Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 the ancient child asks violence
is it resolute
2 no
3 the ancient child asks is it just
4 no
5 the ancient child asks
if I project violence outward what will happen
6 it comes back to me
7 the ancient child asks
can a violent man be fine-spun
8 no
9 the ancient child asks
can a violent man find the tao
10 no
11 the ancient child asks who made this sword
12 a man
13 the ancient child asks
was the man who made this sword fine-spun
14 yes
if it is a good sword yes
15 fine-spun man fine-spun sword
together they ride the winds move the heavens and rule the earth
16 the ancient child asks how do they do this
17 it is a secret held in your hands
18 the ancient child asks when is this secret revealed
19 only when it is necessary
20 if the secret is revealed too soon it is spoiled and despised
then the sword and the man are of no use to
themselves or others
21 the ancient child asks where does wisdom come from
22 | hear it in my left ear it floats
23 the ancient child asks where does anger come from
24 | hear it in my right ear it falls hard
25 the ancient child asks which is fine-spun
26 the left
27 the ancient child asks
can you force wisdom to speak to your left ear
28 no
it speaks when it is ready you have to wait
the right speaks all the time it is deafening
29 the ancient child asks
how can you stop the right from speaking all the time
30 by gently
lying down
sitting standing and walking
31 the ancient child asks
where does this work best for you
32 at my home where things are familiar and I feel safe
anger can be stopped there with the four virtues
33 home is anywhere I can feel the tao beneath my feet my feet must be fine-spun as well
34 the ancient child asks
what do your fine-spun feet tell you
35 do not find joy in hurting people it you must hurt someone listen to the left keep your heart spirit calm and be fine-spun
you cannot find the tao source of life if you enjoy
being violent
and hurt people, their land, and even their animals
on the land
if you live life violently the life around you will disappear
36 there is a time to be happy and a time to be sad know how to differentiate between the two so you
know where to
lie
sit
stand
walk
if you cultivate these virtues you will be happy
if someone is hurt be sad treat it like a funeral
because an opportunity to enter the tao has died
1-2 HEART and MIND: "Violence" refers to unnatural force, to overpower, to dominate, force, compel, or to employ your gifts and strengths in an unnatural manner.
3-4 HEART and MIND: "Just" means auspicious, generating a beneficial outcome, or creating good fortune
5-6 HEART and MIND: Projecting violence means more than roughly dominating others. Violence can be projected even when you are alone. Thinking and intention can take on violent aspects. This disturbs the soul of the world. Taoists see this as an injury done to the Tao Source itself, which in turn injures everyone, including the person who projected the violence.
7-8 MIND: Fine-spun: wise, noble, honorable, high selfesteem, values-driven. The image of finely spun filaments describes the quality of spiritual energy that pervades the bodymind of a resolute follower of the Tao.
9-10 HEART: Plainly stated, one who forces life cannot maintain a coherent connection to the Tao Source.
11-14 MIND: The Chinese double-edged sword, or jian, known as the King Of Weapons, is an important Taoist icon. The skill and focus required to properly wield it mirrors the Taoist ideal of resoluteness.
Ancient Chinese believed that you could judge the depths of a person's humanity by the quality of their swordplay. Likewise, a swordmaker's character can be judged by the quality of the sword. This is true for any art or craft. During the transmission of this chapter, the Master actually brandishes a live blade.
15 MIND: The double edged sword is used by Taoist Cultivators to focus and refine the qi, or life-force energy, of their bodymind. It is used in meditation, Qigong, and calligraphy practice, as well as in friendly competitions.
16-17 HAND: This is a reference to the Secret Sword Hand Mudra, a hand formation held during medicion that subtly affects and deepens the meditative state. H is formed by bending the ring and little finger to touch the thumb and extending the index and middle fingers as if the blade of a straight sword.
18-19 HAND: Warns against attempting to focus the bodymind energies too soon. An expansive energy gathering in the palms during meditation signals the appropriate time to employ the mudra.
20 HEART and HAND: Emphasizes knowing the right time to employ a specific meditative technique or contemplative skill.
21-22 HEART: Taoist Cultivators frequently experience intuitive insights, as it someone is whispering in their left ear. The words they hear are, frequently, in their own voice and possess a buoyant quality.
23-24 HEART: In contrast to the intuitive, the rational over-thinking mind sounds like a harsh rain falling and, generally, speaks in a strange or unfamiliar voice. Cultivators experience this voice as something heard in the right ear.
25-26 MIND: This is an injunction to listen to the intuitive mind. The intuition both supports and generates resoluteness.
27-28 HEART and MIND: Intuition cannot be forced or manipulated. It must be allowed. The rational mind forces its way in to the consciousness.
29-30 HAND: These are postures for Taoist Qigong and meditation. Engaging in these activities induces a state of quiescence that subdues the over-thinking mind and invites the intuitive mind to come forward. Lying, sitting, standing, and walking are called the Four Virtues. Each represents a body of cultivation technique that grants the Cultivator access to their innermost self.
31-32 HAND and BODY: Qigong and meditation should be performed in comfortable, safe, and, preferably, tamiliar surroundings.
33-35 HAND and MIND: Refers to a blending of the bodymind's life-force with the qi of the planet. During this activity, the qi of the Earth enters the Cultivator in pulsating waves that comfort the Cultivator and dramatically stimulates the intuition. Taoists call this meditation Listening to the Primal Mother.
36 HEART and MIND: Choosing the right time and place to meditate or play Qigong is a fundamental skill that each Cultivator must learn. This is a delicate proposition. Choosing the wrong time or place can actually harm the Cultivator.