Buddhist Nine Palace Palm Qigong (Fomen Jiu Gong Zhang)

 This is a translated manual for a rare form of qigong that I learned in Zhengzhuo, Henan, China in 1988. It is an unusual form of combined Buddhist and Daoist Qigong. It is very rare and was passed down in secret for generations within the Gong family. As far as I know, it has never been taught outside China. For more information, see my post from Feb. 2022. This is presented for information purposes only. Qigong should only practiced only under the guidance of a qualified instructor. 

Buddhist Nine Palace Palm Learning Materials

Compiled by the Zhengzhou Qigong Association

Author: Gong Zhifeng

1. What is the Buddhist Nine Palaces Palm?

The Nine Palaces Palm originated with Master Baiyun during the Song Dynasty. Drawing on the strengths of both Buddhist and Daoist qigong traditions, he combined their methods into a system of movement and stillness. The practice is based on the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and uses the human body’s structure as a foundation.

Externally it corresponds to the Eight Trigrams; internally it relates to the Middle Palace (center of the body, corresponding to the Earth element). It follows the principles of the twelve meridians to maintain health. Through the palms and the “Nine Palaces” of the hands, energy can be projected outward for therapeutic effect.

2. What are the characteristics of the Nine Palaces Palm?

The Nine Palaces Palm maps the “nine palaces” onto the hand, combining the Five Phases and Twelve Meridians. Its practice demands unity of intention, breath, spirit, the Five Phases, and exertion.

According to the Five Phase cycles:

• Metal gives birth to Water

• Water gives birth to Wood

• Wood gives birth to Fire

• Fire gives birth to Earth

• Earth gives birth to Metal

And in the control cycle:

• Metal controls Wood

• Wood controls Earth

• Earth controls Water

• Water controls Fire

• Fire controls Metal

The Eight Trigrams are:

• Qian,

• Dui 

• Li

• Zhen

• Xun

• Kan

• Gen

• Kun.

The Nine Palaces are arranged as:

• 1st Palace (Kan),

• 2nd Palace (Kun)

• 3rd Palace (Zhen)

• 4th Palace (Xun)

• 5th Palace (Center)

• 6th Palace (Qian)

• 7th Palace (Dui)

• 8th Palace (Li)

• 9th Palace (Gen).

Verse for memorization:

• “Wear the Nine around, left three right seven, four shoulders two knees, eight six for feet.”

The Twelve Meridians of the body are then coordinated with this system, beginning with the hand yang meridians (which start from the hands and flow to the head, then to the feet).

Hand Yang Meridians:

• Small Intestine (Hand Taiyang)

• Triple Burner (Hand Shaoyang)

• From chest to hand → connect to the Hand Yang meridians.

Hand Yin Meridians:

• Lung (Hand Taiyin)

• Heart (Hand Shaoyin)

• Pericardium (Hand Jueyin)

• From chest to hand → connect with Hand Yin meridians.

Foot Yang Meridians:

• Stomach (Foot Yangming)

• Gallbladder (Foot Shaoyang)

• Bladder (Foot Taiyang)

• From head to feet → connect to Foot Yang meridians.

Foot Yin Meridians:

• Spleen (Foot Taiyin)

• Kidney (Foot Shaoyin)

• Liver (Foot Jueyin)

• From feet to chest → connect to Foot Yin meridians.

3. Present Situation of the Nine Palaces Palm

Since its creation by Master Baiyun during the Song Dynasty, the Nine Palaces Palm has been a shining jewel in the history of Chinese qigong. Unfortunately, as time passed, the art was nearly lost. Even its definition became obscure, leaving behind only fragments.

My grandmother, of the Mao family, was frail and often ill. Even famous doctors in Central China could not cure her. By chance she encountered a wandering monk who, after receiving gifts from the Mao family, transmitted the “Nine Palaces Palm Method.” He explained that:

“If practiced diligently, this method can prolong life, prevent illness, and provide self-defense. Its palm power is unlimited, but it must never be transmitted to unworthy people (those with improper conduct). This was entrusted to me by the great Bodhisattva.”

Because our family was wealthy and respected at the time, the transmission was preserved.

During chaotic years of war, members of the Mao family were skilled in martial arts and literature, and so used this art to protect the family. It is said that my grandmother once used the Nine Palaces Palm to defend herself against several dozen bandits who could not approach her. From then on, the art was firmly passed down in my family.

By 1961, its healing and protective effects had already reached a very high level: diagnosing illness, relieving disease, sensing messages from afar, and even battlefield applications were all within its scope. But due to harsh political circumstances, my family suffered, and the Nine Palaces Palm was nearly buried in obscurity.

Since the Third Plenary Session [of the Party Congress], especially this year, society has begun to rise again from the mud. The government now pays attention to qigong, the people long for it, and the nation has great hopes. This treasured art cannot be allowed to vanish.

Therefore, I once more summon my strength to bring the Nine Palaces Palm into the light — to benefit the people, spread healing, and give future generations the power of protection.

I also call out: “Among the hidden masters of the Buddhist Nine Palaces Palm — those who are true adepts or immortals — now is the time to step forward.”

Here I can only play a humble role, offering a brick to draw out the jade.

4. How to Learn the Buddhist Nine Palaces Palm

• Maintain the correct attitude:

• Believe that the Nine Palaces Palm can prolong life, prevent illness, and provide self-defense.

• Persevere without slacking, and the skill will naturally be accomplished.

• Memorize the mutual generation and mutual overcoming (cycles) of the Five Elements.

• Be familiar with the Nine Palaces.

• Memorize the fourteen meridian pathways and the principles of treating illness.

5. What is “Qi”?

When speaking of “Qi,” people naturally think of the air we breathe. Air is “Qi”—this is correct, but it does not fully encompass the “Qi” of Qigong. According to measurements by scientists, the “Qi” emitted by Qigong practitioners contains “infrared radiation,” “static electricity,” “particle flow,” and so forth.

Based on the functions of Qigong within the human body, it is believed that the “Qi” of Qigong within the body is a kind of information and its carrier. Moreover, it has been confirmed that this carrier is a kind of material substance.

Therefore, the “Qi” of Qigong is not merely the inhalation of oxygen and exhalation of carbon dioxide, but rather a substance with richer and more complex information and energy content.

In Qigong training, this is often called “internal Qi,” or “true Qi,” to distinguish it from ordinary inhaled air. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the body’s “true Qi” is the driving force of the body’s life activities. Thus, the “Qi” referred to in Qigong, the refinement of “Qi,” is precisely the refinement of true Qi.

“True Qi” can be classified into “pre-heaven Qi” and “post-heaven Qi.”

Qi

The “prenatal qi can be divided into essence and original qi.

• Essence: This refers to the minute “essence” present at the very beginning of life. It is the basis for the growth of the fetus, and comes from the parents.

• Original Qi: This refers to the fundamental material and activity capacity that sustains the body, maintains tissues, and supports organ function. Original qi forms during the fetal stage, is stored in the kidneys, and is closely connected with life itself.

The “postnatal qi can also be divided into two types:

• Heavenly qi This is the qi of the air we breathe.

• Earthly qi: This is the qi from grains and food, since all living things grow from the earth. In fact, it includes all nutrients. The substances we eat and drink are digested, absorbed, and transformed into the subtle essence that sustains life.

• Heavenly qi and earthly qi combine to fill the body; only then can human life activity proceed.

• Prenatal qi is the root and the driving force. It must not be lacking.

• Postnatal qi is the material source of life activities. It too must not be lacking.

The relationship between the two:

• Prenatal qi is the motivation of life.

• Postnatal qi is the material support that life depends upon.

All of a person’s life and activity rely on the propulsion of prenatal qi, while depending on the constant nourishment and replenishment of postnatal qi. The two interact, depend on one another, and together form the body’s true qi (  ), which underlies all life activity.

6. What is Gong?

Through training and refining, if the true qi within the body becomes vigorous and flourishes in an orderly way, this is the “gong” of qigong—what is commonly referred to as “kung fu” (gongfu).

Through refining and training, if the true qi (  ) within the human body flourishes vigorously and operates normally, this is the “gong” of qigong—what is commonly referred to as “kung fu.”

The meaning of kung fu is broad. It can refer to:

• the time spent training,

• the quality of the training,

• or the skillfulness of the training methods.

In general, here it refers specifically to the methods of training qi.

The length of time spent in practice reflects the practitioner’s willpower and determination. “Three days of fishing, two days of drying nets” (i.e., inconsistency) cannot bring lasting results. Thus, training in gong “lies in persistence.”

The quality of training is directly tied to the effectiveness of training results. Training in gong is the cultivation of true qi, also called “nourishing true qi.” When true qi is abundant, the body becomes strong.

The refining of true qi must be carried out in three aspects:

• Breathing essence

• Establishing independent spirit

• Strengthening muscles and tendons

(*Based on the Huangdi Neijing, Suwen)

In practice, these three aspects amount to the refining of:

• Intention

• Breath

• Form

7. The Methods of Qigong Practice

The methods of qigong training differ according to schools and traditions. In China, qigong is generally divided into five main schools:

• Daoist

• Buddhist

• Confucian

• Medical

• Martial

Daoist qigong: Training emphasizes “cultivating both body and mind,” also called “dual cultivation of nature and life,” meaning practice balances spiritual and physical aspects.

Buddhist qigong: Methods emphasize “cultivating the mind,” seeking to free the body from external conditions.

Confucian qigong: Focuses mainly on “rectifying the mind” and cultivating qualities such as sincerity and proper intention.

Medical practice methods mainly emphasize healing disease, but also stress strengthening the body and preserving health.

Martial arts practice methods emphasize strengthening the body and developing defensive power, cultivating the ability to strike and protect oneself.

Although each school has its own emphases, in the field of health preservation they all share the effect of prolonging life and benefitting the body. The differences lie in how they integrate health-preserving aspects with their specific goals.

The methods of practice can be summarized in three main types, but they all include: training intention, training breathing, and training form.

Training intention: This means the concentration of the mind. The requirement is that the mind be guided and focused, leading the brain cortex into a special inhibited state. This is called “the guarding of intention.”

Training breathing: This means guided breathing, in which posture and bodily rhythms are regulated.

Training form: This includes moving, standing, sitting, lying, walking, and massage—six categories in total.

Regardless of which method is adopted, as long as one trains under the guidance of a systematic approach, and concentrates on one discipline, one will certainly develop true skill.

8. The Characteristics of the Nine-Cycle Method for Treating Illness

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the occurrence of human illness arises from two aspects: internal causes and external causes.

Internal causes: The “seven emotions” (joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fear, shock). These are emotional responses to the environment. When emotions are overly excited or excessively suppressed, they disturb the balance of the internal organs and cause disease. For example, explosive anger damages the liver, excessive joy harms the heart.

Excessive grief injures the lungs; great sorrow harms the heart; overwhelming fear damages the kidneys; constant worry injures the spleen. Because the heart governs the spirit, all of these are also connected to the heart.

Modern medicine holds that 50–80% of illnesses are caused by people’s emotional strain, such as cancer, lung disease, liver disease, high blood pressure, heart disease, gastric ulcers, and so on.

External causes: these mostly refer to the influences of seasonal climatic changes: wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire — collectively called the “six qi.” When the body is subjected to the adverse influences of the six qi, its physiology is directly disturbed, leading to imbalance of the body’s systems and the onset of disease.

Through external training of the body’s form, breathing, and refinement, qigong achieves the principle of “motion within stillness, stillness within motion.” This allows the cerebral cortex to become tranquil and calm, thereby regulating the nervous system and reaching the purpose of preventing and treating disease.

(All of the above belongs to the theoretical foundation of qigong. The discussion here draws on the writings of the National Qigong Research Advisor Zhang Zhiwu. His work systematized qigong into the Nine-Cycle Method, aligning it with the twelve meridians and the theory of the five phases. This adaptation is the greatest distinguishing feature of the Jiugong Palm practice.)

“Jiugong Palm” Eight Postures

1. Child Worships Buddha (Tongzi Bai Fo)

Breathing: 

natural inhalation and exhalation.

Posture: 

Stand facing south, feet shoulder-width apart. Loosen the belt, let the body naturally relax. Both hands, palms facing upward, slowly raise diagonally upward. Then from the front, slowly draw the hands back, returning them to the chest.

2. The Whip Sweeps Away the Demons

Posture: 

Step left foot across so that the feet are shoulder-width apart, toes pointing slightly inward. Tongue presses against the upper palate. Hands (except the middle fingers, which point outward) are relaxed with the other fingers naturally curved. Palms face each other. Slowly extend both hands forward from the sides until the middle fingers meet with the palms facing each other.

Visualization:

Imagine drawing in a ball of fire, guiding the fireball with the middle fingers until they come to rest touching the lower dantian. From there it rises up to the heart area where the ball expands and bathes the heart, lungs, and liver with red light From there, lead it through the throat into the upper palate, pass it out through the nostrils to the top of the head (Baihui point), down the back to the coccyx, then to the lower Dantian. Circulate it around in this orbit, then release the tongue.

3. Mother and Child Reunite

Posture  :

Left hand (except the thumb) is curved inward. Slowly extend the palm from the Dantian toward the left side until the arm is extended, head turning toward the left. Visualize a yellow sphere being guided outward. Then bring the palm back in, thumb touching the center of the chest.

Right hand (except the little finger) is curved inward. Slowly extend the palm toward the southwest. Visualize a yellow sphere being drawn in from the little finger, brought inward along the arm to the chest, meeting the left thumb in front of the chest.

(Mind focus for 10 minutes)

4. Golden Elixir (Pellet) Enters the Sea

Posture:

The arms separate and circle around to rest with the palms over the kidneys. Visualize a ball of white light descending from above, entering the top of the head at the Baihui point and traveling down the spine. At the waist it divides, travels to, and bathes the kidneys, then continues on to the Dantian. It again separates and the balls travel down the inside of the legs to the center of the sole of the foot (Yongquan). Repeat the visualization.

5. Mighty Eagle Flaps It’s Wings

Posture:

When the white sphere reaches the Yongquan points, the visualization changes: the sphere becomes black. Both arms extend outward horizontally, palms facing upward like an eagle spreading its wings. The black sphere rises up the outer sides of the legs, through the hips, passing the perineum, back to the lower Dantian. Hands also draw inward to the Dantian, forming a sphere-holding shape.

(Mind focus for 10 minutes)

6. Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl

Posture:

Face east. Slowly extend both palms forward horizontally. Visualize a tall blue forest in front of you, full of blue fruits. Two fruits fall from the trees, like a magician conjuring them. Guide the fruits into both palms, moving them upward along the arms to the shoulders, then into the face—eyes, ears, mouth, nose—finally into the Yintang point (between the brows). There, they transform into a radiant, dazzling jewel.

7. Sphere Practice of the Nine Palaces

A. Circulation of the Nine Palaces

B. Reverse Sequence of the Nine Palaces 

Bring the left foot back, right foot forward (facing zheng / due east). Step forward with the right foot and place the left foot in a "T"-stance. According to the sequence—Si, Wu, Er, Jiu—practice the arrangement of the nine palaces. Result: 7294.

Turn around to face zhen (due east). Step forward with the right foot, left foot forming a "T"-stance. According to the sequence—San, Min, Yi, Qian—practice the arrangement of the nine palaces. Result: 3816.

8. Delivering the Elixir and Bowing to the Buddha

Posture: (Receiving mode) With hands carrying a five-colored sphere, slowly turn toward the front (due east). Inhale deeply through the nose, and gently send the qi into the dantian. Join both palms together in the “child paying homage to the Buddha” position, and softly exhale.

Poem:

The Nine Palaces of the Buddha’s Gate are not ordinary.

Do not pass this method about carelessly.

Refine the Golden Elixir to enter the Sea of Qi,

And in time, you will surely become a Great Luo Immortal.

Application of the Nine Palaces Palm:

It is transmitted only by oral instruction,

and is not to be put into written form.

 Zhengzhou City Nanyang Road Qigong Clinic

Successor of the Buddhist Nine Palaces Palm – Gong Zhifeng

Dao De Jing as a guide to Daoist Meditation Part 1 by Tom Bisio

 This series of articles was written by my teacher, mentor and friend, Tom Bisio founder and chief instructor of Internal Arts International. Tom is an accomplished martial artist and Chinese Medicine practitioner. He is also the foremost practitioner and teacher of Baquazhang in the United States. Even though I did not write this I feel is important enough to include here in the hopes that it will reach a larger audience. 

Dao De Jing as a guide to Daoist Meditation

By Tom Bisio, Internal Arts International

Part 1

May 26, 2025

This series of posts looks at the Dao De Jing as a guide to Daoist Meditation. The dual nature of the text often leads us to think that Lao Zi is talking about one thing, when there is actually a different meaning  concealed within the text.

The Dao De Jing is perhaps the most frequently translated work in Chinese. There are numerous different translations of the book. The text of Dao De Jing is generally thought to be divided into two parts: Dao Jing, which includes the first 37 chapters of the book and De Jing, which is the rest of the book (chapter 38-chapter 81).

The Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), attributed to Lao Zi (Lao Tzu), is often viewed as the central text of what is sometimes referred to (perhaps erroneously) as “Philosophical Daoism.” The Dao De Jing (known as the Laozi) is a philosophical text, but it also addresses spiritual and religious issues of Daoist practice and therefore cannot be separated from these aspects of Daoism. In addition, the book has a veiled subtext that acts as a kind of instruction manual for the practice of Daoist meditation.

There have been numerous commentaries on Dao De Jing. One of the oldest known commentaries on the Dao De Jing is attributed to He Shang Gong (Ho Shang Kung). Very little is known about He Shang Gong. He Shang Gong (literally, “the old man on the banks of the Huang Ho” or “Riverside Elder), appears to be pseudonym for a Daoist hermit. Scholars are not sure exactly when he lived and wrote his commentary. It may have been as early as 160 BCE, or later, in the 2nd century. He Shang Gong’s commentary on the Dao De Jing has been very influential on future commentaries and translations.

In reading his commentary on the text of the Dao De Jing, it is clear that He Shang Gong is not merely providing a philosophical interpretation of the text. The aim of his commentary seems to be to enable the reader to make practical use of the Dao De Jing, teaching him or her how to use the book as a guide to Daoist meditation. To this end, He Shang Gong gives chapter headings that serve as instructions or guideposts for the practice of Daoist meditation. A bit like like a “how to” book, these headings attempt to instruct the reader. Some examples are “How to Embody the Dao”, “How to Use Emptiness”, and “How to Return to Purity”. What follows is an introduction to the Dao De Jing as a guide to meditation. It is by no means a complete discussion and to a large degree it is my own limited understanding of what the text and He Shang Gong’s commentary is aiming at.

Dao is usually translated as ‘way’ or ‘method’ and by extension ‘rule of life’ or ‘process’.[1] The Dao De Jing was originally divided into two halves, one called Dao (The Way) and the other De (power, potency, potential, charisma or virtue). Although both Dao and De are discussed in both sections of the book, one could say that the first half concerns itself largely with instruction in the Dao – in the context of our discussion, the way of practicing Daoist meditation and asceticism, while the second half of the book concerns itself with De (Te), the charisma and potency of the sage (one who has embraced the Dao), and how to manage and utilize the potency and power developed through the meditative process.

At this point I have planned thirteen posts that discuss some 20 chapters 0f the Dao De Jing, which I think is sufficient to see the relationship of the text to meditation and self-cultivation practices. Because of the interlocking and repetitive nature of the text, other chapters of the Dao De Jing will be referenced along the way. I have pulled from many translations and commentaries to elucidate the text and I thank those scholars and commentators for their many contributions to understanding this seminal text. As much as possible I have footnoted sources so that the reader can consult these books and make their own conclusions.

Important Note:

Unless otherwise indicated all Dao De Jing quotes are from Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes. Switzerland: Press of Artibus Asiae Ascona (First published in Journal Artibus Saiae 1950). I highly recommend this translation and commentary if you can obtain a copy.

Dao De Jing Chapter 1: How to Embody the Dao

The Dao that can be discussed,

Is not the eternal Dao.

The name that can be named,

Is not the eternal name.

The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth.

The named is the mother of all things.

Always without desire, thereby one beholds its secret.

Always having desires, thereby one sees its return.

The two are of the same origin but different in name.

Together they are called the dark one.

The one still darker than the dark one.

The gate of every mystery.

This chapter is probably the most famous and most oft-quoted section of the Dao De Jing. It is the root or foundation of all that follows and prepares the way for what follows in subsequent chapters.. Because this chapter is the “gateway” to the rest of the text, it is worth spending some time analyzing it.

The first four lines of this chapter set the tone for self-cultivation by acknowledging the need for human beings to try and conceptualize and explain the meaning of life and the nature of reality. However these lines also tell the reader that human conceptions about life and reality are just that: conceptions. They do not signify the ultimate reality as “names” and words cannot adequately convey ultimate reality. Dao represents something subtle and difficult to grasp with the conscious, conceptual mind. The Dao is a mysterious and numinous unity that underlies and sustains all things, and is therefore inaccessible to normal thought, language and perception.[2]

The Dao that can be discussed,

Is not the eternal Dao.

The name that can be named,

Is not the eternal name.

He Shang Gong comments that the name (that can be named) is not the name of that which of itself exists externally (in other words the ultimate reality of which we are speaking). He says: The eternal names likes [to be] like a child that does not yet talk, like a chicken that has not yet broken through [the eggshell].[3]

These very famous lines in regard to naming, concepts which are reiterated in later chapters of the Dao De Jing, are, to some degree, a reaction to the “School of Names” (Ming Chia), a label for a diverse group of thinkers of the Warring States Period (479-221 BCE). Among other things, these thinkers reflected on the importance of language including “names” or “words” and their relation to actual things  or “stuff” – objects, events, situations, etc. The thinkers of the School of Names are also thought of as dialecticians (those skilled in philosophical debate), or more commonly as “disputers”, because they spent much of their time in “disputation” which focused on defining and differentiating concepts through language. This lead to  form of dialectical persuasion, inquiry and philosophical debate, sometimes leading to philosophical hairsplitting or sophistry.

While the School of Names focused on defining and differentiating concepts through language, Daoists viewed language as inherently limited and potentially misleading, believing that true understanding comes from direct experience and aligning oneself with the natural flow of the Dao. Daoism rejects the idea that language and definitions can accurately capture reality, and essentially criticized the School of Names for its focus on overly precise language and categorization which they believed distorted understanding of the world. In particular the Daoist writings ascribed to Zhuangzi employ paradoxes and skepticism to challenge the fixation of language and naming that was prevalent in the School of Names. This critique appears as a theme throughout the Dao De Jing and is as relevant today as it was in 300 BCE.

Although I only studied very briefly with the late Tom Brown Jr., known for his knowledge of nature, the outdoors and his amazing tracking skills, I remember him telling story about teaching children about plants, trees, animal sand the natural world. He said he quickly learned not to name a new plant, tree, or animal when presenting it to a child. He found the minute something was named, the child lost interest in it, so his approach became one of having the child examine the living characteristics and sensations of the plant, tree, or animal, initially without the name. He found that this approach created an ongoing living, breathing engagement with what was being observed. Similarly in internal martial arts, learning a form, or a Qi Gong set or a meditation practice  is not actually  “knowing” these things. Only through practice and engagement does one experience a “knowing.”  Forms and methods are merely vehicles for an ongoing exploration/engagement that is alive and constantly changing and transforming.

The nameless (Dao) is without physical form, It is effectively a primordial energy, hence its inability to be named, or described with words. He Shang Gong says that the nameless spits forth the breath expands the changes, proceeds from the void. Therefore it serves as the basis and beginning of Heaven and Earth.[4] Heaven and Earth are named, so they have a form and a place. Heaven and Earth are Yin and Yang, soft and hard, light and dark, etc. This relates to Dao De Jing Chapter 42: On the Changes of Dao.

Tao generates one. One generates two. Two generates three. Three generate all things.

All things turn away from yin and embrace yang.

The empty breath effects the union.

Dao generates one. One generates two (yin and yang). Two generates three: the turbid-yin, the clear-yang and the harmonious. These three correlate with Earth, Heaven, and Human Beings respectively.[5]

When movement occurs within the undifferentiated matter there is movement. This movement is like a small breeze just beginning, like a breath, like an inhalation and exhalation: the primordial Breath or primordial Qi, the “Original” or “True” Qi. With movement (Dong), there is also stillness (Jing). With movement, things begin to divide and separate. The lighter transparent Qi rises and the heavier opaque Qi sinks down. The polarity of Heaven and Earth is created. Heaven is Yang and Earth is Yin. Qi that is influenced by Yang floats, rises and moves so it can be characterized as Yang Qi. Qi that sinks, falls and is quiescent is influenced by Yin, and can be characterized as Yin Qi.

The polarity created by the cosmic Qi/Breath is called the Tai Ji, often translated as “Supreme Ultimate.” However, Tai Ji is more properly understood as “Great Polarity,” “Great Differentiation,” or “Complete Differentiation.” It can be represented as Heaven and Earth as diagrammed above. The Tai Ji represents the division of things into Yin Qi and Yang Qi, movement and stillness, up and down, right and left, etc. This process of differentiation is illustrated in an early version of the Tai Ji Diagram shown below

Yin and Yang

The spiraling action of the breath that creates the separation of the Wu Ji into Yin and Yang and Heaven and Earth can be likened to a centrifuge, which spins and separates lighter matter form heavier matter. This is sometimes diagrammed in a variation of the Tai Ji symbol:

Humanity (Ren), or in a broader sense, sentient beings, is the fruit of the union of heaven and earth. Heaven is above and Earth is below. Heaven first initiates, Earth nurtures, and then life emerges. The “One” generated by the Dao is undifferentiated Pre-Heaven Qi, the energy that creates everything else. All natural things, including human beings and human Qi, are connected to and determined by the natural cycles of Heavenly Qi and Earthly Qi. Heaven, earth and human beings are inter-connected, hence there is inherent relationship and integration between heaven, earth, and human beinngs

Heaven, Earth and Human Beings are also signifiers of respectively the Shen (spirit), Jing (essence) and Qi (vital force), the energies within us, which are derived from the undifferentiated Pre-Heaven primordial energy. These energies interact and inter-transform and, although we name them separately, they can be considered as one matrix (Jingqishen).

All things turn toward the sun (yang), the source of life, and are a mixture of yin and yang, light and dark, fire and water. In all things there is the original breath (original Qi). The ten thousand things reach their union (achieve harmony) through blending of the breaths, which in turn relies on emptiness – Emptiness here referring the undifferentiated Pre-Heaven Energy. Within the breast are the organs, within the bones is the marrow and within plants there is emptiness. The harmonious blended Qi and Breath flows through and pervades them and thereby they obtain long life.[6] Here it is made clear that the free circulation of the Qi and Breath is ultimately the reason why emptiness or nothingness (what is unseen) is critical to understanding the Dao. The definition of the Dao as what is empty, in this regard, also means the fullness of Q and Breath.[7] This fullness of Qi and Breath in turn creates the limitless and inexhaustible changes and transformations of the natural world and the living beings within it.

The first four lines also tell the reader, something that is reiterated several times in later chapters, that religion, gods and demons, prayer, etc. – things that can be named and understood intellectually or through faith – are not the answer to understanding life’s meaning.

Lines 5 and 6

The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth.

The named is the mother of all things.

The nameless is formless and the origin of the universe. According to He Shang Gong, it spits forth the breath expands the changes, proceeds from the void. Heaven and Earth can be named, so they are not the origin, but they generate everything else (all other things that can be named) so they act as the Mother.

In Chinese thought, the primordial unity before the division of things into heaven (yang) and earth (yin) is known as Hun Dun (  ). This  nebulous state of the universe before heaven and earth separated is described as undifferentiated chaos, a state prior to the formation of the universe where nothing is perceptible or can be named. It can also refer to the innocence of a child. Interestingly Hun Dun is also sometimes likened to an egg.

He Shang Gong says that the Mother (heaven and earth) swallow the breath, generate all things and let them grow and ripen like a mother nourishing her children. Here the text begins to reveal the importance of the breath in self-cultivation.

Lines 7, 8 and 9

Always without desire, thereby one beholds its secret.

Always having desires, thereby one sees its return.

The two are of the same origin but different in name.

These lines tell us that remaining without desires allows one to contemplate the unitary principle, while always having desires one contemplates the world of words and conceptions. Having desires and being without desires have the same origin but different names. Lines seven and eight contain the character Guan ( ), which can mean contemplation, to observe, behold, or regard. However Guan also refers to a Daoist Monastery, and therefore contemplation and meditation. Guan also references the Guan Hexagram (Hexagram 20: Contemplation). Guan resembles a watchtower with two solid-yang lines at the top overlooking four broken-yin lines below. This could also be understood as a temple on a mountain. Both idea offer a a broader, more clear view of things, so that one can view one’s own activity from a more objective perspective Guan is composed of the Xun-Wind Trigram over the Kun-Earth Trigram, referencing heaven’s penetrating insight connecting with earth’s stability and stillness – a good description of meditation, which involves inner observation and contemplation of the breath and the internal energies.

Line nine talks about the previous lines as having different names but the same origin. What does this mean? The next three lines explain.

Together they are called the dark one.

The one still darker than the dark one.

The gate of every mystery.

The dark one (Xuan) is discussed in more detail in Chapter 6, which He Shang Gong entitles “How to Complete the Idea.” Chapter 6 is one of the most frequently quoted passages of the Dao De Jing. This Chapter contains many important concepts related to Meditation. Hence it is worth comparing several translations and commentaries.

Below are two other translations of Chapter 6, the first by Alan Chan and the second by Richard John Lynn:

Translation 1: Alan K. L. Chan

The spirit of the valley never dies

It is called the mysterious female.

The door of the mysterious is called the root of Heaven and Earth.

Flimsy and continuous, as if barely existing,

Yet use will never exhaust it.[8]

Translation 2: Richard John Lynn

The Valley Spirit never dies, and we call it the “Mysterious Female.” The gate of the Mysterious Female is referred to as the “root of Heaven and Earth.” On and on, with only apparent existence, it functions inexhaustibly.[9]

In He Shang Gong‘s commentary, he refers to the mysterious as the “dark” or the “dark one”, sometimes differentiating it as yang or Heaven associated, as opposed to yin, associated with Earth.

In his commentary, He Shang Gong relates the dark one to Heaven and the nose, and the female to the mouth: Heaven nourishes human beings by means of the five atmospheres. Through the nose these “atmospheres or energies enter the viscera and penetrate to the heart.” [10] Red Pine’s commentary on this passage seems to build off of He Shang Gong’s:

The valley is what nourishes. Those able to nourish the spirit do not die. ‘Spirit’ means the spirits of the five organs. When these five are injured the five spirits leave. ‘Dark’ refers to Heaven. In a person this means the nose, which links us with Heaven. The female refers to ‘Earth’. In a person, this means the mouth, which links us to Earth. The breath that passes through our nose and mouth should be finer than gossamer silk and barely noticeable, as if it weren’t actually present. It should be relaxed and never strained or exhausted.[11]

The five spirits are rarefied essences of the Five Qi of the five viscera. The five spirits produce the senses of the body. There are two key spirits. The Hun (spirit associated with the liver) is yang. It is connected to Heaven. Hence, it is mysterious and dark. The Hun relates to the liver and is in charge of what enters and leaves the body through the nose. The Po (associated with the lungs) is related to Earth and yin. The Po nourishes man with tastes, which enter through the mouth. Relative to the rarified vapor of Heaven, foods and the tastes ass0ciated with food, are turbid and dense. They “form” and provide nourishment for the frame of the body – the bones, muscles, flesh, etc.[12] The other spirits are the Yi (Intention) which is linked to the spleen and stomach, the Shen (Heart-Spirit) and the Zhi (Will), linked to the Jing (essence) which is stored in the kidneys.

The Hun and Po are important concepts in Daoist meditation. The sensory perceptions of the eyes, ears, mouth, etc, are thought to comprise the Po. When these become Qi they are called the Hun, which is said to have three “spirits” that are akin to the Three Treasures – Jing, Qi and Shen. The Po is said to have seven “souls” that are related to the emotions and senses – joy, anger, pleasure, sorrow, like, dislike, and desire.

In Daoist meditation and internal alchemy the passions of the Po are thought to dominate the Hun in most people. This causes the vital force to decay. Meditation aims to reverse this dynamic, so that one’s desires and sensations become ruled by the Hun. During the day the Hun resides in the eyes, the windows of the Shen (spirit), while at night it resides in the liver. When the Hun resides in the eyes, one can “see”; when it resides in the liver, one can “dream.” In one who “dreams” too much, the Po controls the Hun. In one who is “awake” (i.e.: not ruled by dreams and desires), the Hun controls the Po.[13]

When the Hun and the Po, the yin and yang manifestations of the spirits, are harmonized, one connects or reconnects to an inner unity. This unity is itself a manifestation of the balanced and harmonious breaths of Heaven and Earth moving through us.

Breathing continuously, infinitesimally and smoothly is the door that connects us with the fundamental essences of Heaven and Earth, which in turn harmonizes and nourishes the spirits. He Shang Gong describes the breath as being performed uninterruptedly and in a mysterious way, as if one could flee and return, as if one did not exist. In using the breath, one should proceed with ease and not to make haste and to make oneself tired.[14]   This is essentially a description of the meditative process.

Some commentators consider the “mouth”, related to earth, to actually refer to the anus and genitals. During meditation, one inhales through the nose and gathers Qi (energy), but by controlling desire and holding up the anus one prevents leakage of the vital force accumulating in the center of the body.

These ideas are similar to internal boxing training, which employs standing and moving meditation in the training methods. In arts like Xing Yi Quan and Ba Gua Zhang, one is taught to uphold Qi internally without it leaking and to circulate Qi through the internal organs. The great Xing Yi Boxer Liu Wen Hua sites the importance of gathering Qi internally as follows:

It is said that Qi in the Dan Tian area is inherited from the Pre-Heaven, staying sufficiently in the interior and not wandering to the exterior, but it can be nourished and supplemented to a sufficient volume, even without training. If people are able to avoid indulging in sexual desire avoiding the loss of Kidney Jing (Essence) and are able to maintain good life habits, then primary Qi will automatically be sufficient. Then life can be prolonged.[15]

Liu Wen Hua goes on to say that to train Dan Tian, one must accumulate Qi in Dan Tian, and secondly one must circulate Qi so that it flows through the organs and channels without any blockage. He ends by saying that this can only be accomplished through diligent training and not by “sitting in meditation praying the immortals” – again reiterating the Dao De Jing’s recurring theme that religion, gods and demons, prayer – things that are named and understood intellectually or through faith, rather than through one’s unspoken and unnamed inner experience – are not the answer to real knowledge and ability.

Guo Yun Shen, perhaps the most famous Xing Yi boxer, says that practicing Nei Dan, (Daoist “Inner Elixir” meditation) and practicing the martial art of Xing Yi Quan are essentially the same:

The way to train the Nei Dan all depends upon respiration, beginning with the small heavenly circle and large heavenly circle and then achieving a return to emptiness; each stage a transformation through breath. The methods of the boxing art are the same except that one is training the body, sinews and bones. Training the inner elixir seeks movement within stillness, and upon reaching its peak, movement returns to stillness. In boxing one seeks stillness within movement, and the peak of stillness returns to movement. In the initial training, they look different, but become the same in returning emptiness.[16]

In the text the Mysterious Female is referred to as Xuan Pin (  ). Xuan means “black”, “dark”, “profound”, or “abstruse”, while Pin refers to female (yin). The Xuan Pin “Gate” is referred to as the origin of the universe, and the place where vitality resides, hence the source of the Dao. This gate is formless, infinite, and eternal, a realm that transcends time and space. Entering this gate is to transcend the mundane world and reach the Dao, thereby attaining both wisdom and energy.[17]

This term appears at the end of the first chapter of the Dao De Jing. In the He Shang Gong version it is as follows: The one still darker than the dark one, the gate of every mystery. Below are three other interesting translations of this line:

The mystery upon mystery, and gateway of all subtleties.[18]

Darker even than darkness, gate of multiple subtleties.[19]

The obscurest of the obscure, they are the swinging gateway of the manifold mysteries.[20]

According to some scholars, the Chinese oracle bone character for Xuan depicts hands turning something, creating a kind of spinning whirl, a vortex, which is deep and dark and is associated with the mysterious downward spiraling of water. The whirl functions as a gate that lets things in and out like a cosmic source through which everything passes.[21]

Xuan Pin is the passage between life and death, between being and non-being, the place where Yin and Yang communicate. These concepts are illustrated in an ancient representation of the Xuan Pin depicted below.

The “Valley” is like the low ground where water collects without effort. Han Dynasty commentator Wang Bi describes the Valley as the “nothingness in the center of the valley”, which has neither form nor appearance.[22] Sinologist D.C. Lau writes that “the valley is but the empty space between two mountains, and so it only seems as if it were there.” After the mountains wear away, the space is still there.[23] This void space is also compared to a deep dark gorge, the place from which Heaven and Earth emerged. This can be a metaphor for the Dao. It conjures up the image of a still pool, which can be likened to the cultivation of stillness in meditation – when the outward senses are withdrawn to look inward and the mind moves only within itself.[2

Although Gu Shen, taken literally, means “Valley Spirit,” Howard Dewar feels that Gu Shen refers to the energy center in the perineum – in Chinese traditions the area is also called Hui Yin (“Yin Meeting” or “Convergence of Yin”), Yin Qiao (“Yin Motility” or “Yin Bridge” and Pin Men (“Female or Yin Gate”). Brewer goes on to postulate that: this center is actually the place where a human being connects to the universe, it is the gate of heaven and earth. While most religions emphasize the heart as the seat of human nature, the Daodejing says that a human being, whose ultimate being is a manifestation of energy traceable to the dao, connects to the dao via the xuanpin center.[25]

He Shang Gong seems to concur with this viewpoint. If one nourishes the spirits, “one dies not.” They are nourished through breathing and meditation. Xuan Pin is a “gate.” Focusing on the “gate” (the Valley Spirit) yields continuous unbroken energy that does not die (does not stop), because it is overflowing and as the text tells us: to use it [the energy] is not fatiguing.[26]

Returning to Dao De Jing Chapter 1 the last three lines are saying that both the man who has desires and he who has none, receive the same breath of Heaven – the “Dark One.” According to He Shang Gong, the “One still darker then the Dark One,” means that within heaven there is another heaven; within the breath, there is another breath; within the mind, there is another mind. In the breath there is both fullness and emptiness, which allows us to cast aside feelings and desires and remain in the middle, in harmony.[27] Understanding this place of unity and harmony is the gate of the mystery.

The text and commentary are directing us to understand the key to attainment of the Dao is to step away from desires and find the breath within the breath (True Breath) to reach the mind within the mind (True Mind). Finding this True Breath and True Mind allow us to cast aside desires and dwell in the middle – the nameless, harmonious center. So here, in this first chapter, it becomes clear that meditation and breathing as a method of self-cultivation are the gate to our return to the source – the primordial energy that generates all things.

Notes

[1] Taoism: Growth of a Religion, by Isabelle Robinet. Translated by Phyllis Brooks. Stanford, Stanford University Press, 1997, p. 26.

[2] The Secret Teachings of the Tao Te Ching, by Mantak Chia and Tao Huang. Rochester Vermont: Destiny Books, 2002 and 2005, p. 10.

[3] Ho-Shang-Kung's Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes. Switzerland: Press of Artibus Asiae Ascona (1950) p. 13.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Two Visions of The Way: A Study of Wang Pi and the Ho-shang Kung Commentaries on the Lao Tzu, by Alan K.L. Chan. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991, p. 146.

[6] Ibid, p. 126.

[7] Ibid, p. 127.

[8] Two Visions of The Way: A Study of Wang Pi and the Ho-shang Kung Commentaries on the Lao Tzu, by Alan K.L. Chan. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991, pp. 139-140.

[9] The Classic of the Way and Virtue Tao-Te-Ching of Lao Zi as interpreted by Wang Bi, Richard John Lynn (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999) p. 62

[10] Ibid. p. 22.

[11] Lao-tzu’s Taoteching: with Selected Commentaries of the Past 2000 Years, translated by Red Pine (Bill Porter). Townsend WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2009, p.13.

[12] Two Visions of The Way: A Study of Wang Pi and the Ho-shang Kung Commentaries on the Lao Tzu, by Alan K.L. Chan. p. 140.

[13] Daoist Sleeping Meditation: Chen Tuan’s Sleeping Gong. Tom Bisio (Denver: Outskirts Press 2018) p. 74.

[14] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p. 22.

[15] Detailed Collection of the Art of Xing Yi Quan. Liu Dian Chen (Liu Wen Hua). Translated Huang Guo Qi & Tom Bisio

[16]     Authentic Explanation of Boxing Concepts. Sun Fu Quan (Sun Lu Tang). March, 1924.

[17] https://www.webnovel.com/ask/q333371448681480

[18] The Classic of The Way and Virtue: A New Translation of the Tao-Te Ching of Laozi as interpreted by Wang Bi, translated by Richard John Lynn, p. 52.

[19] Dao De Jing: The New, Highly Readable Translation of the Life-Changing Ancient Scripture Formerly Known as the Tao Te Ching, translation and Commentary by Hans-Georg Moeller, p. 3.

[20] Daodejing, “Making This Life Significant”: A Philosophical Translation, Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall, p. 77.

[21] Dao De Jing. Hans-Georg Moeller, p. vii.

[22] The Classic of the Way and Virtue Tao-Te-Ching of Lao Zi as interpreted by Wang Bi, Richard John Lynn, p. 62.

[23] D. C. Lau. https://www.centertao.org/essays/tao-te-ching/dc-lau/chapter-6-commentary/

[24] The Way and Its Power, A Study of the Tao Te Ching and its Place in Chinese Thought, by Arthur Waley. New York: Grove Press Inc., 1958, p. 57.

[25] Sweetness &Light: What Laozi is Really Saying in the Daodejing, Howard Dewar, 2004, p. 9.

[26] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p. 22.

[27] Ibid, p. 14-15.

The Dao De Jing as a Guide to Daoist Meditation Part 2 by Tom Bisio

 This series of articles was written by my teacher, mentor and friend, Tom Bisio founder and chief instructor of Internal Arts International. Tom is an accomplished martial artist and Chinese Medicine practitioner. He is also the foremost practitioner and teacher of Baquazhang in the United States. Even though I did not write this I feel is important enough to include here in the hopes that it will reach a larger audience. 

Dao De Jing Chapter 2: How to Cultivate the Personality

In this second part of a series of posts that examine the Dao De Jing as a guide to Daoist Meditation, the analysis of these chapters leans heavily on He Shang Gong’s (Ho Shang Kung) commentary on the text. He Shang Gong’s chapter headings read like instructions or guideposts for the practice of Daoist meditation, a bit like a “how to” book. In this post we look at Chapter 2: How to Cultivate the Personality and Chapter 5: How to Use Emptiness.

Unless otherwise indicated all Dao De Jing quotes are from: Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes. Switzerland: Press of Artibus Asiae Ascona (First published in Journal Artibus Saiae 1950). I highly recommend this translation and commentary if you can obtain a copy.

All the world knows that beauty is beautiful, then there is ugliness.

If all know that good is good, then badness exists.

Thus existence and non-existence generate each other.

Heaviness and lightness perfect each other,

Longness and shortness form each other.

Highness and lowness incline toward each other.

Sound and Voice harmonize with each other.

Before and afterwards follow each other.

Therefore the saint remains in the business of non-action.

He follows the doctrine of no speaking.

All things rise, and they are not rejected.

He produces without owning.

He acts and puts no stress on it

Merit is accomplished and he does not stay with it.

Now because he does not stay with it,

He does not flee.

The text tells us that opposites both generate and complete each other, so one should focus on not acting – Wu Wei. Wu Wei is a concept that causes a lot of confusion. Sinologist Jean François Billeter describes Wu Wei as a “state of perfect knowledge of the reality of the situation, perfect efficaciousness and the realization of a perfect economy of energy.”[1] Wu Wei literally means “without action.” But it does not mean doing nothing, but rather doing just what is appropriate – effortless action or action without exertion – letting things unfold in a natural way. This non-action, non-interference and non-intervention means not interfering with the patterns and rhythms of nature, not imposing our own intentions on the organization of the world.

Nature and “civilization,” the universe and society, function best if they function like a perpetual motion machine, a machine that follows its own course without the input of an external energy or loss of energy due to internal friction. Any mechanism that is dependent on an external source of energy, on a cosmic battery, so to speak, will expire along with its battery. Only a self-sustained mechanism that is totally immanent can be absolutely free of exhaustion. If the organism is totally closed and “self-so” it cannot “leak.” Its power or efficacy is unobstructed.[2]

Daoist Meditation practices are exactly as described above. Rather than interfering with or modifying the mechanisms and patterns of nature (both our own nature and the nature of the world around us), one observes their operations in a state of stillness, and through this observation, transformations unfold.

Dao De Jing Chapter 55: “On the Charm of the Mystery” will be discussed in more detail in a later post, however it touches deeply on the idea of Wu Wei in relation to self-cultivation. The heart and the emotions, if not still and focused, if not harmonious, pull on the reservoir of Qi and Jing, thereby depleting them. This is considered to be going against the Dao. The text and commentary of Chapter 55 tell us that the uninhibited circulation of the internal energies allows one to penetrate the dark mystery, so that the body becomes stronger, inside and tender on the outside, like an infant – Who holds the fullness of Te in his mouth may be compared to and infant. Because the infant’s breath is harmonious and because its intention is focused, its mind does not change – therefore its grip is tight even though its sinews are tender and the bones weak.  He Shang Gong adds, that if the harmonious breath disappears from the interior, the body daily becomes harder[3] (ie: less resilient – more brittle). When one has lost the Dao in this fashion, one ages and dies. The implication is one of trying just the right amount. If one uses the mind to force the Qi to move, the inner suppleness is lost, the “harmonious breath disappears from the interior”[4] and the body becomes harder and more brittle.

Dao De Jing Chapter 2 points out that calling things good or bad is relative, since opposites are so dependent on each other. These distinctions and even cause and effect are nuanced. So, the sage, or the person cultivating internal energy, tries to refrain from judging, because judging tends toward an overexertion or expenditure that creates friction and potential blockage. Professor Bernard Down points out that in Daoist thought, the truth value of any claim is related to its context or perspective and must, therefore, always be carefully qualified in order have any validity at all. What is good for one individual might not be good for another, or good for a single individual at different times. The same goes for beauty, truth, usefulness, and so on. Therefore, rather than dogmatically maintaining constant standards, one should be prepared to flexibly adjust one’s attitudes in relation to the needs of the current situation. [4a] The sage is very hesitant to interfere, or to insist that his or her opinion should be respected. The sage is reluctant to lead, and refuses to be followed, perhaps acting as an example, but without pointing it out. By not putting oneself above others, one is unlikely to be rebuked. Judging and interfering are modes of overdoing which can negatively impact one’s Te (power and potential).

Already in these first two chapters of the Dao De Jing, there is an idea of not stressing anything too much, having no termination that defines and apprehends meaning. Rather then limiting definitions, these utterances serve as a kind of bridge.[5] Through non-differentiation one is then able to engage with the incessant ongoing transformation of things, whose continuity ‘cannot be named’ but whose indistinction leads us beneficently toward the fundamental harmony which Daoists have called the ‘Dao’.[6] He Shang Gong’s commentary tells us that acting, but putting no stress on anything, is what the Dao is doing.[7] Allowing transformation to unfold, one “produces without owning” just as the pristine breath produces all things without owning them.[8]

Dao De Jing Chapter 5: How to use Emptiness

Heaven and Earth are not humane,

They regard all things as straw dogs.

The saint is not humane,

He regards people as straw dogs.

The space between heaven and earth,

Should it not be like a bellows?

Who talks much is soon emptied.

This is not equal to keeping to the centre.

Chapter Five is another oft-quoted passage of the Dao De Jing. The first two lines seem a bit harsh at first. However scholars agree that “straw dogs” refers to people in ancient times binding grass together to make straw dogs that were used in sacrificial offerings, and then discarded to return to their natural state (a pile of straw) when the ceremony was over.[9]

Straw dogs, has another meaning as we see in the Daoist text the Zhuanzi. In a commentary on the Zhuangzi  Guo Xiang (252- 312 CE), compares the Four Books and Five Confucian Classics[10] to “straw dogs”: It has already been shown how the Five Classics and the whole mass of our older books are “straw dogs,” effigies of the past. What we call footprints were of course produced by the feet. In the same way, books are written by the sages, but they are not the sages.[11]

In the Zhuangzi, this passage is presented as a conversation between Lao Zi and Confucius. Lao Zi says that the classics are the stale traces of former sages. These traces, or tracks (footprints) are created by walking (by the formless naturalness expressed by the sages), but they are not themselves the walking.[12] Treading on the footprints of others can inform us, but we cannot take them as the model for our own True Nature and its spontaneous expression. We must find our own way. This kind of Intention-No Intention (Yi Bu Yi), letting things take their own course and flowing with them is one of the principles of inner transformation in Meditative practices.

The idea of achieving merit and then letting it go is echoed in in the final line of Dao De Jing Chapter 9: How to Let Ease Circulate: Merit is achieved, glory follows, the personality recedes. This is the way of heaven. Once something is understood and achievement is made, rather than holding onto this merit and glory, which then stagnates and fixes the energy, one continues to develop and transform, by simply walking onward along the path, letting go and leaving no trace or only footprints – leaving nothing behind that can be argued over or disputed.

Human Beings are also like straw dogs. Heaven and earth follow their own natural interaction of which human beings are but a part, and therefore not subject to any special regard – in other words, heaven and earth are impartial. Their energies flow through us and we resonate with their vibrations. Living things are allowed to flourish of their own accord without interference. Similarly the sage or the person cultivating does not push others to be one way or the other, but interacts with them naturally and without the need to make them adhere to the sage’s personal perspective. He or she lets them develop naturally. Similarly in meditation one must allow the process to unfold with prejudice or preconceived ideas. Words and images that aid in understanding the meditation process, while useful, must ultimately be discarded (in the sense of not being rigidly adhered to) in order to observe and sense what is actually occurring, rather then what one wants to occur, or thinks should occur.

The famous Buddhist parable about two monks crossing a river is apropos to the above discussion. Two Buddhist monks, a senior and a junior, were walking through the forest. They came across a river flowing through their path. To continue their journey, they had to swim through the river and cross to the other side. There was a woman who was sitting at the bank of the river. She requested the monks to carry her to the other side. The younger monk, mindful of his vow celibacy, which included not even looking at women, let alone touching them, refused. However the older monk simply put the woman on his back, took her across the river to the other side and then returned. The monks continued on their journey, but as the hours passed the younger monk became more and more agitated. Finally he burst out with recrimination against the older monk, who in his estimation had broken his vow. The senior monk smiled, and said, “I dropped the woman at the bank of the river a long time ago, but you are still carrying her”.

He Shang Gong tells us that the space between Heaven and Earth is void and therefore harmonious, a place to do away with external things, desires, feelings and “superfluidities.”[13] This space is like a bellows. The bellows is empty yet it possesses a resounding breath. It is empty, yet it is inexhaustible and full. If the intake is too fast or too hard, the flow of air through the bellows will not be efficient. If too slow, little will be drawn in or expelled. The secret is to be gentle, consistent, steady and even.[14] The bellows represent the flow of the Qi and Breath, the flow of life, moving in a harmonious flow.

Similarly in meditation, one should keep strength inside, letting the breath gently and naturally move and fill the emptiness and thereby cultivate the spirits of the five organs. Talking empties rather than fills this space, so it is better to save and cultivate the breath, and diminish idle talk. Talking tires the body by expending Qi, rather than guarding it within. Talking harms the mind but making it repeatedly follow set channels. “Keeping the centre”, means keeping strength inside. Cultivate and nourish the spirits [of the five viscera], save your breath and talk little.[15]

In addition, words themselves often create a gap between the speaker and listener. Countless elements shape the meaning and quality of words, and both transmission and comprehension are often colored by one’s internal conflicts, needs and emotions. A true understanding of one’s moment-to-moment reality – the Dao – cannot be described with words. It can only be hinted at: “The Dao that can be discussed is not the eternal Dao.” Hence communication without words and understanding without words often facilitates a truer and deeper understanding.

Keeping to the center means not going too far in one direction or another. Then one is able to move in any direction as circumstances dictate, because one’s potential for change and transformation remains full and potent. Chinese scholar and philosopher Francois Jullien points out that in Chinese thought, the less evident a quality, the greater its capacity to grow; this is not remotely a question of humility. Rather, restraint is the very condition of non-exhaustion.[16] Simplicity and plainness are the measure of authenticity – it is situated opposite in relation to the flavorful or colorful, whose intensity and seductiveness are doomed to wear themselves out.[17]

In this chapter of the Dao De Jing we begin to get a sense of the nature of the Saint or Sage. In writings attributed to Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) he refers to saints and sages as “True Men” (Zhen Ren). Zhuangzi says that True Men have “unremembering hearts, calm faces, clear brows. They were cool like autumn, warm like spring; they were pleased and angry evenly through the four seasons, did what fitted in with other things, and no one knew their high point.” The True Man of Old:

His figure looms but suffers no landslides,

He seems to lack but takes no gifts.

Assured! His stability, but not rigid.

Pervasive! His tenuous influence, but it is not on display.

Lighthearted! Seems to be doing as he pleases.

Under compulsion! Inevitable that he does it.

Impetuously! Asserts a manner of his own.

Cautiously! Holds in the Power which is his own.

So tolerant! In his seeming worldliness.

So arrogant! In his refusal to be ruled.

Canny! Seems likes to keep his mouth shut.

Scatterbrained! Forgets every word that he says.[18]

The Zhen Ren, the genuinely human person, is in tune with the cycles of nature and is therefore not upset by the vicissitudes of life. In tune with nature, and with the cycles of yin yang, the True Person is not disturbed or harmed by them. This is sometimes expressed by hyperbole – the True Person cannot drown in the ocean or be burned by fire, and he cannot die. Zhuangzi goes on to hint that there are ways of cultivating or genuine and natural humanity. Through these methods we:

We learn how to identify with that center which functions as an axis of stability around which the cycles of emotional turbulence flow. By maintaining ourselves as a shifting and responding center of gravity we are able to maintain equanimity without giving up our feelings altogether. We enjoy riding the dragon without being thrown around by it. Ordinarily, we are buffeted around like flotsam in a storm, and yet, by holding fast to our ancestral nature, and by following the nature of the environment – by “matching nature with nature” – we free ourselves from the mercy of random circumstances.[19]

Notes:

[1] Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_wei

[2] The Philosophy of the Daodejing. Hans-Georg Moeller (New York: Columbia University Press, 2006) p. 49.

[3] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p. 98.

[4] Ibid.

[4a) “Death in Classical Daoist Thought.” Bernard Down Philosophy Now – a Magazine of Ideas, Issue 27 https://philosophynow.org/issues/27/Death_in_Classical_Daoist_Thought

[5] The Silent Transformations, by Francois Jullien. Translated by Micahel Richardson and Krzysztof Fijalkowski. London, New York, Calcutta: Seagull Books, 2011, p. 39.

[6] Ibid. p. 33.

[7] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p.16.

[8] Ibid.

[9] The Classic of the Way and Virtue Tao-Te-Ching of Lao Zi as interpreted by Wang Bi, Richard John Lynn (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999) p. 61.

[10] Four Books: Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean. Mencius, and Analects. Five Classics: Classic of Poetry, Book of Documents, book of Rites, Yi Jin, and the Spring & Autumn Annals

[11] Alchemy, Medicine and Religion in the China of AD 320: The Nei Pien of Ko Hung. James R. Ware (trans and ed). p. 328.

[12] The Penumbra Unbound: The Neo-Taoist Philosophy of Guo Xiang. Brook Ziporyn. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003) pp. 31-32.

[13] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p.20

[14] The Secret Teachings of the Tao Te Ching, pp. 34-5.

[15] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p.20

[16] In Praise of Blandness: Proceeding From Chinese Thought and Aesthetics, by Francois Jullien, translated by Paula M. Varsano. New York: Zone Books, 2004, p.51.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Chuang-Tzu: The Inner Chapters, translated by A.C. Graham (Indianapolis IN: Hackett Publishing Co, 1981, 2001) p. 85.

[19] Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Zhuangzi (Chuang-Tzu, 369—298 B.C.E.) Chapter 6: Da Zong Shi (The Vast Ancestral Teacher) www.iep.utm.edu/zhuangzi/