Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 the ancient child says to see the future
put your left hand over your breast bone and look into your right palm
2 rotate your fist as if gathering yarn left and right expand yourself to every quarter
until you feel the orbiting movements of the planets
within you
3draw an imaginary gossamer bow and shoot an arrow
left and right
4 the ancient child asks but what are arrows
5 arrows are wishes and thought forms
6 weak at rest strong in motion
7 they will find their mark
if the archer is calm, focused, and controlled
8 the ancient child asks
how do you condense your bodymind, spirit, and
lifeforce
9 collect yourself to your core center by reaching out with your bodymind in order to go definitely inward you must definitely reach outward
10 the ancient child asks
how do you condense your bodymind and spirit
and lifeforce
11 reach out with your bodymind and support the heavens above you
using absolutely no strength at all
12 keep your five fingers open if you want to grasp silver and gold
13 the ancient child asks how can this be what is the secret
14 it is a game without a winner you are both contestants it is a joyous dance
you are both dancers it is a puppet show
you are the marionette and the hands
manipulating strings
15 each of us is subtle and hidden away revealed only by the true breath
16 out reaching out shining
17 both are allowed to happen because the tao way of life can never be forced it can only be invited in
18 the voice of the wonderwork is subtle and hidden away
you must be quiet and still to hear it clearly
19 the light of the wonderwork is subtle and hidden away
you must move about mysteriously and make tiny
adjustments
in your bodymind to see it clearly
20 the substance of the wonderwork is subtle and hidden away
you must touch and caress it by letting it touch and
caress you
21 the taste of the wonderwork is subtle and hidden
away
you must turn your fongue in an empty mouth to
savor it
22 the aroma of the wonderwork is subtle and hidden away
you must rely on atterthoughts, memories, and
musings to reveal its
smell
23 silent victory
quietly conquering
24 this is how you should behave
25 that is the secret
26 the ancient child asks can you not see it clearly
are you a fish stubbornly dying on the dry shore refusing to enter the ocean until you understand it clearly
27 the ancient child asks
is there anything to be gained by killing yourself
28 there is nothing to be gained by suicide
29 the ancient child says
use the natural gifts you have to explore your inner world
30 after all
it's a sin to ignore your talents
31 do you think that your talents are for showing off
1 HAND: This is a meditative posture designed to stimulate the intuition. Ancient Taoists used it to divine the future. The psychological implications of the pose are numerous. The Chinese character pi in this stanza literally means "to gently place ones hand over the heart."
2 HAND: This is a specific qigong activity.
a. First, the Cultivator forms loose fists with both hands and slowly traces circles, alternately, left and right. The number of the rotations-thirty-six to each side gathers, fortifies, and equalizes the qi of the bodymind.
b. The Cultivator imagines that his bodymind, now filled with balanced life-force energy, expands outward to encompass the entire universe.
c. The Cultivator maintains this identification with the expanse and void of the universe until he feels localized energy moving in cyclical patterns within the bodymind. Nurturing these patterns, referred to as
"orbits," is an important part of Taoist cultivation.
3 HAND: The Cultivator mimics the motions of drawing a bow and arrow during an inhalation. As they exhale, they release the imaginary arrow and pretend to watch it as it vanishes into the distance.
4-7 MIND: Mental instructions for the Qigong activity.
8-9 HEART and MIND: Collecting yourself confidently before you speak or act is an important Taoist ideal. These stanzas state the importance of reaching out into the world around you as a means of claritying your inner gifts and talents. Compassion, helping others, and basic human contact are, therefore, keys to realizing your full potential.
10-12 HAND: These are Qigong instructions in which the hands are literally held above the head as if supporting the sky. The Cultivator enters a meditative state and pretends to be solely responsible for supporting the sky above the surface of the earth. This activity naturally consolidates life-force energy to the lower dantien and the middle dantien.
13-14 MIND and BODY: Describes the mental state and psychological stance of the Cultivator.
15-16 HEART and HAND: The True Breath is described in the previous chapter.
17 HEART, MIND, and HAND: Make yourself a fit receptacle for the Tao.
18-22 HEART, MIND, and HAND: The meanings of these stanzas are subtle and complex. Essentially, they provide instructions on how to outline the force and function of the Tao Source so the Cultivator may better understand how to lead a Taoist lifestyle.
23-25 MIND and BODY: Steady progress fortified by optimism and self-confidence is the hallmark of a Taoist life.
26-28 HEART and MIND: Warns Cultivators against the trap of thinking that the Tao should be understood intellectually before embracing it. This is spiritual suicide.
29-30 HEART and HAND: We receive our gifts and our deficits from the Tao Source. Those gifts and deficits are, in reality, our keys to unlocking the secrets of the universe.
31 MIND: Fundamentally, our individual talents and how we exercise them are private affairs that exist for our own growth and development.