivate the self, and the Action is pure.
Cultivate the family, the Action is plentiful.
Cultivate the community, the Action endures.
Cultivate the nation, the Action is fruitful.
Cultivate the world, the Action is all-pervading.
3. Treat the self by the standard of self.
Treat the family by the standard of family.
Treat the community by the standard of community.
Treat the nation by the standard of nation.
Treat the world by the standard of world.
4. How do I know how the world is such?
Thus.
- 285 -
Chapter 55
1. Action in its profundity is like a newborn baby.
Poisonous insects and venomous snakes do not sting it.
Predatory birds and ferocious animals do not seize it.
2. Its bones are soft and its sinews supple, yet its grasp is firm;
Without knowing the union of male and female, its organs become
aroused.
Its vital essence comes to the point;
Crying all day, its voice never becomes hoarse.
Its harmony comes to the point.
3. Harmony is eternal.
Knowing harmony is discernment.
Enhancing life is equanimity.
Generating vitality through mind is strength.
3. When things reach their climax, they are suddenly old.
4. This is Non-Tao.
Non-Tao dies young.
Chapter 56
1. Those who know, do not say.
Those who say, do not know.
2. Close the mouth.
Shut the door.
Merge into light.
As ordinary as dust.
Blunt the sharpness.
Unravel the entanglements.
3. This is called mysterious sameness.
4 You are not intimate by acquiring it.
You are not distant in not acquiring it;
You do not profiting by acquiring it.
You do not lose it by not acquiring it;
You are not ennobled by acquiring it.
You are not disgraced by not acquiring it.
5. This enables the nobility of the world.
Chapter 57
1. Using the right lawfulness to govern the country.
Using unexpectancy to conduct the battle.
Using disengagement to take over the world.
- 286 -
Chapter 58
1. When the government is silent, people are sincere.
When the government is intrusive, the state is decisive.
2. Disaster is what fortune depends upon,
Fortune is what disaster subdues.
Who knows a final outcome?
3. There is no right lawfulness.
Justice tends towards the extreme.
Kindness tends towards evil.
People have been familiar with this for a long time.
4. So,
Be rounded without cutting.
Be compatible without puncturing.
Be straightforward without trapping.
Be bright without dazzling.
Chapter 59
1. For governing people and serving the heaven, nothing is better
than frugality.
2. Only frugality enables the pre-empty measures.
Pre-empty measures mean a great accumulation of Action.
A great accumulation of Action leaves nothing to be conquered.
When nothing needs to be conquered, No-boundary is known.
When no-boundary is known, it allows the country to exist.
The country, existing from its source, can endure.
- 287 -
Chapter 60
1. Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.
2. If Tao is utilized to manage the society, its ghost will not become
spirit.
Not that ghost is not spiritual, but that the spirit harms no people;
Not only does the spirit harms not the people, but that the sage is
harmless.
3. As those two cause no harm, they are united in Action.
Chapter 61
1. A great nation flows downwardly; it is the mother of the world, and
the integration of the world.
2. The mother is always tranquil and overcomes the male by her
tranquility; so she benefits the world.
3. A great nation relies on a low position to take over a small nation.
A small nation, being in a low position, is taken over by a great
nation.
4. So being lower allows taking over or being taken over.
5. Being a great nation only desires to unify the people.
Being a small nation only seeks peoples business.
6. They both get what they want, but the greater is being lower.
Chapter 62
1. Tao is the conductor of all things.
The treasure of the good.
The protector of the bad.
2. Beautiful words can advertise well.
Noble conduct brings praise to people.
3. As for those who conduct the bad, why reject them for it?
4. Therefore, after the crowning of the emperor comes the appointing
of three administrations.
Being presented with jade in front of the team of four horses is
not better than sitting and entering thus.
5. The reason why this is valued of old is,
It allows having without asking, and it allows forgiveness of wrong.
Thus, it is most valuable to the world.
Chapter 63
- 288 -
1. Do non-doing.
Engage in non-affairs. Savor non-flavor.
2. Large or small, many or few, reward or punishment, are all being
done through Action.
3. Seek what is difficult with ease.
Effect what is great while it is small.
4. The most difficult things in the world are done while they are easy.
The greatest things in the world are done while they are small.
5. The sage never plans to do a great thing.
Thus, he accomplishes what is great.
6. Facile promises necessarily result in little trust.
What is easy necessarily entails difficulty.
7. Thus the sage, through extreme trials, encounters no difficulty.
Chapter 64
1. It is easy to sustain what is at rest.
It is easy to plan for that of which there is not even a sign.
What is fragile is easily broken.
What is minute is easily dispersed.
2. Act upon it before it exists.
Regulate it before it becomes chaos.
3. A massive tree grows from a little sprout.
A nine-story-building rises from a clod of earth.
A thousand-fathoms begin with a single step.
4. Those who impose action upon it will fail.
Those who cling to it lose it.
5. So the sage, through non-action, does not fail.
Not clinging, he does not lose.
6. The common peoples engagement in affairs fail prior to success.
7. So the saying goes, Give as much careful attention to the end
as to the beginning; then the affairs will not fail.
8. It is on that account that the sage desires not to desire and does
not value goods that are hard to get.
He learns not to learn and restores the common peoples losses.
He is able to support the nature of all things and, not by daring, to
impose action.
Chapter 65
1. Those who practiced Tao in olden times did not enlighten people,
Rather they made them simple.
2. What makes it the hardest to govern the people is what they
- 289 -
already know.
It becomes most difficult to govern people because of their
knowledge.
3. So, using knowledge to govern the country, knowledge itself
becomes the thief of the country.
Not using knowledge to govern the country, knowledge itself is
the Action of the country.
4. Always realize that these two are the model for ruling.
Always be aware that this model is the mystic Action.
5. Mystic Action is deep and far-reaching.
It is the opposite of matter.
Only thus does it approach the Great Harmony.
Chapter 66
1. The reason why rivers and seas have the capacity for kingship
over all the valleys is that they excel in lowliness.
That is why they have the capacity for kingship over all valleys.
2. Thus, since the sage wants to elevate the people, his speech is
down to earth.
Since the sage wants to advance the people, he positions himself
at the back,
3. So that when he is at the front, people do not harm him.
When he stands above, people do not feel pressure.
The whole world supports him untiringly.
4. Since he does not rely on competition, the world has nothing with
which to compete.
- 290 -
Chapter 69
1. Everyone in the world says I am great, great without parallel.
Being without parallel is what enables greatness.
If there is a long standing parallel, it becomes small.
2. I always have three treasures:
First is compassion.
Second is frugality.
Third is to not dare act in front of the world.
3. So compassion enables courage.
Frugality enables abundance.
Not daring to act in front of the world enables the mechanism to
endure.
4. Today there is courage without compassion.
There is abundance without frugality.
There is appearance alone without substance.
This means no-life.
5. Through compassion: fight and win; defend and be secure.
6. When the heaven establishes itself, it always relies upon
compassion.
Chapter 70
1. Being a good warrior does not entail power.
A good fighter is not angry.
One who is good at overcoming the enemy does not contact him.
- 291 -
One
2. This
This
This
Chapter 71
1. There is a saying on using military force, it says:
I dare not be the host, but rather a guest.
I dare not advance an inch, but rather retreat a foot.
2. This is called performing without performing, rolling up ones
sleeves without showing the arms.
By not holding on to an enemy, there is no enemy.
3. There is no disaster greater than having no enemy.
Having no enemy almost destroys my treasure.
4. When opposing armies clash, those who cry win!
Chapter 72
1. My words are easy to understand and easy to apply.
Yet no one in the world can understand them and no one could
apply them.
2. Words have their origin, and events have their leader.
3. Only because of prevailing ignorance that I am not understood.
The few who understand me, the more precious I am.
4. So the sage wears shabby cloth, but holds a treasure within.
Chapter 73
1. Knowing that you dont know (everything) is superior.
Not knowing that you dont know (everything) is a sickness.
2. So the sages being without sickness is that he knows sickness
as sickness;
Thus, he is without sickness.
Chapter 74
1. People are fearless before the power.
If fear arises, it will be a great fear.
2. Not constraining the living environment.
They do not get bored by life.
Because we do not get bored, there is no boredom.
3. Therefore the sage is self-aware but not introspective.
He has self-respect but does not price himself.
- 292 -
Chapter 75
1. Courage combined with daring promotes killing.
Courage not combined with daring promotes life.
2. These two can be either beneficial or harmful.
3. Who knows the reason for what heaven hates?
4. The Tao of heaven is
Good at winning without fighting,
Good at responding without speaking,
Appearing without being asked,
Good at strategizing while fighting.
5. The net of heaven is broad and loose,
Yet nothing slips through.
Chapter 76
1. Whenever people are unafraid of death, how can killing be used
as a threat?
Whenever people are afraid of death and are acting contrary, I
will catch and kill them; who else can act so?
When people are absolutely afraid of death but perform killing,
they are the best qualified to be executioners.
2. This is like doing carving for a master craftsman.
Doing the carving for a master craftsman, how could ones hand
not get cut?
Chapter 77
1. The reason people are starving is because the government taxes
too much. This is the reason for starvation.
The reason people are hard to govern is because their leaders
are actively engaged. This is why they are hard to govern.
The reason people are not serious about death is because they
seek the burdens of life. This is why they are not serious about
death.
2. Only those who are not slaves to life are wise to the value of life.
Chapter 78
1. When people are born, they are soft and gentle.
When they die, they are stiff and callous.
2. When myriad things, grasses and trees, are born, they are soft
- 293 -
and tender.
When they die, they are withered.
3. So stiffness and callousness are the company of death.
Softness and suppleness are the company of life.
4. The powerful army will not win.
A stiff tree will break.
5. So stiffness and power stay below.
Softness and suppleness stay above.
Chapter 79
1. The Tao of heaven is like drawing a bow.
The high bends down,
The low rises up.
The surplus decreases.
Insufficiency is supplied.
2. So the Tao of heaven reduces what is surplus and enhances what
is insufficient.
The human Tao reduces what is insufficient and caters to the
surplus.
3. Who can use the surplus to benefit the heaven?
Only those who possess Tao.
4. So the sage
Exists without ownership,
Accomplishes without holding on.
It is thus, without desire, that the wise see.
Chapter 80
1. Nothing in the world is softer and more supple than water.
When confronting strength and hardness nothing can overcome
it.
2. Using nothingness simplifies.
Using water overcomes hardness.
Using weakness overcomes strength.
There is no one in the world who does not know it, but no one can
apply it.
3. So it is a saying of sages that:
Whoever can bear the disgrace of the country is the ruler of the
country.
Whoever can bear the misfortune of the world is the ruler of the
world.
4. Truthful speech seems paradoxical.
Chapter 81
- 294 1. Reconciling a great hatred necessarily
entails unsolved hatred.
How can this be kindful?
2. So the sage honors the left-hand tally but does not blame people.
Appendix II
I Ching Hexagrams and Wilhelms
Chinese Name Translations
A Decadic system
B Binary system*
C Hexagram of the I Ching with number, sign and
R. Wilhelms translation
D Chiness name of hexagrams
E R. Wilhelms translation
Table according to the book: Leibniz G. W., Two Letters on the
Binary Number System and Chinese Philosophy.
A
000000
00000L
0000L0
0000LL
19. Lin
The Approach
000L00
15. Chien
Modesty
000L0L
36. Ming I
000LL0
46. Sheng
Pushing Upward
000LLL
11. Tai
Peace
00L000
16. Yu
Enthusiasm
00L00L
51. Chen
The Arousing
2. Kun
24. Fu
The Receptive
Return
7. Shih
- 295 -
The Army
10 00L0L0
40. Hsieh
Deliverance
11
12 00LL00
13 00LL0L
55 Feng
Abundance
14 00LLL0
32. Heng
Duration
15 00LLLL
34. Ta Chuang
00L0LL
16 0L0000
8. Pi
Holding Together
17 0L000L
3. Chun
18 0L00L0
29. Kan
The Abysmal
19 0L00LL
60. Chieh
Limitation
20 0L0L00
39. Chien
Obstruction
21 0L0L0L
After completion
22 0L0LL0
48. Ching
The Well
23 0L0LLL
5. Hsu
24 0LL000
45. Tsui
Gathering Together
25 0LL00L
17. Sui
Following
26 0LL0L0
47. Kan
Oppression
- 296 -
Wanting (Nourishment)
27 0LL0LL
58. Tui
28 0LLL00
31. Hsien
Influence
29 0LLL0L
49. Ko
Revolution
30 0LLLL0
28. Ta Kuo
31 0LLLLL
43. Kuai
Breakthrough
32 L00000
23. Po
Splitting Apart
33 L0000L
27. I
34 L000L0
4. Meng
Youthful Folly
35 L000LL
41. Sun
Decrease
36 L00L00
52. Ken
Keeping Still
37 L00L0L
22. Pi
Grace
38 L00LL0
18. Ku
39 L00LLL
26. Ta Chu
40 L0L000
35. Chin
Progress
41 L0L00L
21. Shih Ho
Biting Through
42 L0L0L0
Before Completion
43 L0L0LL
38. Kuei
Opposition
- 297 -
44 L0LL00
46. Sheng
Pushing Upward
45 L0LL0L
30. Li
46 L0LLL0
50. Ting
The Caldron
47 L0LLLL
14. Ta Yu
48 LL0000
20. Kuan
Contemplation
49 LL000L
42. I (Yi)
Increase
50 LL00L0
59. Huan
Dispersion
51 LL00LL
61. Chung Fu
Inner Truth
52 LL0L00
53. Chien
Development
53 LL0L0L
The Family
54 LL0LL0
57. Sun
The Gentle
55 LL0LLL
9. Hsiao Chu
56 LLL000
12. Pi
Standstill
57 LLL00L
25. Wu Wang
Innocence
58 LLL0L0
6. Sung
Conflict
59 LLL0LL
10. Lu
Treading
60 LLLL00
33. Tun
Retreat
- 298 -
61 LLLL0L
62 LLLLL0
44. Kou
Coming to Meet
63 LLLLLL
1. Chien
- 299 -
The Creative
- 300 -