8th March 2020
太上老君【太上】
Supreme Sovereign Lao [Lao Zi]
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Today the world celebrates the divine birthday of Lao Zi or the Supreme Sovereign Lao, which marks the 15th day of the second lunar month [1]. Originally it was Purple Cloud Press’ intention to have the release of the Tai Shang’s Treatise on Action and Response by Lao Zi fall onto this date. Due to unforeseen circumstance, unfortunately having those two events coincide was beyond the publisher’s control. Instead this post will share the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness translated by LoAn Tran from Feather Beings (www.featherbeings.com) and Purple Cloud Press:
太上老君説常清靜經
The Scripture of Constant Clarity
and Stillness
Spoken by the Supreme Sovereign Lao
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老君曰：
大道無形，生育天地；大道無情，運行日月；大道無名，長養萬物；吾不知其名，強名曰道。夫道者：有清有濁，有動有靜；天清地濁，天動地靜;男清女濁，男動女靜。降本流末，而生萬物。清者濁之源，動者靜之基。人能常清靜，天地悉皆歸。
夫人神好清，而心擾之；人心好靜，而慾牽之。常能遣其欲而心自靜，澄其心而神自清。自然六欲不生，三毒消滅。所以不能者，為心未澄，慾未遣也。能遣之者，內觀於心，心無其心；外觀於形，形無其形；遠觀於物，物無其物。三者既悟，唯見於空。觀空亦空，空無所空；所空既無，無無亦無；無無既無，湛然常寂；寂無所寂，慾豈能生？慾既不生，即是真靜。真常應物，真常得性；常應常靜，常清靜矣。如此清靜，漸入真道；既入真道，名為得道，雖名得道，實無所得；為化眾生，名為得道；能悟之者，可傳聖道。
老君曰：
上士無爭，下士好爭；上德不德，下德執德；執著之者，不名道德。眾生所以不得真道者，為有妄心。既有妄心，即驚其神；既驚其神，即著萬物；既著萬物，即生貪求；既生貪求，即是煩惱；煩惱妄想，憂苦身心；便遭濁辱，流浪生死，常沉苦海，永失真道。真常之道，悟者自得。得悟道者，常清靜矣。
Sovereign Lao states:
The Great Dao is without shape; it gives birth to and fosters Heaven and Earth. The Great Dao is without sentiments; it moves the cycles of the sun and the moon. The Great Dao is without name; it grows and nurtures the Ten Thousand Things. I do not know its name; compelled to name it, I call it the Dao. This Dao contains clarity and turbidity, movement and stillness. Heaven is clear, Earth is turbid. Heaven is movement, Earth is stillness. The masculine is clear, the feminine is turbid. The masculine is movement, the feminine is stillness. It descends from the root, flows to the end and gives birth to the Ten Thousand Things. Clarity is the source of turbidity; movement is the foundation of stillness. If one is able to be constantly clear and still, all of [the powers of] Heaven and Earth will completely return [to one].
The human Spirit is inclined to clarity, yet the Heart-Mind disturbs it. The human Heart-Mind is inclined to stillness, yet desires lead it astray. If one is able constantly to dispel one’s desires, then the Heart-Mind becomes still by itself. If one settles the Heart-Mind, then the Spirit becomes clear by itself. Naturally the Six Desires do not arise, and the Three Poisons perish. Therefore, if one is unable [to do this], it is because the Heart-Mind has yet to be settled, and desires have yet to be dispelled. The ones who are able to dispel them, inwardly observe their Heart-Mind and the Heart-Mind is not their Heart-Mind, outwardly observe their form and the form is not their form, distantly observe phenomena and phenomena are not phenomena.
When these three [observations] have been realized, all that appears is within emptiness. One observes emptiness as also empty, and emptiness is not that which is empty. Since that which is empty is non-being, the non-existence of non-being is also non-existent. Since the non-existence of non-being is already non-existent, there is transparent constancy and serenity. When silence is without that which is silent, how could desires arise? Since desires do not arise, there is true stillness. True constancy resonates with phenomena; true constancy attains Inner Nature. Constantly resonating and constantly still, this is constant clarity and stillness. In such clarity and stillness, one gradually enters the True Dao. Entering the True Dao is called attaining the Dao. Although it is called attaining the Dao, in reality there is nothing which has been attained. In order to transform all living beings, it is called attaining the Dao. Those who are able to awaken to it may transmit the sacred Dao.
Sovereign Lao states:
The high adept does not contend, the lower adept is inclined to contend. The higher virtue is not virtuous, the lesser virtue holds onto virtue. Those who have attachments cannot be said to be within the Dao and virtue. Therefore, not all living beings attain the True Dao, for they have delusional Heart-Minds. If one has a delusional Heart-Mind, it startles one’s Spirit. Since it startles one’s Spirit, one is then affected by the Ten Thousand Things. Since one is affected by the Ten Thousand Things, one then generates greed and cravings. Since one generates greed and cravings, one is afflicted by vexations. Vexations and delusional thinking are disturbing and create suffering for the body and Heart-Mind. There-after, one meets with turbidity and disgrace, floating and drifting through birth and death. One constantly sinks into the sea of suffering, perpetually lost to the True Dao. The Dao of True Constancy is naturally attained by those who awaken. Those who attain the awakening to the Dao are constantly in clarity and stillness.
[1] In the Gregorian calendar this date will vary from year to year and not be identical.
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PS: This scripture will appear with comprehensive endnotes in the appendix of the forthcoming book The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao [修道49关] by Xing De (Li Shi Fu) from Five Immortals Temple (www.fiveimmortals.com ), to be released within the next month by Purple Cloud Press (www.purplecloudinstitute.com).
