Amazing Stories From the Shaolin Temple

By Jeffrey J. Kelly

April 1994, Black Belt Magazine.

    The original Shaolin Temple, located in China's Henan province, is a magical place.  It is probably the single most famous Buddhist temple in the world, yet, strangely enough, it is renowned today more for its connection with the martial arts than for Buddhism.  This fact is even more unusual when you consider that the Shaolin Temple is where the Dhyana sect of Buddhism was introduced to China.  This denomination, which stresses the practice of prolonged meditation, established deep roots in China and also profoundly affected the history and culture of Japan, where it became known as Zen.  The Shaolin Temple is also said to be the birthplace of Chinese martial arts, although there are those who doubt this claim.  Regardless of whether Kung fu originated at the temple, the fact is that martial arts and Buddhism were synthesized for the first time there.  This union can be traced back well over 1,500 years, and has profoundly affected the way martial arts are practiced to this day.  Even today, although many young men come to the temple to learn its brand of martial arts, many also come to learn Buddhism, for indeed, the two cannot be separated at the Shaolin temple.  This unique combination of the physical and spiritual has for centuries captivated martial artist.  The Shaolin Temple has long been the subject of innumerable fables, some based in fact, others not.  There have been so many stories, books and movies about the temple that is often difficult to separate fact from fiction.  What follows are several of these stories, gleaned from conversations with Shaolin Temple monks, as well as discussions with Wang Bin, the president of the Disciples of Shaolin International Institute of Kung Fu.  They are stories, handed down for generations, bout some of the prominent figures in the temple's past.  Whether they are fact or fiction is up to the reader to decide.  The construction of the Shaolin Temple was commissioned by Emperor Xiao Wen around A.D. 495.  The emperor ordered the temple built for the benefit of an Indian Buddhist monk named Buddhabhadra, known as Ba Tuo in Chinese.  An early missionary Ba had arrived from India to spread Buddhism and had found favor with Xiao, who was a supporter of the new faith.  The temple, lying to the northwest of the Dengfeng County seat, was built at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain along the Song Shan Mountain range.  Named in a part for the mountain that bordered it to the north, the temple was called Shalin, meaning the "forest of Shao Mountain."  Ba was established as the first abbot, and for the rest of his life, he translated sutras(Buddhist writings) and taught Buddhism at the temple.  It is also said that Ba was enamored with the Chinese martial arts, and actually recruited individuals skilled in them.  Ba had several outstanding disciples, including a man named Hui Guang.  Ba met Hui while traveling through the nearby town of Luoyang.  As he walked, Ba noticed a young boy kicking a shuttlecock, known in Chinese as Jian zi.  This in itself was not unusual, for all Chinese youngsters are familiar with the game.  However, rather than kicking the shuttlecock in front of him, which is the most common method, the boy was kicking it behind himself, a much more difficult technique.  The monk watched as the boy kicked the jian zi 500 times without dropping it.  Even more impressive was the fact the boy was performing this nearly impossible feat while standing on top of a high wall that overlooked a stone courtyard.  Any loss of balance and the boy could have fallen to his death.  Impressed by the boy's concentration and ability, Ba approached him about becoming a Buddhist monk.  The boy was interested and was permitted by his parents to journey with the monk back to the temple, and he was thereafter known by his Buddhist name, Hui Gang.

    It is said that Hui was a skilled acrobat before becoming a monk, and it is thought that he may have been influenced in introducing martial arts into the curriculum at the Shaolin Temple.  Working with Ba, Hui translated and wrote commentaries on many Buddhist sutras and was regarded as the founder of the Dilun school of Buddhism.

    Seng Chou was another of Ba's noted disciples.  Seng was raised in Anyang county in Henan province and, when he was 28, he made a vow to become a Buddhist monk.  He was accepted as the disciple by Ba and soon became known for his intelligence and prodigious memory.  He was able to understand and memorize the most difficult of the sutras after only one reading.  Seng was also extremely strong and was said to be skilled in the martial arts.  He enjoyed wrestling, and during holidays and festivals, would perform for the crowds that visited the temple.  Seng would take on all comers, and it was said no one could beat him.  For fun, he would climb up onto the main beam in his room, at least a dozen feet above the floor, and leap from one beam to the next - a distance of almost 10 feet between each.  He also liked to walk atop high walls with uncanny speed and agility.

    One story tells of a journey Seng made across Wangwu Mountain to spend an extended period in solitary meditation.  Hearing a thunderous roar and a great thrashing about in the nearby woods, the monk went to investigate and came upon two tigers locked in mortal combat.  Not wanting even these savage creatures to injure one another - for Buddhist vow not to harm any living being - Seng rushed forth and used his heavy iron staff to separate the two beasts.  Then, with a loud cry that frightened the ferocious animals, he chased the tigers off.

    Seng was also known for his achievements in Buddhism.  In A.D. 552, Emperor Wen Xuan constructed a temple for him on the southern slope of Mount Long, northwest of present-day Anyang.  It was here that Seng edited two books on Buddhist meditation.

    The man generally credited with creating the martial art now called shaolin chuan was an Indian monk named Bodhidharma (or Da Mo in Chinese)Bodhidharma came to China from India in about A.D. 470 arriving by boat and staying in southern China for a time.

Emperor Wu of Liang, a devout Buddhist, heard of the new missionary’s arrival and invited him to the palace.  Upon meeting Bodhidharma, the emperor said “I have built many temples and pagodas, and have restored even more.  I have given much of my treasury to the Sangha (brotherhood of Buddhist monks) and made offerings in all the major temples of the land.  What merit have I gained by all my efforts?”

          Bodhidharma looked the emperor in the eye and answered “Your majesty through all your efforts, you have gained no merit at all.”

          Enraged, Wu had Bodhidharma banished.

          Unwelcome in the south, Bodhidharma journeyed to northern China.  To do so, he had to cross the Yangtze River, which was swollen by heavy rains and dangerous to cross.  Undeterred, the monk pulled a leaf off the stem of a nearby reed.  He blew on the leaf and it reportedly grew to the size of a small boat.  Bodhidharma then mounted his “vessel” and safely crossed the mighty river.

          After some wandering, Bodhidharma came upon the Shaolin Temple, Captivated by the charm and isolation of the small monastery nestled at the foot of wooded mountains, the monk decided to settle there.  Since Dhyana meditation is best conducted in solitude, the monk searched about for a quiet place to practice and soon discovered a small cave three-quarters of the way up the steep mountain behind the temple.  Once settled into his cozy new quarters, Bodhidharma began practicing long hours of Meditation.  He sat, unmoving, facing the cave wall, day after day, summer and winter, year after year.

          One summer, Bodhidharma discovered that he was drifting off to sleep soon after sitting down to meditate.  Angered by his laziness and realizing he would never reach enlightenment by sleeping, the monk cut off his eyelids with a knife.  He tossed the eyelids from the cave and, soon thereafter, a tea plant sprouted at the very spot where Bodhidharma’s eyelids had landed.  The monk’s disciples later found that, when brewed, the tea from this plant helped keep them awake during long meditation sessions.  Tea has been an integral part of Dhyana meditation remained in the cave.  Bodhidharma remained in the cave for nine years, until he reached enlightenment.  When Bodhidharma left the cave to begin teaching, disciples discovered that the sun had burned the monk’s shadow into one of the cave’s rock.  The disciples removed the rock and put it on display in the temple where it remains to this day as a testament to Bodhidharma’s religious zeal.

          Stories circulated about Bodhidharma’s self-induced solitude and one winter day a young man named Shen Guang showed up at the mouth of his cave.  Shen had studied Taoism for many years, had heard of Bodhidharma, and determined the study with him.  Shen stood patiently for hours in the knee-deep snow outside the cave, waiting for Bodhidharma to finish his meditation.  When the monk stirred at last.  Shen introduced himself and announced his desire to become a disciple.

          Bodhidharma was concerned when he learned of Shen’s long association with Taoism, and he feared the young man was not sincere and merely wanted to add to his collection of knowledge.  To test Shen’s sincerity, Bodhidharma told him “I will take you as my disciple only when heaven snows red.’  With that, he dismissed the young man.

          Shen was crushed, but he was also determined not to give up.  Pulling a knife from his belt, he cut off his left arm, allowing the blood to splatter on the snow.  Once again he knelt before Bodhidharma, offering up his arm as a gesture of his commitment.  Bodhidharma agreed to make Shen a disciple and tended to the young man’s wound.  He gave his new disciple the name Hui Ke, and shortly before his death, Bodhidharma passed on his robe and begging bowl to Hui who became the second patriarch of the Dhyana sect in China.

          After he emerged from the cave, Bodhidharma imparted his knowledge of meditation to the monks who had made the long climb each day to his cave to bring him food.  Bodhidharma noticed however, that the monks were having very little success with the new technique.  Their bodies were not up to the rigors of prolonged meditation.  Their muscles were soft, and many of the monks had developed circulation problems from sitting cross-legged for so many hours each day.  Some had so little energy that they fell asleep the minute they sat down to meditate.  Bodhidharma realized they needed some sort of exercise to counteract the effects of prolonged sitting.  Drawing on his education as an Indian nobleman, Bodhidharma developed a series of exercises were designed to increase the circulation of internal energy, strengthen and loosens the tendons, and tone the muscles.  The exercises were later listed in a book called The Muscle Change Classic.  Exactly when martial arts training became a major part of the temple’s curriculum is unclear, but history shows that at time, the monastery’s martial arts program became more important to the monks that Buddhist teachings.  Strange stories about the Shaolin Temple continue to the present day.  For example, many people have heard the tale of an underground chamber full of wooden automatons beneath the temple.  Legend has it that when a young monk completed his training, he had to undergo a final test of his fighting prowess.  He was ushered into an underground labyrinth filled with wooden men, then the exit was sealed behind him.  He was expected to find his way out while defeating any wooden robots who crossed his path.  Once liberated from the chamber and its mechanical army, the monk was free to travel and teach Buddhism and martial arts.  Although there is no hard evidence such a compartment ever existed, many still claim it is there, buried under the temple grounds.

          Fact or fiction?  You decide.

          In either case, such stories are all part of the colorful legend of China’s original Shaolin Temple.

         

 

The Dao De Jing as a Guide to Daoist Meditation – Part 8

 The Dao De Jing as a Guide to Daoist Meditation – Part 8

By Tom Bisio

March 26, 2026

Note: This is the 8th part of Tom Bisio's ground breaking series on the Dao De Jing and how use it as meditation. The previous parts may be found below. 

In this eighth 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 21: How to Return to Empty the Heart and Chapter 26: How to Lay Stress on De.

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 21: How to Empty the Heart

The endurance of great Te

Tao’s relation to the beings is alone ecstatic, alone abstruse.

In ecstasy and abstruseness it is an image.

In ecstasy and abstruseness it is a being.

In deepness and darkness it has the essence.

Its essence is very real.

Within itself it has truth.

From antiquity till today its name does not vanish.

Thereby it takes care of the beginning of everything.

How do I know that this is the case with the beginning of everything?

By this.

The first two lines can also be translated as:

Openness is Virtue’s [De] form.

With your attention on Dao alone, this will arrive.[1]

This passage refers to embracing emptiness so that one’s actions, Heart-Mind and spirit conform with the Dao. With one’s attention focused on emptiness one can begin to sense the inner unity of the energies and spirits, both internally and externally.

He Shang Gong’s commentary on this chapter elaborates on the qualities of those with great De, who obtain the Dao. Men of great Te are able to endure everything. They are able to take up dirt and dust and live in humble loneliness.[2] They do not follow the ways and practices of the world, but focus only on the Dao.[3]

The text then uses emphatic repetition to convey the abstruse ecstatic spontaneity of the Dao. Daniel Reid’s translation viscerally conveys this use of repetition:

Sudden! Spontaneous! In equilibrium it has appearance.

Spontaneous! Sudden! In equilibrium there are things.

Obscure! Dark! In equilibrium there is purity.[4]

This can also be understood to mean that though the Dao is ecstatic and abstruse, it is within the formlessness that the model of all beings exists. Though it is ecstatic spontaneous and difficult to comprehend, it contains an inner unity that effects the changes, helps the breath and establishes reality. In profound deepness and darkness, it has an essence so that the spirits press each other and Yin and Yang unite with each other.[5]

The text then says that Its essence is very real, and He Shang Gong says this means: The atmosphere of the existing reality, its secret is very real and without appearance.[6]

Daoist priest and scholar Kristofer Schipper says that because words are not adequate to describe these sages, the text of the Dao De Jing (in the passages above) makes use of repeated sounds that convey chaos and turmoil: “Huang Hu! (‘Vague! Ungraspable!’). In the center there are things. Miao Ming! [“Profound! Mysterious!]. In the center there are essences, most true essences.”[7] Lao Zi himself is described as the ancestor of the Original Energy (Qi), without light, without image, without sound, without noise, without ancestors, without descendants.[8]

Dao De Jing Chapter 21 ends with the idea that the principle of following the Dao involves preserving the breath (Qi and Essence). The last two lines of Chapter 21 get to the heart of the matter:

How do I know that this is the case with the beginning of everything?

By this.

In other words, how can I know that all beings that follow the Dao are able to preserve the Qi and breath (the body’s energies)? “Through this.” “This” is the immediate present in which we exist and from which we perceive the cosmos – our bodies. “This” is the Dan Tian, the lower abdomen, the empty center, the seat of an intuitive and inner perception.[9]

The reference to “this” is further reiterated in Dao De Jing Chapter 57:

By attaining inactivity [non-action] one takes the empire.

How do I know that this is so? By this.

He Shang Gong is saying that I (the individual) know the intentions of Heaven by what one I see today. This here and now is the foundation of knowledge. The empire is the body and through meditation on the thing closest to ourselves, our inner perception and insight, we cultivate the empire/body. Kristofer Schipper clarifies this further: “Everything proceeds from this here. The vision of the State is based on the individual body. Each time the word “me” or “I” occurs in the Dao De Jing, it refers to the situation of the adept, who looks at the world from the point of view of the Dao. The “I” knows how to contemplate not only the process of the creation and the evolution of the world, but also its involution.”[10]

In the passage below, Sinologists Claude Larre and Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée discuss the essence and energies of the organs and spirits in concrete terms:

Essences are what are inside the Zang in order to release the qi which maintains and renews all aspects of life: activity, dynamism, circulation, transformation, warming and rhythms of all kinds. Essences are also able to be transformed through the activity of qi to become flesh, blood, liquids, bones and so on. If all that is working well, that is the support for the activity of the spirits. At the level of the emotions, if there is a problem coming from my ability as a person to follow or not follow my own nature, because of some kind of wrong decision or inability to keep in touch with my spirits, all the mechanisms of renewal of the essences and qi can be disturbed and there is a deviation or diversion in the distribution of the influx of qi and essences, liquids and so on. Little by little if something is wrong my vitality diminishes, and then the quality of these different transformations is also diminished. At the same time the influence of my spirit is diminishing and the inner access to the direction of my life gets worse and worse and disease appears.[11]

Some of the ideas presented in the chapters of the Dao De Jing relative to preserving life and cultivating one’s innate energies are explored in Chapter Three of the Zhuangzi, which discusses how to preserve life. The man who is skillful in preserving life must not do much evil, but neither must he do much good. He must live midway between good and evil. By not being too useful, doing too much good or too much evil and not deviating from the middle.

Doer of good, stay clear of reputation.

Doer of ill stay clear of punishment.

Trace the vein which is central and make it your standard.

You can protect the body,

keep life whole

nurture your parents

last out your years.[12]

In this context, the “vein which is central,” references the Du (Governing Vessel) and by extension the Ren and Chong Vessels. These three vessels, although in theory separate, are considered to act as a single entity, and functionally are therefore inseparable. Daoist priest Kristofer Schipper believes that the “vein which is central” specifically refers to the Du Vessel (“the energy channel of control”).[13] The flow toward the current of the central meridian, if left to itself, is neither good nor evil and seeks neither fame nor notoriety. If not driven by doctrines and their resulting uncompromising and sustained practices which are imposed by the conscious mind, if left to themselves, the spontaneous fluctuations of behavior tend to normalize around the central current.[14] The Du is hidden and unseen. Unlike the Ren Vessel, which lies in front, the Du Vessel is behind us and thus invisible.[15] Hence it is opposed to the “knowing mind “and is the real controller, as opposed to the knowing mind’s pretensions to control and direct life.[16]

The Du Vessel and its intimate connection with the spine, brain and marrow is the central axis which connects the different levels of the body both physically and energetically. The Du Channel concentrates and regulates the energies of the body so that they can be refined and transformed to revitalize and reinvigorate the organs and structures of the body. Meditation with focus on the Du Channel is known as the “Small Heavenly Circulation” or “Microcosmic Orbit.”

Sinologist Francois Jullien refers to the Du as the vector of vital nourishment. He feels it defines the line and rule of life through its ability to renew the body via its connection with respiration.[17] Schipper adds that only by remaining independent, by following the natural action of the spinal column can we be a free human being, standing upright within our own vital space, without leaning on the crutch of systems and religious doctrines created by men.[18]

Good intentions and well thought out plans often do more harm than good. One must first train the motions within oneself which can spontaneously move others in the direction of the Dao. To this one must trust the energies (Qi) – the breath and the other energizing fluids which alternate between activity as Yang and passivity as Yin (as in breathing out and in), training them with the meditative technique including controlled breathing. When the purified fluid had become completely tenuous the heart will be emptied of conceptual knowledge, the channels and essences will be cleared, and he will simply perceive and respond. Then the self dissolves, energies strange to him and higher than his own (the ‘daemonic’) enter for the outside, the agent of his action is no longer the man, but Heaven working through him, yet paradoxically in discovering a deeper self, he becomes for the first time truly the agent. He no longer has deliberate goals, the ‘about to be’ at the centre of him belongs to the transforming processes of heaven and earth. Then he will have the right instinct for when to speak and when to be silent, and will say the right thing as naturally as a bird sings. [19]

Dao De Jing Chapter 26: How to Lay Stress on De

Gravity is the root of lightness.

Quietness is the master of motion.

Therefore the saint walks about the whole day and does not separate from quietude & gravity.

Though he has palaces and gynaecea, he avoids them.

What remedy is there for the lord of the ten thousand carriages,

if personally he makes light of the empire?

If he makes light of it, then he will lose the officials.

If he is restless, then he will lose the government.

In this chapter, once again He Shang Gong makes it clear that references to the ruler, the empire, government and the officials are really about self-cultivation. He says: The blossoms and leaves of the herbs and trees are light, therefore they are perishable. The root is heavy, therefore it is lasting. A person who is not serious is ultimately not respected just as if self-cultivation is not practiced in a serious manner, one loses the energies and spirits of the organs.[20] This does not mean that one who cultivates does not possess a sense of humor and joy, however they are able to approach each situation with the appropriate degree of seriousness as necessary, as opposed to having a frivolous disregard for what is important.

In his commentary on the first three lines of this chapter Te Ch’ing says:

‘Heavy’ refers to the body. ‘light’ refers to what is external to the body: success and fame, wealth and honor. ‘Still’ refers to our nature, ‘busy’ refers to our emotions. People forget their body and chase external things. They forget their nature and follow their emotions. The sage isn’t like this. Even though he travels all day. he doesn’t leave what sustains him.[21]

If we understand “travelling all day” as moving through life, then the text indicates that one should traverse life by holding onto the essentials. Although we are tempted by and even engage to some degree with by the luxuries of the material world, we must hold onto the fundamental essence of being human without being distracted from what is important.

In self-cultivation quietness is considered to be the origin and the master of motion. Many commentators on Daoist internal meditation and energy practices say that that true movement comes from stillness. In Chinese internal martial arts one often begins with stillness in order to perceive the stirring of movement concealed within apparent stillness. The great Xing Yi Boxer Guo Yun Shen said that: Stillness is the fundamental form. In movement lies the function. Form and function have the same method. Hence it is the case that stillness is the fundamental form and in movement lies the function.[22] Through experiencing stillness and tranquility, one is able to understands the origin and true nature of movement.

Richard John Lynn offers Wang Bi’s commentary on the Yi Jing to underline a key concept in relation to stillness and activity: Activity cannot govern activity; that which controls all activity that occurs in the world, thanks to constancy is the One. Therefore for all the many to manage to exist, their controlling principle must reach back to the One, and for all activities to manage to function, their source cannot but be the One.[23]

The text and various commentaries make it clear that to understand the manifold movements in the world and to bend with them and exert some control over them, the key lies returning to stillness, returning to the One. In stillness one can apprehend the changes and blend with them, if one is in constant motion, reacting to everything that arises, one cannot.

In his commentary on line two, He Shang Gong says that If the ascetic is not quiet, then he endangers himself. The dragon is quiet, therefore he is able to transform. The tiger is restless, therefore he strives for heavenly faults.[24] The Dragon is a yin animal associated with Heaven and the Tiger is a yang animal associated with Earth. The Tiger is metaphor for our emotions, desires, passions, inclinations, and our judgments about what is so or not so. When anger, frustration and bitterness make the Qi rise upward (to some degree these emotions and feelings can also be understood to be a result of Qi going upward too much) this is called the “Tiger roaring.” The counterpart to Qi rising upward and the “Tiger roaring” is heat and fire flaring upward. Being anxious and worried can cause heat to rise, leading to fire flaring upward. This is sometimes called the “Dragon soaring” or the “Dragon howling.” Qi and heat that rise up in an uncontrolled manner then “attack” the heart (and also the liver and lungs), causing a variety of physical and psycho-spiritual maladies. One of the goals of meditation and self-cultivation is to restrain the Tiger from leaping and roaring unnecessarily so that the Tiger “returns to its den” (in a mountain cave), and to allow the Dragon to return to the watery depths where it is peaceful and relaxed. This is sometimes referred to as “Subduing the Dragon and Tiger.” “Subduing the Dragon and Tiger balances and smooths out the flow of energy in the body, so that Qi flows freely and without obstruction, effectively enabling the organs and the internal energy systems to heal themselves. In his commentary He Shang Gong alters this concept a bit by associating the Dragon with heavenly qualities of spiritual silence and stillness, and the Tiger with the earthy qualities of restlessness and distraction that move one away from stillness and tranquility.

The sage maintains an ongoing state of rooted stillness, even in daily actions, avoiding things that distract him or her from the Dao (palaces and places of pleasure) in order to guard Jing and Qi and hold the spirits within the body. If one’s spirit and mind-intention (the king or lord) is not serious about cultivation, if he or she takes things lightly, then he will lapse into luxuriousness and frivolous sensuality. If one makes light of the empire (the body), He Shang Gong tells us one will lose “semen” (sexual energy) the root of the body’s energies. If the ascetic falls victim to the disease of restlessness, then he endangers his spirit.[25]

Being the lord of ten thousand carriages refers to life’s responsibilities, cares and worries. Anything important in life requires a measured approach that stems from a firm root. Treating responsibilities lightly, or overreacting to everything that comes our way will lead to distraction and loss of the root – in the case of self-cultivation this refers to the internal energies.

In the Wang Bi’s reading of the text the ruler is said to remain calm and unmoved even when confronted with enemy camps with watchtowers where he marches with his army.[26] In essence the text tells us to manage our body and mind as we would rule a large empire. This requires discipline and constancy. One must avoid quick actions and decisions and loose speech and thought. One must instead hold onto the root within without getting distracted by external things.

 Notes

[1] The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Jing, translated by Daniel G. Reid, p.117-18.

[2] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p. 46.

[3] The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Jing, translated by Daniel G. Reid, p.118.

[4] Ibid, p. 118-19.

[5] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p. 46-7.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Taoist Body. Kristofer Schipper (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993) p. 117.

[8] Ibid. p. 118.

[9] Taoist Body. Kristofer Schipper (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993) p. 189.

[10] Taoist Body. Kristofer Schipper (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993) p. 190.

[11] The Seven Emotions: Psychology and Health in Ancient China, Claude Larre and Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée. (Cambridge: Monkey Press, 1996) p. p. 34-5.

[12] Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters, translated by A.C. Graham (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company 1981) p. 62.

[13] The Taoist Body. Kristofer Schipper (Berkely, Los Angeles: University of California Press 1993) pp. 210-12.

[14] http://hackettpublishing.com/zhuangzi3.3 Additional Comments to Passage 3:3 in the Zhuangzi, by Brook Ziporyn

[15] http://hackettpublishing.com/zhuangzi3.3 Additional Comments to Passage 3:3 in the Zhuangzi, by Brook Ziporyn

[16] Zhuanzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries, translated by Brook Ziporyn. Indianapolis IN: Hackett Publishing Co., 2009, p. 22

[17] Vital Nourishment: Departing From Happiness by Francois Jullien, translated by Arthur Goldhammer (New York: Zone Books, 2007) p. 31.

[18] The Taoist Body. Kristofer Schipper (Berkely, Los Angeles: University of California Press 1993) pp. 210-12.

[19] Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters, translated by A.C. Graham (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company 1981) p. 69.

[20] 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) p. 54-55.

[21] Laotzu’s Taoteching: translated by Red Pine with selected commentaries of the past 2000 years (San Francisco: Mercury House, 1996) p. 52.

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

[23] 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.100.

[24] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes. p.55.

[25] Ibid, p. 55.

[26] A Chinese Reading of the Daodjing – Wang Bi’s Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation. Rudolf G. Wagner (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003) p. 207.

Deciphering Applications in Chen Taijiquan

 Deciphering Applications in Chen Taijiquan

Revised February10, 2026

First a disclaimer: These guidelines are designed for those students who do not have the benefit of being able to regularly study with a qualified teacher. I myself fall under that category. After many years of studying and practicing on my own, I have discovered a series of guidelines that I hope may be of use to advanced practitioners forced to practice alone. I have revised this article based on the discoveries I have made in the last few years. I may very well have to revise it again in the future. 

 It should be mentioned that his article will be focusing on the First Form of the Old Frame (laojia yilu). Most of the guidelines should hold true for the other forms but I haven’t done an in- depth investigation of them yet. 

It should also be mentioned that applications will vary based on the lineage followed by the practitioner. All the four current Grandmasters (Chen Xiaowang, Chen Zhenglei, Zhu Tiancai, and Wang Xian) perform the routines (taolu) quite differently. This is a reflection of their individual growth and personalities as well as the qualities or techniques that they have chosen to emphasize. I personally am part of the lineage of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang (21st Generation) so I am basing the individual applications in this article on the way I (he) performs the movements. Someone following a different lineage may find that their applications may be different. Nonetheless, the basic  guidelines should still apply.

With the advent of YouTube more information is available now than ever before. However, one should be cautious when studying online videos. Some of the applications in these videos will ring true. However many application videos are merely guesses by uninformed students or teachers. Hopefully, with the help of these guidelines you will be better able distinguish the true from the false.

Chen Taijiquan is first and foremost a martial art.

This principle influences every aspect of the Chen System. It is the reason the postures and  movements are more complicated than other styles of Tai Chi that emphasize health benefits. Being a martial art rather than a health exercise is also the reason that the routines contain movements that require Energy Release (fajin ). Chen Taijiquan was developed at a time when skill with empty hands and traditional weapons were often necessary for survival. Later forms of “T’ai Chi” were developed primarily in the modern era when martial arts were used more as a form of cultivation. By removing the martial elements of Chen Taijiquan, these subsequent styles became more of a Qigong practice than a martial art. Chen Taijiquan, on the other hand, contains all the health giving benefits of the later styles while still retaining its core as a martial art.

Why Decipher Applications?

Chen Taijiquan is a complex martial art system. The ultimate goal is to be able to use it as a form of self-defense or personal combat. The traditional way of training is long and arduous. One can not rush the process. There are no shortcuts. However, it is sometimes helpful to get a glimpse of the final destination. Deciphering applications is like finding clues that help to eventually solve a mystery. Demonstrating applications can also be a great motivator for students. allowing them a glimpse at the depth of the system. For more advanced practitioners, being able to decipher applications can indicate that one has reached a higher level in their practice.

Why Can’t I Learn Applications Right Away? 

Anyone who has studied Chen Taijiquan has wondered, “What is this move for? How could I use it against an opponent?”. Traditionally, teachers in China have been reluctant to reveal applications to any but their most trusted disciples. Students are admonished to practice the form and not think about applications. Many students have practiced for years without being shown a single application. When I asked my teachers in the Chen Village about applications, they all said the same thing. “Don’t worry about that. Concentrate on perfecting your form”. After many years of practice, I came to appreciate the wisdom of this approach. Students in the West are often not as patient. Many masters who give seminars outside of China have acceded to their Western students and begun showing a few applications here and there..

Those who practice for a long time will realize the wisdom of the traditional teaching method.

While it is a good mental exercise to try and discern applications, one should not focus on them to the detriment of form practice. Focusing on what you think may be application of a movement  can actually change the way you practice a movement. In the long run, this will hinder your progress. As you will see below, one should never alter the performance of a movement in order to conform to some preconceived notion of what the application is. By the same token, understanding the correct application of a movement can help refine one’s performance of the movements by making them more efficient. 

Rushing to learn an application can be extremely frustrating. Even after being shown an application in detail, most beginners will be unable to apply it effectively. This is because their practice of  the foundational exercises of Silk Reeling, stances, and stepping, is not at a high enough level. However, being shown a technique and then being unable to apply it is a good way to demonstrate the importance of perfecting the Silk Reeling principles and taolu movements. This was my experience while in Chenjiaguo. After much pleading, our teacher agreed to show us one application. He applied it to everyone in the class causing all of us to yelp in pain. When it was our turn however, none of us could make it work. I realize now that this was because none of us had reached a high enough level of training. 

After over 40 years of practice, I have created some guidelines that can aid you deciphering the applications to be found in Chen Taijiquan.

Guideline #1: Applications Were Purposely Hidden from Prying Eyes 

Make no mistake, the applications in Chen Taijiquan, are purposely hidden in the empty hand routines (taolu). This practice is universal in Chinese martial arts. In China, knowledge has always been power so the secrets of a martial art were jealously guarded. Moreover, there was very little privacy in ancient China, so martial arts masters had to devise ways to practice in public yet still retain their secrets. Therefore, they developed empty hand routines which contained fighting techniques hidden in plain sight. Some movements like Twin Swaying Lotuses or X-Foot appear to be high kicks but they are really foot sweeps. High kicking movements are used for training purposes to teach proper hand and foot coordination and flexibility but they are not actually kicks. Try striking a heavy bag and you will see that these movements are not very effective as kicks. This is a good example of hiding in plain sight. 

The names of the movements are important and they can give us a clue not only about how the movement should be performed but also to what the application might be. Some names are straight forward like Three Steps Forward or Watch the Fist under the Elbow. Others are used to convey the qualities of the movement such as Lazily Tying Coat. None of the names are arbitrarily mystical. They are rooted in Chinese philosophy and culture. The name Six Sealings, Four Closings is confusing to many. Once the arm lock has been applied it is said that one has sealed off the opponent’s six weapons; the fists, the feet, the elbows, knees, hips, and shoulders. One has also closed off the four directions meaning the opponent is unable to move forward, backward or to either side.

Ancient training manuals hid the performance of the movements. If there were illustrations at all, they would be of the final position of the movement with no explanation of how to get there. The text did not provide step by step instructions. They were usual poems (or songs) describing the qualities of the movement and would be indecipherable to the not-practitioner. This has changed during the modern era both in books and of course in videos but that ancient practitioners did not have those resources. 

Guideline #2: Application Must Be Done Exactly like the Form.

For an application to work correctly, it must be performed exactly like the taolu posture. If you have to vary the movement to make the application work, it is probably not correct. When done properly, everything falls into place and it works effortlessly. If an application requires such a major alteration that it no longer resembles the original posture it is not correct. Proper timing of the movement - step, pivot, etc.- is essential. This is clearly taught in the form. In Lazily Tying Coat, the right hand sweeps in a clockwise circle to contact the incoming punch while stepping to the right. It is essential that the right step be completed at the exact moment the punch is handed over to the left hand. If the step is not completed then the opponent’s leg is not blocked leaving the attacker able to deliver a follow up left handed attack. However with the opponent’s leg blocked, the right hand then sweeps over to the right as the weight shifts to the right leg which, when coupled with settling, takes the opponent down. Without the proper timing of the right hand and foot, the application will not work. 

However, Chen Style is characterized by it’s external movements, which are much more intentional for martial arts purposes. By this I mean the movements are exactly as you would use in martial art application.

You do not have to move your hands slightly higher or lower; your hand shapes, your finger shapes and your body can be used just exactly as in many martial arts practices. It also contains many force delivering movements (fajin). Peter Wu, Tai Chi Magazine, August 1995

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Guideline #3: Movements Are Repeated for a Reason and the Application Is Different for Each One.

“Look to the principle behind the movement.”

Movements that are repeated are done so for a reason and often are a response to differed attacks. For example Six Sealing, Four Closings is performed several times in the routine. Each time it is performed a little differently. Why? Because each variation deals with a different form of  attack. The first time it begins with the right foot and hand are extended towards the opponent. Here the application is a counter a grab of your right wrist. The second variation sweeps to the left while stepping forward with the right foot. This time it is used to counter a right hand punch. The third variation intercepts the punch as the right foot steps forward to capture the incoming punch and secure a wrist lock. Each variation still leads to an arm lock and a takedown, The attacks they counter all begin differently but the ultimate counter is the same. Sometimes there is apparent repetition within a given moment. It is a mistake to think that this means they are all the same. One needs only look closely at each “repetition” within the movement to see it’s unique qualities. Variations can also help decipher the application. Slanted Movement (xiexing) is a good  example. The first time it is used it begins in a static position. The second time it is done with a step forward. The technique is the same but the entry is different. Also notice that each time Vajrapani Pounds the Mortar is performed, it is countering a different style of attack. Also, each time there is one less movement in the movement. The first time it consists of 8 movements, the second time 7, the third time 6 and so on. Once again, the final response is the same buy the entry into the attack is different. 

There are some concessions made for the form however. Most traditional Chinese martial arts forms move side to side in a straight line. The form is also designed to end at the exact place it began. In order to accomplish this, some moments are repeated to adjust the distance. In Flip and Whirl the Forearms one backward step counters a right hand punch and the next counters a left hand yet the movement is repeated a few more times. Moving Hands contains counters to two different attacks but then are repeated a couple more times nonetheless. There are also a couple entire sequences that are repeated in the routine. There are no new counters in these sequences so this may serve as an indication that the founders believed that these techniques were particularly important. 

It is also helpful overall to remember that everything is done for a reason and that there are no empty or transitional movements. This is part of the genius to be found in the construction of the Chen Taijiquan routines. 

Guideline #4: Applications Are Counters to Specific Attacks.

Most applications will be against a grappling attack. Punching attacks will primarily be delivered with the opponent’s right hand. In the past both in China and the West, there has always been a bias against left-handedness (in the West, the left side was called “sinister” which still has a negative connotation today ). Most martial arts emphasize right sided attacks (just as Bruce Lee later advocated). Therefore to begin deciphering a movement’s application, it is best to start with responses to attacks with the right hand. If an application works against a right handed attack then it is probably correct. If it doesn’t not work against a right side attack, try it against the left. There are several movements like Slanted Movement (xiexing) that are specifically defenses against left hand punches. Some movements can counter both sides. Brush Knee for example can counter either a right or left kick without any adjustment needed.

Guideline #5: The Beginning of a Movement’s Application Begins Where the Previous Movement Ends.

The basic rule is simple; Movements that end/begin with the hands extended towards the opponent are counters to grabs. Movements that end/begin with the hands close to the body are defenses against strikes. 

Lazily Tying Coat begins from the final position of Vajrapani Pounds the Mortar with the hands together at waist level. Against an incoming right hand punch, the hands circle and intercept the strike with the right hand which then hands it off to the defenders left hand. The right hand and foot then extend to complete the takedown. Thus the movement ends with the right hand and foot extended.

The application for “Six Sealings, Four Closings” then begins from this final position. From such a position it would be extremely difficult to counter a punch. In reality, it is a defense against a grab of the right wrist. From there the technique flows smoothly. Six Sealings ends with both hands extended downward, therefore Single Whip is a defense against an opponent who grabs both wrists. If one attempts to use Single Whip against a punch or kick however, it will not be successful. If one has to begin from a position different from the end point of the previous movement, the application is not correct. This does not mean that in actual combat one technique must slavishly follow the preceding. The often told tale of a routine being designed to fight multiple opponents is a myth. Each movement has it’s own beginning and end and they are not designed to be combined. In reality each technique would be done independently. Beginning an application from where the last movement ends gives you a major clue as to what the movement was designed to counter.   

Guideline #6: Each Movement is Complete in Itself. 

Each movement in the form has only one application. It is a mistake to reduce a movement to its component parts. Varjrapani Pounds the Mortar is a defense against a right hand strike and ends in a wrist lock and takedown. There are no armbars, no throws, no hidden kicks to the knee, no knees to the groin or punches to the chin. All the elements are part of the single counter attack. Repeated movements like Flip and Whirl the Forearms and Moving Hands are repeated but in actually consist of two counters that are the same, but includes defense against both right hand and left hand punch. 

Guideline #7: Applications Depend on the Basic Principles and Should Be Effortless 

Only proper use of Silk Reeling Energy (chansijin) will make an application work properly.

When used correctly, the application will feel effortless. Most beginners cannot make applications work, especially effortlessly, because they have not mastered Chansijin. If you have to pull, jerk or wrestle with the opponent, chansijin is not being properly applied. Done correctly, it feels like you have done nothing yet the opponent flies across the room. After such an event, it is even common to ask your partner if they are faking because you feel like you have done nothing at all. Having been on the receiving end of a properly executed application, I can assure you that the result is genuine. I have been tossed across the gym by my apprentice who weighs about 100 lbs. She didn’t feel like she had done anything yet there was nothing I could have done to stay on my feet. 

A counter-attack can be enhanced by fajin but should not depend on it. Grappling movements should by done slowly and smoothly. The key is proper positioning, not force. If an application is properly applied, there is nothing the opponent can do to escape. Making a counter work slowly and effortlessly is the proof of a properly deciphered application. Chen Taijiquan uses the concepts of softness, relaxation, proper posture and the spiraling motion of Qi. These qualities are necessary for success. Relying only on fajin alone makes Chen no different from an external style like Shaolin. Obviously kicks and punches should be performed with fajin as doing them slowly all the time is counter productive. Solo form practice provides a safe way to develop and apply explosive energy. 

Be very careful during training because the throws and takedowns of Chen Taijiquan are remarkably vicious. Many of the applications are throws, sweeps, or takedowns and can be very dangerous, even when done slowly. It is essential to practice on mats with someone who knows how to fall. Sometimes even that is not enough. For example, Six Sealing, Four Closings can be quite nasty. Once the arm lock is applied and the opponent is completely bound up, the defender finishes with a press. Because of the position of the opponent is in, the final press is aimed downward at the opponent’s hip. When the press is properly done, the opponent will land on their hip. There is no way for them to properly do a break fall or roll out, The opponent is doomed to land directly on their hip causing maximum damage. Single Whip is another example. Grasping the opponent’s right fingers in a hook hand and spiraling upward creates incredible torque on the arm. Completing the takedown could severely damage to the opponent’s shoulder so in practice is necessary to release the opponents fingers to avoid serious injury. The risk is so great that one should not complete the movement because there is no way one’s partner to fall correctly. Sweeps are especially violent. Whirlwind Kick when applied properly will dump the opponent straight down next to your left leg. Being so effortless one has to be careful not to overdue. Practice slowly at first. If a grappling application requires muscle, speed or explosive energy to work, it is not being performed correctly.

8. The Application Is What It Is, Not What You Want It To Be. 

Forcing a posture to fit a certain scenario is like forcing a round peg into a square hole. You have to keep an open mind when deciphering a movement. For example. practitioners assume that every movement with a closed fist is a strike. Vajrapani Pounds the Mortar and Ape Offers Fruit are often interpreted as strikes. That is not correct. It is very clear in Chen Taijiquan which movements are strikes and which are not. Punches are punches, kicks are kicks and sweeps are sweeps. These are fast movements with fajin. Slow movements are grappling techniques. Chen Taijiquan is a grappling art which is why the moments are done slowly with the emphasis on balance, sinking, and weight distribution. These techniques are joint locks, throws and takedowns. There is no benefit to performing punches and kicks slowly. Once a boxer has learned the proper way to punch, they do not practice in slow motion. It also must be understood that there are no hidden kicks or punches in Chen Taijiquan. Therefore techniques that use a closed fist or raised knee performed slowly are not strikes. If your application ignores these principles then it is not correct. One must allow the application to reveal itself and not try to force it to be something it is not

Guideline #9: Pushing Hands Does Not Teach Applications.

Pushing Hands is a sensitivity exercise and is not the be all and end all of Chen applications. It teaches the essential skills of “listening” and “sticking” and  requires a great deal of time and practice to master. It also allows one to practice the Eight Energies against an opponent. These exercises help to instill the principles of relaxed power that will improve effectiveness of movement applications but they are not applications themselves. Pushing Hands is only a drill albeit an essential one. It is only one component of the Chen Taijiquan system. The purpose of Pushing Hands is to show you the wAeakness in your practice of the routine. Once the weakness is corrected in the form, one goes back to Pushing Hands to confirm the correction and so on. No one practice is more important than the other. Push Hands, while important (and fun) is ultimately still a practice drill. My Filipino Martial Arts teacher used to say: “Learn the drill. Master the drill. Forget the drill” The goal of Chen Taijiquan is to be spontaneous and natural during combat. Pushing Hands is only one component of that journey. It is also important to realize that in a self defense situation, this sensitivity may only be used very briefly. Parrying a punch requires only an instant of contact. Using sensitivity to guide the attack dissipates its energy and allows for the counter attack.

Once a comfortable of Push Hands has been achieved, the student takes the sensitivity and relaxation they developed back to the applications to in order to improve. The correct blending of the two serve to make applications natural and spontaneous. The higher levels of Chen Taijiquan Pushing Hands; Ding Bu (fixed step) Huang Bu (single backward/forward step), Da Lu (moving step, deep stance), Luang Cai Hua (free step, double handed) and San Tui (free pushing) greatly increase one’s sensitivity. While absolutely essential for gaining mastery in Taijiquan, techniques used in Push Hands are not in themselves movement applications.

When attempting to decipher applications it is my belief that if an application will only work  from Pushing Hands position it is not correct. This is what I call “cheating” I have yet to see a bar fight where both combatants began by placing their hands on the elbow and wrist of their opponent. One is more likely to be attacked with a sucker punch. It is here that sensitivity because invaluable to in order to parry and dissolve the attack. Pushing Hands should be viewed as method to increase the effectiveness of applications but it does not teach the applications of the individual movements.  

Over emphasizing Push Hands is a mistake. It is a training exercise not a competition. Most Push Hand competitions quickly dissolve into wrestling matches. If you want to compete in grappling, you would be better off learning Judo or Wrestling.

 One thing to be aware of is that in the Eight Energies, there is no mention of push (tui).The term used is Press (an). Many believe that the goal of Push Hands is to shove the opponent away. This is counter productive as the opponent, if pushed straight back, can easily attack again. Twin Pushing Hands (shuangtuishou) is the only movement that specifically mentions Push and even then the push is designed not to toss the opponent away but to drop him where he stands. If push hands skill is the only thing that matters, why bother learning the form at all? I saw that clearly in my early Taekwondo training. We spent hours learning forms but never used them in actual sparring. The Chen forms contains fighting techniques and these techniques are the core of Chen Taijiquan as a martial art. Push Hands is a valuable tool but it is important to keep it in the proper perspective. 

Many Levels of Mastery

There are many levels to mastering Chen Taijiquan. The first step is to master the basics of Silk Reeling, stances and stepping, etc. Second is learning the empty hand form. From there one can begin to discover the applications. The ultimate goal however is to become formless. Here one does not perform specific applications but rather uses to the principles and techniques to quickly adapt to an attack and then counter it and follow up with a counter attack. At that point, it is difficult to tell which posture is being used.

In conclusion, the Chen Taijiquan forms contain everything you need to know. Practice of the basics and the form will provide all the clues one needs to successfully discover its applications. I sincerely wish all Taijiquan practitioners much success on their journey. 

The Dao De Jing as a Guide to Daoist Meditation Part 7

 

The Dao De Jing as a Guide to Daoist Meditation Part 7

by Tom Bisio    December 23, 2025

In this seventh 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 16: How to Return to the Root  and Chapter 19: How to Return to Purity

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 16: How to Return to the Root

If one reaches the extreme of emptiness,

If one keeps quietness and firmness,

All things together rise.

We thereby see their return.

Now the full bloom of things,

Everything returns to its root.

To return to the root means to rest.

This is called to return to life.

To return to life is called lasting eternally.

Who knows the eternal is called all-embracing.

To be all-embracing is to be universal.

Universality is royalty.

Royalty is heaven.

Heaven is Tao.

Tao is lasting.

To lose the body is not dangerous.

He Shang Gong’s commentary explains that the extreme of emptiness comes from diminishing feelings and driving out desires, so that the five interiors are quieted down and cleared. The “Five Interiors” (wu nei) refers to the five internal organs and their spirits. If one can embrace deep silence, there is quiet and clarity. Then, all things together rise. “Rising” means to “to live,” all things are together brought to life, and it is possible to see that all living things return to their origin. Therefore, one must regard the origin as something important – a foundation that is solid and weighty.

Things blossom and come to fruition and then wither and die only to revive and be reborn by returning to the root, returning to rest, to stillness and silence. The commentary says that the root is peaceful and pliant. Modestly it remains below. Therefore, it does not return to death. Instead, one reverts to one’s “destiny.”  The text here uses the character Ming ( ), referring to  one’s destined life-span or life-force, and tells us that to return to, or recover one’s life force through quiet and stillness, is to fulfill one’s nature, thereby becoming constant and eternal. He Shang Gong says that then one will not die.

What does this mean? He Shang Gong is saying that in returning to stillness, through inner contemplation, the five spirits become quiet and one revives and gives life to the body’s true energies and true consciousness. One regains the quality of having a ready insight into things, one attains an illumination.

This chapter contains many subtleties that are not immediately apparent on first reading. Ming, our life force (vital energy), the movement of Qi in the body, is related to the Primordial Qi or Yuan Qi (“Original Qi”). The character for Ming is also found in Ming Men (“life gate”). Therefore, Ming is associated with one’s life force and one’s existence, and even more specifically, one’s lifespan, the duration of one’s life. Commentators over the centuries have commented on the interplay of Ming and Xing in this chapter. Xing refers to our inner, human, and spiritual nature – our mind, consciousness, and spirit. In this sense Xing references our individual inner nature. This includes both a person’s instinctive animal nature and the human qualities we associate with our higher self. An important part of Xing is related to how we understand ourselves, our tendencies, openness, adaptability to change and the ability to transform.

Xing and Ming work together. In relation to meditation and internal cultivation practices, Ming can be understood as operational because it contains the practices. But to actually do these practices you must also have Xing, the ability to have focus. However, in relation to returning to the root, Lao Zi is also referencing Xing as one’s True Nature/True Wisdom (consciousness) and Ming as one’s True Qi. Cultivating the mind, with the intention of removing the blocks that prevent one from seeing one’s True Nature, is rooted in Xing, while cultivating mind and spirit, purifying various components of the body in order to increase one’s life force, is rooted in Ming.

Wang Bi’s commentary describes this state of return and illumination as “perspicacity” – a penetrating discernment, a clarity of vision or intellect which provides a deep understanding and insight.”[1]

Stillness and inner contemplation allow a return to the root or the origin. Once they [have reached] stillness, then they return to [their original] life endowment. That is why [the text] says “return to life endowment!” Once they have returned to [their original] life endowment, then they are getting hold of the Eternal [essence] of their innate nature and life endowment. That is why [the text] says “the Eternal”![2]

Sinologist D.C. Lao gives us a very useful perspective on this chapter:

Early on I used to think I had to control my mind and rid myself of thoughts, which led to an endless inner battle. Remaining “still” like a stone and watching my thoughts “return to their separate roots” brings the peace I seek.

I used to think of “destiny” as leaving here and going forward to the future. Along with this was the notion that I would grow, change and succeed. Instead, as the years go by, I find myself “returning” to who I really was since birth. This is “return to my destiny”. It’s taking a lifetime to get to know myself as I am, not as I think I am, or wish I was. The beauty of this is that this “destiny” is my link with everything and everyone. We all share the same “constant”. When I “hold firmly to stillness” I’m connected.[3]

Fu (Return) is Hexagram Twenty-Four in the Yi Jing (I Ching). Fu is said to embody the essence of the Dao. The movement of the Dao is to return, and the ideogram diagrams this explicitly.[4] It is derived from   chi (footstep) and   fu (go back).

 Fu: to go and return, exit and enter, to return, to resume, return to an original state, to retrace, to repeat, recover, restore, to turn over.

The Yi Jing judgment for Fu Gua contains the phrase: “Turn back, return to one’s Dao” (Fan Fu Qi Dao     ). This cross-references with Chapter Forty of the Dao De Jing: “How to Abstain From Use.” Chapter Forty reads:

Returning! The movement of the Dao,

Gentle! The Employment of the Dao.

Everything in the world is born from what is,

What is, is born from what is not.[5]

He Shang Gong’s clarifies the first line of Chapter 40 by saying that Adaptation to conditions is the movement of the Tao. Therefore it is said: Subversion is the Tao’s movement.[6] The Dao operates from the principle of being adaptive and gentle, this is what allows it to endure. He Shang Gong also indicates that the root is that by which the Dao moves, and Movement generates all things. If they turn their backs to it they perish.[7]

The Fu Hexagram is composed of Thunder below and Earth above. The bottom yang-solid line of the Fu Hexagram represents the return of true vitality (True Qi) and wisdom to its source at the Hui Yin point in the perineum and its connection to the genitals, Mingmen and Dantian. The single yang line of the hexagram is able to move upward through the open space of the yin lines initiating movement and transformation along the way. Thunder symbolizes movement and transformation emanating from this area.

What is, is born from what is not or existence originates from non-existence. What is fundamental vanquishes that which is external.[8] Wang Bi’s commentary on the Fu Hexagram further clarifies these ideas:

For Heaven and Earth we regard the original substance to be the Heart-Mind. Whenever activity ceases, tranquility results, but tranquility is not opposed to activity. Whenever speech ceases, silence results, but silence is not opposed to speech. As this is so, then even though Heaven and Earth are so vast that they possess the myriad things in great abundance, which activated by thunder and moved by the winds, keep undergoing countless numbers of transformations, yet the original substance of Heaven and Earth consists of perfectly quiescent non-being. Thus it is only when earthly activity ceases that the Heart-Mind of Heaven and Earth can be seen.[9]

Huang Yuan Chi’s commentary (below) on this chapter of the Dao De Jing reminds us that the root, the origin, the place of non-existence is a fulcrum that lies within us – the Dark Gate, which is the root of Heaven and Earth (the door of the mysterious is called the root of Heaven and Earth[10]) is connected to the sexual energies which must be harnessed and transformed through the process of self-cultivation. This gate is said to be 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.

Heaven has its fulcrum, people have their ancestors, plants have their roots. And where are these roots? Where things begin but have not yet begun, namely. the Dark Gate. If you want to cultivate the Great Way. but you don’t know where this opening is, your efforts will be in vain.[11]

As was mentioned earlier in the discussion relating Dao De Jing Chapter 1, the dark gate is the passage between being and non-being, the place where yin and yang communicate. In meditation this again refers to the perineum and to harnessing the energies of the life force for the purposes of self-cultivation.

Specifically in meditation when there are no objects in the heart – when the mind is still and calm, the subconscious mind and the True Spirit can emerge and link, or synchronize with the Lower Dan Tian. Martial arts and Qi Gong master Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming explains this as follows: Once you have cultivated the extreme empty mind and true calmness of the physical body, you will be able to feel the synchronization of the subconscious mind at the upper polarity with the qi in the lower polarity. You can then consciously bring your mind form the upper polarity to the lower one so that the spirit and qi can be united at the real lower dan tian. This is called “unification of mother (qi) and son (spirit),” (mu zi xiang he,      ).[11a]

Another way to understand this is as the body returns to a very yin state of complete quiescence, yang is initiated (yang returns). Real, True Qi then acts within the spiritual space and begins to circulate freely through the whole body, including the spinal column and brain, eventually returning to Dan Tian and the “Sea of Qi” (Qi Hai) below the navel. This is returning to the root. In the diagram below, showing the inner circulation of Qi during meditation, the fusion of spirit and Qi, yin and yang is diagrammed using Yi Jing hexagrams to illustrate the transformation of energies in the body as Qi circulates. When quiescence reaches its peak and the mind and spirit connect to Dan Tian and the perineum (this is the Kun Hexagram consisting of six broken-yin lines), then True Qi (true Yang) returns, represented by the single yang line in the Fu Hexagram), and energy begins another circuit of circulation, each circuit strengthening the unification of Qi and Shen (spirit).

Returning to text of Chapter 16, He Shang Gong gives us to understand that to not have this return, illumination, and increased perception is to go blindly into disaster. If one does not know the eternal, this disorder causes misfortune to arise. Who does not know how to walk eternally in Tao, is disordered and hypocritical. One then loses connection to the spirits.

Understanding and cognition emerge from the mind: with thoughts and cogitations, the mind yokes the Xing. Responses and reactions emerge from the body: with speech and silence, with sight and hearing, the body burdens the Ming. It is because Ming is burdened by the body that there are birth and death. It is because Xing is yoked by the mind that there are coming and going.

Therefore, according to [Daoist] Li Dao Chun, Xing is harmed by mental activity—thoughts and cogitations—and Ming is harmed by physical activity—perceptions and responses that occur through the physical body and the senses.[12]

On the other hand, who knows the eternal is called all-embracing, meaning that if one lets go of desires and the comings and goings of thought, then one is connected to the spirits and there is nothing that is not embraced, because one connects to a universal impartiality of thought and action, unhindered by the opinions and vices of the multitude – hence the text says that, to be all-embracing is to be universal, because one’s spirits are united. By governing and aligning the body, form is unified and countless spiritual lights then assemble in the body.[13] This is the way of the king, the way of Heaven and the Dao.

The final lines of this Chapter are:

Tao is lasting.

To lose the body is not dangerous

In essence, following the advice of this chapter allows one to increase longevity and last indefinitely through one’s universal connection to the world and the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. One is free from calamity and danger, because having penetrated through to true emptiness, through being still, quiet, pliable and adaptive, one has removed the vulnerability created by striving for life and fullness. This line also references Dao De Jing Chapter 50: “How to Esteem Life” which cautions one against stepping out of the quiet and peaceful interior to enter into the world of feelings, passions, and doubts, which cause us to lose our way. If one maintains inner silence and quiet there is no danger, because there is no place for negative energies to lodge.

Wang Bi’s commentary states this idea poetically:

Negativity [Emptiness] as such cannot be hurt by water or fire, and cannot be shattered by metal or stone. If use of it is made in one’s heart, “tigers” and “rhinoceroses” “will not find a place [on him] to thrust” “their claws” and “horns,” “soldiers” and lances “will not find a place [on him] to insert” their point and “blade” [as the Laozi 50.2 says of those who are good at maintaining their lives]. What danger could there possibly be [for such a person]?[14]

Dao De Jing Chapter 19: How to Return to Purity

Cut off the Saints!

Throw Away Wisdom!

The people will be benefited a hundredfold.

Cut off humanity and throw away justice!

The people return to piety and clemency.

Cut off clever men and throw away the beneficent ones!

There will be no more thieves and robbers.

As to these three,

To have knowledge of them is not sufficient.

Therefore let there be something on which one may rely.

Look at simplicity and hold fast to naturalness.

Diminish egoism.

Leave the desires alone.

The first line of this chapter opens powerfully with Cut off the saints! The character for “saint” used here is Sheng ( ). The character is composed of   (ěr) “ear” and   (chéng) “to show” or “assume a form.” In the case of the sage it could be interpreted to mean those who listened to ( ) and understood ( ) the advice given, and therefore became wise; wise, perfect.[15] He Shang Gong’s commentary on this line tells us that by cutting off the government of the saints, one restores the return to the beginning and keeps to the origin. He goes on to say that the Five Emperors are not equal to the “Three August Ones” who used knotted cords instead of writing.[16]

The Three Sovereigns, or Three August Ones, are named in Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian (109 BCE.)  They are:

The Heavenly Sovereign (Fu Xi)

The Earthly Sovereign (Nu Wa)

The Human Sovereign (Shen Nong)

The Three August Ones were essentially god-kings who introduced important aspects of Chinese culture such as agriculture, fishing, herbal medicine, writing, and the drinking of tea. Because of their lofty virtue they are said to have lived to a great age and ruled over a period of great peace.

The Three August Ones purportedly used knotted cords and symbols to communicate, although Fu Xi is also said to have created both the Yi Jing symbols (trigrams and hexagrams) and written characters. Nu Wa, is considered to be a kind of “Mother Goddess” who created humankind, and she is the goddess of nature, fertility, order, and marriage. Shen Nong is known as the “Divine Farmer.” Shen Nong is credited with teaching agriculture and farming to the Chinese people.

The Five Emperors listed below are considered by He Shang Gong to be inferior to these three August Ones, because although they were wise, they also promulgated rules and laws.

Huang Di (The Yellow Emperor), c. 2697 – c. 2597 BCE

Zhuan Xu, c. 2514 – c. 2436 BCE

Emperor Ku, c. 2436 – c. 2366 BCE

Emperor Yao, c. 2358 – c. 2258 BCE

Emperor Shun, c. 2255 – c. 2195 BCE

Hence the lines in this chapter of the Dao De Jing, which talk about cutting off wisdom, humanity, and justice, thereby allowing a return to a natural benevolence and kindness, and a return to wisdom and sagacity characterized by Wu-Wei (non-action). In both these lines, and the following line, which refers to cutting off cleverness and beneficence, the text is not saying that wisdom, justice and benevolence are not good, but rather that they are constructs imposed from the outside that interfere with our own ability to sense the correct patterns within ourselves. By distancing ourselves from these patterns, we can return to a state of original knowledge and inner peace, unblinded by greed, and theories about justice and wisdom.

The ideas in this chapter are closely tied to the image of “straw dogs” found in Dao De Jing Chapter 5: How to use Emptiness.

He Shang Gong’s mention of the Three August Ones using knotted cords to communicate, speaks to the idea of conveying wisdom and knowledge without words, because words often obfuscate and confuse things. A transmission on the Yi Jing ascribed to the Hemp Clad Daoist (who was one of the teachers of Daoist Patriarch Chen Tuan) speaks eloquently to this issue.

The way of Changes of the Fuxi Emperor

Embraces and encloses myriad images.

Only when one knows the place of all its symbols

Can they be put to practical use.

The arrangement of the six lines

Is not based on some weird idea.

It follows the cycle of yin and yang,

The course of blood and Qi.

The images of the hexagrams directly speak to people,

They don’t originally have texts or explanations.

They cause all men to live and act

Calmly in accordance with their fortunes on this earth.[17]

The text goes on to essentially say that the Confucians worked with the Yi Jing using words and lost the true meaning. Daoist teacher Hua Ching Ni elucidates this important idea, when he says that Chen Tuan used the Yi Jing as a tool for its principles that underlie the words. Hua goes on to say that in the beginning the sages were inspired by nature. Symbols were used as an interpretation of what they saw. If one wishes to understand the symbols deeply, the real source is to look for the reality of the Pre-Heaven Stage, which is without words. One should therefore start with the pictures and symbols, because they go beyond what language can define.[18] The Hemp Clad Daoist adds:

One must stop with the words

Beyond words see intention deep,

Then glimpse the Dao of Change.

Heaven and Earth and all there is

Are not clear in their law.

Looking now at hexagrams

Their principle shines forth.[19]

Returning to Dao De Jing Chapter 19, the next line says that there will be no more thieves and robbers. Daoist masters refer to the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body as the ‘Five Thieves’ because they literally ‘rob’ you of the mental attention required to stay with the True Breath and control the mind emotions, thereby. cultivating the internal energy. The five thieves were obliquely mentioned earlier in Chapter 12: How to Keep Off Desires: The five colours make men’s eyes blind, The five notes make man’s ear deaf. The five tastes cause man’s mouth to lose. Daoist and Buddhist syncretism also see the Five Thieves as sexual desire, anger, greed, emotional attachment and egotism.

To achieve Jing (‘quiet, stillness, calm’) and Ding (‘concentration, focus’) in self-cultivation, one must turn attention inwards and cut off external sensory input, thereby muzzling the “Five Thieves”. Within that silent stillness, one concentrates the mind and focuses attention, usually on the breath. This develops a focused ‘one-pointed awareness’, and an undifferentiated mental state, allowing the development of intuitive insights and spontaneity.

Ba Gua Practitioner and Daoist adept Sun Xi Kun       (1883-1952) advises one to sit in a quiet room on a thick cushion, loosening the clothing and belt so that Qi can circulate smoothly.

Sitting in a quiet room without disturbance or noise and burning incense, with sincerity, it is possible to connect to the mysterious Qi. Stop distracting thoughts. Extinguish all rash thinking. If even a few scattered thoughts exist, the spirit is not pure Yang. One who forgets emotion becomes unconscious of the boundary between oneself and the external world. Forgetting emotion one’s forgotten nature is recovered, the mind becomes bright and sharp. Close the Heart-Mind and use the breath to forget the Heart-Mind and to enliven the Shen, so that the Heart Mind is sharp and clear.[20]

The next line in Chapter 19 – As to these three, to have knowledge of them is not sufficient – refers to three things mentioned earlier – saints, wisdom, and humanity and justice. Knowledge of these things is not sufficient or useful, because they serve as mere decoration.[21] Therefore they are inadequate and it is difficult to identify with them and rely on them. So, one should hold fast to one’s innate simplicity and inner truth, and not rely on external things as models. He Shang Gong adds that one should diminish the ego and be content with having enough.

 Notes

[1] 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. 76.

[2] A Chinese Reading of the Daodjing – Wang Bi’s Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation. Rudolf G. Wagner (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003) p. 171.

[3] DC Lau:  https://www.centertao.org/essays/tao-te-ching/dc-lau/chapter-16-commentary/

[4] Yi Jing by Wu Jing Nuan, Washington DC: The Taoist Center, 1991, p. 114.

[5] The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, Dan G. Reid, translation (Montreal: Center Ring Publishing. 2015) p. 174.

[6] 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) p. 77.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] The Classic of Changes: A New Translation of the I Ching, as interpreted by Wang Bi, translated by Richard John Lynn. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994, p. 286.

[10] Daoism, Meditation and the Wonders of Serenity: From the Latter Han Dynasty (25-220) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Stephen Eskildsen (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2015) p. 69.

[11] Laotzu’s Taoteching: translated by Red Pine with selected commentaries of the past 2000 years (San Francisco: Mercury House, 1996) p. 32.

[11a] The Dao De Jing – A Qi Gong Interpretation. Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming (Wolfeboro, NH: YMMA Publication Center, 2018) p. 104.

[12] Daoism: Religion, History and Society Destiny, Vital Force, or Existence? On the Meanings of Ming in Daoist Internal Alchemy and Its Relation to Xing or Human Nature. Fabrizio Pregadio. (                    No. 6, 2014) p.157–218.

[13] The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, Dan G. Reid, translation (Montreal: Center Ring Publishing. 2015) p. 105.

[14] A Chinese Reading of the Daodjing – Wang Bi’s Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation. Rudolf G. Wagner (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003) p. 172.

[15] Wenlin Software for Learning Chinese. Version 3.4.1 Wenlin Institute Inc.

[16] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p.41.

[17] Chen Tuan: Discussions & Translations. Livia Kohn (Thee Pines Press, 2001) pp.121-22.

[18] Life & Teaching of Two Immortals (Vol 2): Chen Tuan. Hua Ching-Ni (Santa Monica: Seven Star Communications, 1992) p. 31.

[19] Chen Tuan: Discussions & Translations pp.122-23.

[20] Ba Gua Quan Zhen Chuan       (Genuine Transmission of Ba Gua Zhang) Sun Xi Kun.

[21] 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. 82.

Dao De Jing as a guide to Daoist Meditation, Part 6

By Tom Bisio, Internal Arts International 

Parts 1-5 can be found below, begging with August, 2025

Part 6:

In this sixth 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 12: How to keep Off Desires  and Chapter 15: How to Display Te

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.

Chapter 12: How to Keep Off Desires

The five colours make men’s eyes blind.

The five notes make man’s ear deaf,

The five tastes cause man’s mouth to lose

Chasing and hunting makes men’s hearts go mad.

Treasures difficult to obtain make man’s behavior hurtful

Therefore the saint takes care of his belly.

He does not take care of his eyes.

Therefore he flees this and chooses that.

In earlier chapters, the text and commentary told us that when feelings and desires are diminished, the five organs and their spirits are quieted and one reaches a place of stillness and emptiness. Then the Jing, the Qi and Breath, and the spirits are harmonious. For most people, the eyes are the dominant sense receptors. Therefore, our visual senses have a powerful effect on us and easily distract us. Striving for beauty, emphasizing visual stimulation, damages the spirits. Craving sounds and music, prevents the heart from listening to the “sounds of soundlessness.”[1] In order to nourish the spirits, one should look within (to Dantian) and at the powers within oneself, rather than be diverted by external pleasures and delights. This does not mean we should not look and hear and move and taste.

The eyes can’t help seeing and the ears can’t help hearing and the mouth can’t help tasting and the mind can’t help thinking and the body can’t help acting. They can’t stay still. But if we let them move without leaving stillness behind, nothing can harm us. Those who are buried by the dust of the senses or who crave sensory stimulation lose their way.[2]

This passage has much congruency with the teachings of Ma Dan Yang, a 12th century Daoist master who told his disciples that the most important practice is “nourishing Qi.”

Even if songs and lyrics sing about dragon and tiger, Child and Maiden, these are simply words. Therefore, if you long for the wondrousness of the Dao, nothing is better than nourishing qi. But people drift and drown in profit and reputation and in the process squander and ruin their qi. Those who study the Dao do not concern themselves with anything other than nourishing qi. Now, if the ye-fluids in the heart descend and the qi in the kidneys ascends, eventually reaching the spleen, and the enlivening influence of original qi is not dispersed, then the elixir will coalesce. The liver and lungs are pathways through which [the fluids and qi] come and go. If you practice stillness for a long time, you yourself will know this. If you do not nourish qi, even if you carry Mount Tai under your arm and leap beyond the Northern Sea, this is not the Dao.”[3]

Therefore the saint takes care of his belly. He does not take care of his eyes. He flees the incorrect, distracting use of the eyes and instead looks inward, focusing his attention and his “gaze” on the internal energies in Dantian and Mingmen. This references the importance of meditation and of looking, listening and sensing inward rather than outward. Daoist scholar Louis Komjathy comments on the passage from Ma Dan Yang (about nourishing Qi) as follows:

Nourishing qi is accomplished, first and foremost, by sealing oneself off from every source of dissipation. By sitting in silent meditation, emptying and stilling excess emotional and intellectual activity, one begins to return to one’s original condition of energetic aliveness and integration. One is no longer swayed by concerns with profit and reputation. The above passage suggests that the cultivation of stillness and concentration on the lower elixir field initiates an inner alchemical process. It is unclear if there are specific neidan techniques being employed, but Ma does suggest that actual practice must supersede discourse and concern over esoteric technical language. Through consistent meditative praxis, the adept will gain direct experience with shifts in his or her psychosomatic condition. This involves the descent of fluids from the heart and the ascent of qi from the kidneys, which eventually leads to original qi becoming complete and the elixir of immortality forming. It also results in orb [the organs and their global interconnections] harmony and a general state of well-being.[4]

Dao De Jing Chapter 15: How to Display Te

Those of yore who ably were masters

[Where] subtle, and mysterious [thus] penetrating the dark one.

The depth cannot be fathomed

Now as it cannot be fathomed, therefore I endeavor to make it accessible.

Cautious like crossing a stream in winter.

Suspicious like afraid of the four neighbors.

Reticent like a guest.

Dissolving like ice that is going to melt

Simple like unworked wood.

Empty like a valley.

Muddy, o, like turbid water.

Turbid water by being quieted gradually becomes clear.

The quiet by moving it gradually becomes quickened

Who keeps this Tao does not want fullness.

Now who is without fullness, is thereby able become worn out without being newly mended.

The first four lines of the text tells us that those who obtain the Dao (saints/sages/immortals) had inner natures that were subtle, abstruse, mysterious, penetrating – too deep to be understood. Because they cannot be understood we can only observe them as they appear to the outside world.

Early Daoists were often recluses who escaped or fled society to dwell in the mountains and forests, thereby avoiding the evils and distractions of the human world. However, it is hard to remain aloof from the world while living in it, and as the world and events are complex, no matter how well one hides, there are always things that cannot be avoided – in these cases fleeing and escaping does not work. As it says in the Zhuangzi: to leave off making footprints is easy, never to walk on the ground is hard.[5] In the Dao De Jing, Lao Zi attempts to reveal the laws underlying the changes of things. By understanding these changes and regulating one’s actions in conformity with them, the sage can still live in the world and turn events to one’s advantage.[6]

In affairs and undertakings one (the sage) should cautious and aware of the difficulty, proceeding slowly and meticulously – like crossing a stream in winter. The sage’s approach is to blend in as though adhering to an established system,[7] or adhering to the rules like one transgressing the law and afraid his neighbors will find out. Hence, he is reticent like a guest standing in awe within a powerful person’s house, naturally respectful but not obsequious.[8]

Daoists keep knowledge to themselves, while avoiding conflict with those who worship the more well-known or popular gods. It is better to be discrete in order not to be drawn into these beliefs. If invited to participate or even officiate in the festivals and rituals that others use to celebrate and honor their gods, he or she does not dispute or attempt to rectify misunderstandings, but rather neutralizes the influences of these gods, reintegrating them into the energies of his own body in order to purify and convert them.[9]

Daoism contains a healthy skepticism of the ability of deliberate planning and social structures to mediate the complexities of the world. By trying to control the natural movement within ourselves and in the myriad things in the world though planning and structures, the more unwieldy these plans and structures become. In the end, these plans and structures are unable to cope with the fluidity of natural changes and transformations.

The sage resembles ice melting and dissolving. What dissolves breaks up. What melts vanishes.[10] What is flowing must dissolve and vanish. If our emotions flow properly, they pass on, then our desires diminish and we become more empty. Dissolving energetic and emotional blockages, and returning them to flowing Qi, is a part of the ongoing meditative process.

The sage is simple as un-worked wood and empty as a valley. Un-worked wood has not been carved. Simplicity also refers to being candid and sincere, made of real substance[11] and without pretensions. Within one ought to take care of the spirits [12] – the vital spirits and Qi of the internal organs. The valley is empty, wide and vast: He Shang Gong says that a valley is empty, without Te and merit and fame, without a place.[13] Its existence it impossible to grasp, yet at the same time there is nothing it does not embrace. [14]

The first part of chapter six in the Zhuangzi (Chuang-Tzu, 369—298 B.C.E.) expands on some these themes in relation to the Zhen Ren (“true” or “genuine” person – the sage). The Zhen Ren is a person in tune with the cycles of nature. He or she is not upset by the vicissitudes of life. Like Laozi’s sage, the True Person, simultaneously unified with things, and yet not tied down or bound by them. He or she is in tune with the cycles of nature, and with the cycles of yin yang, and is not disturbed or harmed by them.[15] Zhuang Zi’s conception of the sage, or Zhen Ren, was discussed previously in the section on Dao De Jing Chapter Five.

Echoing some of the Dao De Jing’s descriptions of the sage the Zhuangzi describes the Zhen Ren as follows:

The True Man of ancient times slept without dreaming and woke without care; he ate without savoring; and his breath came from deep inside. The True Man breathes with his heels; the mass of men breathe with their throats. Crushed and bound down, they gasp out their words as though they were retching. Deep in their passions and desires, they are shallow in the workings of Heaven. The True Man of ancient times knew nothing of loving life, knew nothing of hating death. He emerged without delight; he went back in without a fuss. He came briskly, he went briskly, and that was all. He didn’t forget where he began; he didn’t try to find out where he would end. He received something and took pleasure in it; he forgot about it and handed it back again. This is what I call not using the mind to repel the Way, not using man to help out Heaven. This is what I call the True Man. Since he is like this, his mind forgets, his face is calm; his forehead is broad. He is chilly like autumn, balmy like spring, and his joy and anger prevail through the four seasons.

This was the True Man of old: his bearing was lofty and did not crumble; he appeared to lack but accepted nothing; he was dignified in his correctness but not insistent; he was vast in his emptiness but not ostentatious. Mild and cheerful, he seemed to be happy; reluctant, he could not help doing certain things; annoyed, he let it show in his face; relaxed, he rested in his virtue. Tolerant, he seemed to be part of the world; towering alone, he could be checked by nothing; withdrawn, he seemed to prefer to cut himself off; bemused, he forgot what he was going to say.[16]

Now returning to the last four lines of Chapter 15, it is clear that they speak to the meditative process:

Muddy, o, like turbid water.

Turbid water by being quieted gradually becomes clear.

The quiet by moving it gradually becomes quickened

Who keeps this Tao does not want fullness.

Now who is without fullness, is thereby able become worn out without being newly mended.

He Shang Gong’s commentary on this section tells us that muddiness retains its original purity – the undivided, obscure and dark unity of the origin. Turbid water is not so bright. One ought to unite with the crowd and not keep apart.[17] Although this is often interpreted to mean the sage concerned himself with others it also means uniting the spirits and energies inside the body. In his commentary on this stanza, Sinologist Arthur Waley says that it refers to the common saying – ‘The more you clean it the dirtier it becomes’ – which alludes to the way in which slander ‘sticks’ to a person. However, the Taoist must apply the paradoxical rule: ‘The more you dirty it the cleaner it becomes.’[18]

By assuming murkiness, one in the end becomes still and clear. He Shang Gong instructs us that quieting means to bring to a standstill. If water is turbid, one should bring it to a standstill and quiet it, and gradually it will become clear of itself.[19] By acting slowly and quietly in tune with nature, what is muddy gradually become clear and lipid. Then what is quiet quickens, it energies slowly and gradually increasing to nourish and preserve life.

Sinologist A.C. Graham explains this idea further: Instead of exerting his energies in the active or Yang phase to unravel a problem, the sage lets them withdraw in the passive or Yin phase to an absolute stillness in which he sees the problems unravel themselves. The ‘axis’: the still point at the centre of us from which we can watch the cycles of events as though for the motionless center of a rotating wheel.[20]

The last two lines reiterate a theme present throughout the Dao De Jing, that those who maintain the Dao do not desire fullness. In order to protect the inner energies, their union and their ability to nourish and extend life one should not be extravagant or desire to be exalted and praised. When one is not filled up to the brim, he or she is like a garment that endures all wear and need never be renewed.[21]

Notes

[1] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p. 146.

[2] 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. 25.

[3] Cultivating Perfection: Mysticism and Self-transformation in Early Quanzhen Daoism, by Louis Komjathy. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2007, pp.164-65.

[4] Ibid, p. 165

[5] Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters, translated by A.C. Graham (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company 1981) p. p. 69.

[6]  A Short History of Chinese Philosophy: A Systemic Account of Chinese Thought From Its Origins to the Present Day. Fung Yu-Lan (New York, London: The Free Press 1948), p. 65.

[7] The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Jing, translated by Daniel G. Reid (Montreal: Center Ring Publishing, 2015) p. 100.

[8] Ibid, p.101.

[9] Taoist Body. Kristofer Schipper (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993) p. 124.

[10] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p. 36.

[11] The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Jing, translated by Daniel G. Reid,  p.101.

[12] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p. 36.

[13] Ibid.

[14] The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Jing, translated by Daniel G. Reid, p. p.101.

[15] Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://iep.utm.edu/zhuangzi-chuang-tzu-chinese-philosopher/

[16] The Complete works of Zhuang Zi.Translated by Burton Watson (New York: Columbia University Press 2013) pp. 119-122.

[17] Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao-Tse, translated and annotated by Eduard Erkes, p. 36.

[18] The Way & Its Power: A Study of the Tao Te Ching and its Place in Chinese Thought. Arthur Waley (New York: Grove Press Inc. 1958) p. 1

[19] Ibid, p. 36

[20] Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters, translated by A.C. Graham (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company 1981) p. 63.

[21] The Way & Its Power: A Study of the Tao Te Ching and its Place in Chinese Thought. Arthur Waley (New York: Grove Press Inc. 1958) p. 160.