Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 hold and embody
2 be the one who will hold and embody the tao way
of life
by shaping yourself with the great ultimate symbol by holding yourself within the confluence of its
meeting rhythms
be the one who centers themselves between
heaven and earth
3 and move about in the field of unlimited possibilities
4 you will breathe with your skin you will shine with every breath
5 and quicken the way you lay, sit, stand, and walk
6 this is the true breathing that inspires and attracts
true life
this is the true breathing that inspires and attracts
the tao source of
life
7 each breath is an illumination there are many illuminations
8 the ancient child asks what follows
what flows in and flows out
9 sturdy comfort abundant rest organized serenity and a smile
10 a silent song of the sweetest music a sweet taste of honey swallowed gently a desire to play, dance, paint, and sing
11 am actually singing in a world that is somehow bigger brighter funnier
more wondrous than I could have possibly
imagined
want to reach out to strangers and passersby
I want to visit with them I want to talk with them I want to laugh with them
12 the ancient child asks
are these ghosts or real people
13 it doesn't matter
14 complete the ritual
draw the words in a ghost's sandbox don't stop until it's time
your guests want you to complete the contract remember
you stand between heaven and earth you are the middle place
15 the ancient child asks
can you feel my hand on your spine
16 yes | can
my spine is part of a roof that protects me
17 the ancient child says yes it is
paint the changes you feel in your spine show me where life rushes into you show me where life rushes out
18 l paint the symbols heaven, earth, wind, water, mountain, fire,
thunder, and lake
19 the ancient child asks what do you see
20 l see a circle of jade
21 the ancient child asks what do you hear
22 | hear a woman singing
23 the ancient child asks where are you
24 l am in a church or a temple
25 the ancient child asks what color is the road outside
26 it is blue-green
27 the ancient child asks what are you doing now
28l am rocking back and forth
I cannot stop
and my hair is tickling me
29 the ancient child asks what are your emotions
30 l feel anxious
your hand is hot on my back
31 the ancient child says think of a warm waterfall
focus on your brush and continue to paint
32 my family is all sitting around a table reading and talking
33 the ancient child asks is the table upstairs or downstairs
34 our dining room is upstairs
35 the ancient child asks what do you see
36 a bowl of fruit in the center
37 the ancient child asks where are you
38 l am on a tarm
39 the ancient child asks what time of year is it
40 it is my birthday
41 these places cannot be seen or heard these places are innumerable and inexhaustible
and subtle
you have the power to go to any of these places if you will but return there often visit, commune, and rest there don't speak of them
because words as drugs and words as labels are
coarse
they will rob them of their real taste
42 instead simply remember
43 return home
1-2 HAND: These are Qigong instructions. The Taoist Cultivator performs physical movements that trace the shape of the Grand Ultimate Diagram, or T'ai Chi Tu.
More commonly this is known as the yin and yang.
Taoist Cultivators believe that moving in the shape of the yin and yang brings them closer to the mysteries that it represents. Taoists say that they enter the mystery through its shape.
3 HAND: Early Taoist qigong had few rules and restrictions. Basically, the player engineers a state of quiescence and creates a freeform movement sequence within the limiting structure of the yin and yang shape.
To create movement that represents the interplay of cosmic forces while moving in circles within circles yields an intensit that transtorms the bodymind.
4 HAND: Under the influence of authentic Qigong the Cultivator feels as though he is breathing through the pores of his skin. An inhalation generates a feeling of sucking air inwardly through the skin. During an exhalation, the Cultivator experiences an omnidirectional expansion of life-force energy exuding from the bodymind
5-6 MIND: This kind of breathing is called True Breathing. It consolidates and intensifies the qi of the bodymind.
7 MIND: Taoists believe that the seed of awakening exists at the core of every breath.
8 MIND: At this point the Master, channeling Laotzu, begins to judge the depth of the student's mystical experience.
9-11 HEART: This is one of the more personal moments to occur during Direct Transmission. The student's answers during the call and response reveal important information about the psyche of the student.
In addition, clues to intermediate and advanced cultivation bubble up in the form of archetypal images.
12-13 HEART: Occasionally, students have visions of strangers as well as people from their past.
14 HAND: The ghost sandbox is sometimes called a fu-kay, or Spirit Board. It is a two-to three-foot square table. The edges of the table are raised so as to accommodate a layer of red sand. During intermediate and advanced meditation, the student experiences cascading visions of esoteric Chinese characters that are not in common usage. The student writes them in the surface of the red sand with an awl made of peach-wood, and the Master interprets the meaning of each. Taoist Priests use this table to communicate with the spirits of the dead.
15-16 HAND: The Master will often extend his own life-force energy into the bodymind of the student during direct transmission. In this case, qi was extended into the area between the student's kidneys as a way of boosting the student's overall vitality. This insures that the mystic visions continue until they naturally stop.
17-18 HAND: The student uses brush and ink to express the flux and flow of life-force energy in his bodymind.
19-20 HAND, MIND, and HEART: A circle of jade appearing in the consciousness of the student is a primary Taoist image. Its appearance signals a major spiritual accomplishment.
21-22 HAND, MIND, and HEART: Likewise, the perceived sound of a woman singing signifies a momentous mystical event.
23-28 HAND, MIND, and HEART: All of the images revealed in these stanzas arise spontaneously and vary slightly from Cultivator to Cultivator. The experience of each is so profound that they become imprinted on the memory of the Cultivator and remain among the most vivid and visceral events of the Taoist's life. These responses are of a highly personal and intimate nature.
29-30 HAND, MIND, and HEART: The Master monitors the student's emotions throughout the direct transmission. This is all part of the process of judging the quality and depth of the mystic experience.
31-40 HAND: As the mystic process continues to unfold, the student is constantly required to express personal reflections and emotions calligraphically. This is similar to automatic writing in the Western tradition.
Contained in these bursts of calligraphy are advanced cultivation instructions that appear from unknown quarters.
41-43 HAND, MIND, and HEART: A sacred precinct forms at the end of the string of visions. This is a mystical place that, according to Taoist cosmology, exists in a dimension parallel to our own. This dimension becomes a sanctum to the Cultivator.
Returning to it replenishes and nourishes the Cultivator.