Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 anyone who really understands the tao way of life finds living it easier than talking about it
2 anyone who really understands the tao way of life finds that talking about it gets in the way of living it
3 children become noisy and unruly and they crave
attention
4 requiting dissonance involves diving into the earth turning your senses inward protecting your stores unbinding your bodymind
tempering harsh glare and sharp edges
5 plunging deeply into the heart of the mystery generates a wholeness for yourself that is a wholeness of the world
6 at that point the world honors you because you honor the world
1 BODY and MIND: This is the paradox of Taoism. It is, fundamentally, a philosophy of action rather than conjecture. The truth is found in the doing and not in the thinking.
2-3 HEART: Man doesn't want to be a student. He would rather be a teacher. This is a natural outgrowth of the illusion of separateness and the first obstacle to the Taoist mystic life that must be breached. Becoming a Cultivator of the Tao means giving up preconceived ideas and personal opinions about it. In Taoist parlance, preconceived ideas and opinions are the unruly children. One must empty oneself of these ideas and opinions. The Cultivator must also give up the practice of arguing, analyzing, and discussing these ideas and opinions with others. If you do not, you are giving them attention they don't deserve and, subsequently, rewarding their bad behavior.
4 HAND: The noisy and unruly children create dissonance in the bodymind of the Cultivator. This situation is remedied by:
a. Mystically joining with the natural world,
b. Deeply attune your senses to the inner workings of the bodymind,
c. Passively observe the inner workings as if from a distance,
b. Unbinding has two meanings in this case:
i. Deeply relax any perceived areas of tension or discomfort.
ii. Balance any particularly unruly preconceived idea or opinion by seeing the other side of it. For example, (old idea "I don't like that person. I don't think he's very nice or smart." (new idea) "Wait a minute; could be wrong about him. I see some goodness. I should entertain the thought that he might be smarter and nicer than he appears."
e. Live your life under the influence of your new perception.
This activity is a vital part of the Taoist unlearning
process.
5-6 MIND: Unlearning results in a mystic completeness that engenders a profound sense of belonging and humbleness that deeply nourishes the bodymind of the Cultivator and everyone he comes in contact with.