Translation by Sifu John A. Fey
1 for the decline of the tao way of life begins with prisons of the bodymind and externally applied rules of the bodymind
2 defined allegiance justice blind
equity bound in invisible knots
3 when judicious thought is the goal and not thinking
intelligence leads to observed contrast supplanting the thinking moment
4 faithless ceremonies are created that disturb the bodymind
5 the bodymind is a family harmonious when
6 open absence
blends with
full presence
7 serene when
8 full presence blends effortlessly with will, thought, and imagination
9 a natural coalescence
10 will, thought, and imagination meet and support the lifeforce
11 this simple assemblage
speaking directly to the heart spirit results in a myriad of actions
filled with spontaneity and naturalness
12 composed and at rest this family
playing in a field of spontaneous interaction enjoys peaceful congress with the shape and void
13 when the bodymind is forced
and ill at ease
14 insincere devotion to the bodymind manifests itself
and spills over to every facet of life
15 rejection of the tao way of life can be checked only through compassion for the self for others
16 then reclamation of the original nature of mankind can begin
17 the ancient child asks me to enumerate the steps
18 the open absence of the bodymind must combine and share with the closed presence of the bodymind
19 the closed presence of the bodymind must combine and share with the mind intent of the bodymind
20 the mind intent of the bodymind must combine and share with the lifeforce of the bodymind
21 the lifeforce of the bodymind must combine and share with the heart spirit of the bodymind
22 the heart spirit of the bodymind must combine and share with the spontaneous actions of the bodymind
23 the spontaneous actions of the bodymind must combine and share with the shape and the void
1 BODY and HAND: This bodymind now fully present and under the influence of an ever-increasing life-force energy begins to open up the heart spirit.
With the heart spirit open, any natural activity will yield authentic movement, life, and behavior. This is an outline of how a Taoist Cultivator should live his life.
12 MIND and HAND: Shape reters to the universe itself that you can experience, and the void is the Realm of the Tao Source of Life.
13-14 MIND and HAND: Stanza 13 warns against forcing the process. This process must be allowed to evolve naturally. Both stanzas together are specific criticisms on the way Confucians live their lives, allowing "insincere devotion" to "spill over into every facet of life."
15-16 MIND and HAND: When insincere devotion does affect the Cultivator's life, it causes an automatic severing of the connection between the Cultivator and the Tao Source of Life. This severing is called the rejection of the Tao Way of Life in archaic Taoist thinking.
Being gentle with yourself when this connection is severed is the surest way to reestablish it.
17 MIND and HEART: Lao-tzu speaking through the initiator asks the student to enumerate the steps a Culivator must take to reclaim his original nalure. Thi reclamation is a mystic endeavor and lifelong Tooty
pursuit.
18-23 HAND: These stanzas are known as the Six Combinations-one stanza per combination. The Cultivator must engineer these six combinations to accomplish Taoist mystical transformation. The last line refers to identifying all of your spontaneous actions as being actions of the Tao Source moving through your bodymind.