Restrain your speech.
An active tongue betrays a restless
mind. Tranquility on every
level is advised.
5th changing line,
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
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Govern a nation
by following nature.
Fight a war with unexpected
moves. Win the world by
letting go.
How do I know this?
From seeing these things:
The more prohibitions there
are, the poorer people
become.
The more
weapons there are,
the darker things
become.
The more cunning
and cleverness there is,
the crazier things
become.
The more laws there are,
the greater the number
of scoundrels.
Therefore the sage says:
I take no action, and people transform
themselves. I love tranquility, and people
naturally do what is right. I don’t interfere,
and people prosper on their own. I have
no desires, and people return
to simplicity.
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Wei wu Wei Ching, Hua hu Ching, and
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I have discarded
the world of fame and profit.
How elegant is the morning sun shining
on the rafters and eaves. How cool are the terrace
and pond after the rain. I burn incense to break the deep
silence, and drink the spring water and relax in joy. I penetrate
into the wonders of Tao, and chant ancient sutras. When my
mind is at ease, my spirit is gay. When understanding
is gained, there is nothing left to comprehend.
Who can say that the realm of Tao is far
from us? How tranquil it is; as at
the beginning of Heaven
and Earth.
Stabilization is the final stage of escape from the profane, the foundation of attaining the Way, the accomplishment of cultivated stillness, the consummation of maintaining calm.
When the body is like a withered tree, the mind like dead ashes, without reactivity, without seeking anything, this is the epitome of tranquility. There is no mindfulness of stabilization, yet there is stability. Thus it is called tranquil stabilization.
Chuang-tzu said, “One whose capacity is tranquilly stabilized radiates natural light.” Capacity refers to the mind, natural light is active insight. The mind is a capacitor of the Way; when it is as uncluttered and quiet as can be, then the Way stays there and insight emerges.
Insight comes from original nature; one does not just come to have it now. That is why it is called natural light. It is just because of the muddling confusion caused by craving that it comes to be obscure. Clean it, make it flexible, rectify it, and restore it to purity and calm, and the original real conscious spirit will gradually become clear of itself; this does not mean that you are just now producing that insight.
Once insight has emerged, treasure it and do not compromise stability by too many concerns.
Treatise on Sitting Forgetting
Those who are determined to practice the Way practice self-awareness and self-understanding twenty-four hours a day. They think of this and focus on this. They know that the one Great Cause is there right where they stand, that it is in sages without being augmented and in ordinary people without being diminished. They know that it stands alone free of senses and sense objects, and that it far transcends material things.
Wayfarers don’t set up fixed locations in anything they do. They are clear and tranquil, with solid concentration, and the myriad transformations never disturb them. They appear in response to conditions and go into action as they encounter events, leaving nothing incomplete.
You should just be empty and quiet, transcending everything. Once the main basis is clear, all obscurities are illuminated. “Ten thousand years — a single thought. A single thought — ten thousand years.” Passing through from the heights to the depths, the great function of the whole potential is in operation. It is like when a strong man flexes his arm: he doesn’t depend on anyone else’s strength. Then the illusory blinders of birth and death vanish forever, and the true essence indestructible as a diamond is all that shows. Once realized, it is realized forever — there is no interruption.
All that the enlightened teachers, ancient and modern, have said and done — the scriptural teachings, the enlightenment stories, the meditation stories, the question-and-answer sessions, all their teaching functions — all of this illuminates this true essence alone.
If you can be free and clear in actual practice for a long time, naturally you will come to meet the Source on all sides and become unified and whole.
Haven’t you seen Fadeng’s verse?
Going into a wild field, not choosing,
Picking up whatever plant comes to hand,
Rootless but finding life,
Apart from the ground but not falling.
Right before your eyes, it has always been there. Facing the situation, why don’t you speak? If you don’t know it in your daily life, where then will you look for it? Better find out.