Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 look up look down look around
2 it has always been here
3 look up
look down
look around
4 it will always be here
5 infinite duration outlasting ordinary space and time
6 the universe that you perceive has always been
here
and will be here after you are no longer present to perceive it
7 because it gave birth to you and not the contrary to which you cling
8 rather than being one step ahead and asleep toward up and coming possibilities
9 the sound traveler stays two steps back and remains awake to all that is possible
10 if you look upon yourself as an accident in space and time
11 then you will always be present in space and time
12 it is as simple as finding yourself by not looking
13 this is a thought form for thinking into
1-4 HAND: These are specific meditation instructions. The Taoist meditator will look up and down thirty-six times and then trace clockwise and counterclockwise circles with his gaze in preparation for cultivating a mystic state. These eye movements sensitize the Cultivator to what he normally is unaware of in his field of vision. The circular movements of his eyes collect and condense life-force, or qi, to the upper dantien, or mind's eye.
This is experienced as a gathering of radiant light
energy in an area between his eyebrows and about one inch inward within his skull. This is called
"Gathering the Light."
5 HEART and HAND: Gathering the Light induces a mystic state in which time seems to stand still or dilates to encompass everything that the Cultivator experiences.
6 HEART: An expression of the vastness and timelessness of the universe.
7 HEART: A reminder that the wonders of the universe gave birth to you.
8 MIND: Projected expectations and thinking ahead in speculation blinds you to the myriad possibilities contained in the universe.
9 MIND: A "sound traveler" is a Taoist Cultivator who turns inward and pulls back from projected expectation. Instead, the Cultivator attempts to sit and watch the Tao as it naturally unfolds within and without.
10-13 MIND: Most people go through life feeling that they were either created for some grand purpose or that they exist at the whim of a capricious and often cold universe. The Taoist Cultivator, however, sees himself as a happy accident whose experience ultimately benefits everyone and everything in the universe.