Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 the ancient child asks
what is it that is beyond opposites and extremes
2 to stand upright amid the tao source of life
3 the ancient child asks
how does one do this
4 stand upright and alone
amidst the chaotic commerce
reveal the mysterious channel of unlimited capacity
with neutral will and intention
5 distant mind ever surprised
distant thought ever alert
distant traveler. ever aware
6 feel the opened space that
exists before and between
heaven and earth
7 be spontaneously silent, quiet, still, and dynamic
to gain admittance
8 be naturally isolated, random, genuine, and
perennial
to fuse with the changing changelessness and
space
that is your ever-present womb, home, and
companion
9 from this place
you stand
for this space is the door and source
from which existence flows
and makes itself known to you
10 though invisible to me and unnamed
I sense its presence
by its shadow and tracks as it moves through me
and I through it
11 it is a private experience
intimate in the extreme and latent in antithesis
12 so I call it the tao way of life even as my words
evaporate
13 domesticated people cannot perceive its real name
for its name is a word enfolding
miraculous power
stalwart power
constant power
great power
14 the great is sufficient in itself
for addressing
that which is so close
yet
so far away
15 that which is separated
yet
intensely unified
16 that which comes closer to you
as it moves further away
17 in this greatness the tao source of life turns on
the whim of intention yet
is affected by nothing
sufficient unto itself and its reflections
18 the tao source of life is great from above
heaven as creation is great
earth as receptive is great man in his humanity is great
19 tao source of life
heaven as creation
earth as receptive
man in his humanity
20 all are great
and that's all we can normally see
and we are part of it as it is part of us
21 man in his humanity is guided by the receive
earth
22 receptive earth is guided by heaven as creation
23 heaven as creation is guided by the tao source of life
24 the tao source of life is wrapped in the self-formed
gossamer of
spontaneous force
that exists of its own accord
Taoist cultivation.
1 HAND: The Taoist Master channels Lao-tzu. Being beyond opposites and extremes means employing Taoist techniques of cultivating balance and equilibrium in thought, word, and deed. In other words, the Middle Path.
2 HAND: This is Taoism in a nutshell. Cultivation techniques are often explained with great concision.
HAND: During direct transmission of the Classic, he student's depth of understanding is judged by the completeness and sophistication of the instructions extrapolated from the standard text.
3 HAND: These are instructions. The Mysterious Channel in Taoist archaic language has several meanings:
a) the qi circuits known as the Governor Vessel and Conceptual Vessel,
b) the qi circuit known as the Central Vessel, or
c) the totality of the life-force anatomy of the Cultivator's bodymind as it connects to the Tao Source.
5 HAND: Along with neutral will and intention, this stanza describes the mental state of the Cultivator that serves as a backdrop to the following meditation technique.
6 HAND: These are meditation instructions.
7 HAND: Spontaneity, or tzu-jan, is a fundamental Tooist concept. It forms the warp and woof of the
sacred open space.
8 HAND and BODY: The rules of Taoist meditation and the rules for Taoist living are the same.
9 HAND: The Taoist Cultivator becomes a conduit for the power of the Tao Source.
10-12 MIND and HAND: Words are not absolute and cannot define the Absolute. The experience of the Absolute must be a private one.
13-16 MIND: A description of the Tao Source of Life.
17 HEART: Intention, in this case, must be authentic and spontaneous.
18-20 MIND: We are a vital part of the Tao and always have been. Heaven's greatness is seen in its outpouring, and Earth's greatness is seen in its ability to receive that outpouring. Man's greatness is seen in his ability to exist within the outpouring, channeling its force without interference.
21-24 MIND: The planet informs Humanity while the heavens inform planet Earth. The heavens are informed by the Tao Source. The Tao Source is eternal.