Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 the very best students of the tao way of life try their best to be open to its mysteries by using their higher intuition and naturally
entering its transcendental shape
2 they simply look
they simply see
3 the typical students of the tao way of life try their best to let the mysteries in but get in their own way by thinking into it
too much
4 they look haltheartedly they cannot see clearly
5 those students of the tao way of life that are
worthless
cannot be said to really be students at all because they cannot sense, see, or reason when they hear about the mysteries
6 they laugh, ridicule, and demean the whole idea 7 what they do not realize is that they are only seeing their own blindness
8 what they do not know is that laughter
is the taoist way of seeing
9 laughter outlines the great mystery
10 the ancient child asks
what are the first qualities of a student of the tao
way of life
11 higher intuition and the ability to laugh with a full heart
12 if you cannot laugh
you cannot know the tao way of lite
13 a wisdom thread that stretches back to antiquity tells us
what is real and true and how to recognize it
14 the bright path seems dim cloudy
15 the direct path seems crooked obscured
16 the smooth and level path actually bobs and weaves
17 true strength of character seems weak to the ignorant
authentic white always carries a part of blackness
with it
18 true abundance is actually empty
19 can you see it
20 the greatest stability is actually tenuous
21 can you feel it
22 the highest certitude is actually a lie
23 can you find truth that easily
24 the transcendental shape has no walls or limit
25 can you move into it
26 the transcendental shape is small and unfillable
27 can you fill it up
28 the greatest talent requires time and work to ripen
29 can you patiently wait for it
30 practice does not make perfect practice is perfect to begin with
31 can you really behave that way
32 the greatest sound is actually silent
33 can you hear it
34 living the tao way of life is so ancient and natural that it has no name it is so accessible and pervasive that you cannot see it
yet it is both the beginning and the end of
everything
that lends its profound magic to the entire world
This and the next five chapters are very important to the Cultivators of the Tao Path. They focus on personal conduct and the responsibility the Taoist has to himself as he cultivates peace and contentment. During the direct transmission, the Master delivers the verse in a dogmatic tone.
1 BODY and MIND: The injunction is clear; be open to the Tao Source, commune with it via your intuitive mind, and flow into it as it flows into you.
2 BODY and MIND: Experience life as completely as you are able.
3 BODY and MIND: Over-intellectualizing about the Tao blocks your access to it. You cannot think your way into being a Taoist. Action is required
4 BODY and MIND: Over-intellectualizing reduces your ability to completely experience life.
5 BODY and MIND: When you cut yourself off from an authentic experience of life, you lose the ability to touch the wonders of your own existence. Your fallback position invariably results in rationalizations of your behavior that separates you further—you think so much that you lose the ability to feel.
6 BODY and MIND: Contemptuous laughter and behavior; to look down on.
7 BODY and MIND: When your bodymind is clouded by illusion, you see only your own limitations.
8 BODY and MIND: Elevated levels of openness and personal optimism are both a part of and a result of Taoist practices.
9 HEART: The image of a laughing Taoist is a perennial Chinese archetype.
10-11 BODY and MIND: Accessing the intuition so the soul can take the lead in your life is the single most important aspect of your survival. At the same time, it must be balanced by an equal amount of
"having a sense of humor about its importance." It is
simultaneously vital and trivial.
12 HEART: If you do not have a sense of humor about yourself and your philosophy, then you cannot be a Taoist.
13 BODY and MIND: The wisdom-thread referred to in this stanza is an oral text that predates Taoism but became an important part of its genesis. These are truly ancient Chinese concepts.
14-27 HAND, BODY, and MIND: Stanzas 14 through 27 are a series of life questions that must be answered by the Cultivator. Each question is a conundrum that must be approached mystically to be solved. Solving them requires an investment of human energy sustained over months, even years. This becomes an important period of spiritual work for the Cultivator.
28-29 BODY and MIND: An injunction not to be in a hurry to solve the conundrums. It is the experience of the journey and not the destination that is important.
30-31 HEART: Western thought regards practice as something that must be difficult and endured before one can arrive at a point of completion or success. Practice is often regarded as something that we do to get ready for the "real thing." Taoists regard every moment in space and time as "the performance" and not "the rehearsal." How will you perform? According to your gifts and deficits. Nothing could be more perfect.
32-33 BODY and MIND: This is another spiritual conundrum to be mystically solved.
34 HEART: The Tao Source and life is the property of any and everyone. Cultivating it uplifts the entire world.