Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 the ancient child asks what is authentic knowledge
2 only revealed knowledge is authentic knowledge it flows from the heart's center within our way of living
3 the ancient child asks
what is the heart center within our way of living
4 at the center of my own heart wherever I may be
5 alive
6 to know the world is not to think into it by reason
7 reason is not revelation
8 to know the world is to allow the world to think into you
9 wherever it may be
10 authentic knowing is revealed in a soul and to a soul seeking its lost home and resting place within deep regions of a centered heart spirit
11 the mysteries of the world come to you in a living light that breathes as you breathe infused with your own thoughts yet outlined as some distant place or thing
12 you may bring discipline to your knowing but you cannot bend it or shape it because it is already perfectly formed
13 you may know the world completely and understand its workings without ever leaving home
14 the ancient child asked
what are the impediments to authentic knowing
15 wrong error is the first conquered by quiet sitting
16 wrong flight is the second conquered by flying obliquely with ease
17 wrong meditation is the third conquered by contemplative ritual
18 wrong purification is the fourth conquered by openness within a sacred precinct
19 wrongly embracing the doubt and despair of others as they are
conquered by a humble appreciation of yourself
as you are
20 the tao way of life bestows knowledge of all things under heaven
to those who can travel the entire world with one ordinary deliberate step
21 in a lush green forest
22 one step
1-2 HEART and MIND: Presents a case for the mystical experience. Knowledge revealed during a mystical experience has more weight than knowledge acquired within the constraints of consensus reality.
Mystics typically experience peace, contentment, and love flowing out from their heart to the world around them.
3-5 HEART and MIND: Taoist mystics experience this out flowing of human energy as a partial sacrifice of their own lite.
6-9 HEART and MIND: This is a fundamental Taoist precept, as well as a criticism of Confucians. The followers of Confucius believed that the universe should be dissected, categorized, and analyzed with arcane systems of mathematics and logic. Taoists didn't feel the need to do the math, relying instead on a direct and complete experience of the mysteries of the universe.
10 MIND: This refers to the soul of the universe, of which the human soul is a reflection.
11 MIND: This is a preview of the Taoist illumination experience.
12 MIND and HAND: See Stanza 2 in Chapter Forty-six. You are a child of the Tao Source. What could be more perfect?
13 HEART: You may explore the entire universe without ever opening your door and stepping out of your house. All that is required is the mystic experience.
Only a universe that is experienced mystically will reveal authentic knowledge and wisdom.
14 MIND: Lists those things that can block the mystic experience and the authentic knowledge that comes from it. These stanzas also list the remedy for each impediment.
15 MIND and BODY: Knowing how to make mistakes and learn from them.
16 HAND: Knowing how to perform Qigong and other cultivation techniques properly.
17 HAND: Meditation can become forced and contrived. Ritual reminds us of what is important when meditating.
18 HAND and BODY: Isolating yourself, controlling your diet too much, becoming unavailable to others, renunciations, vows of solitude and poverty as a means to acquire spiritual credit actually block your connection to the mystic experience.
19 HAND and BODY: Becoming too involved in the troubles and woes of others will, likewise, block the mystic experience. Self-acceptance and love of self remedy this situation.
20-22 HAND and HEART: These stanzas are both a cultivation technique and a Taist metaphor. The one step or any physical movement for that matter-is a mindful one taken in the throes of a mystic state of consciousness.