The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao: Barrier 3
This is the 3rd of 49 Barriers from ‘The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao” (available here: https://purplecloudinstitute.com/product/the-49-barriers-of-cultivating-the-dao/ ) to be posted online in their entirety. The book also features extensive endnotes as well as hundreds of pages of commentary by Daoist renunciate Li Shifu (abbot of Five Immortals Temple) as well as explanations of key Daoist concept:
(3) 榮貴關 – Barrier of Honour and Nobility
富貴，是人之所欲，榮貴，有天爵與人爵之分，天爵者，道德仁義，人爵者，功名禄位，修天爵者，飽仁義而蘊道德，歛浮華而就樸實，蓄精神而養正氣，不是教避榮貴，是要於榮貴境遇處，做出不貪榮貴的實落工夫，若處榮貴而恃榮貴，或居榮貴而貪榮貴，或出榮貴而不忘榮貴，或遇榮貴而諂媚榮貴，或見榮貴而知是榮貴，皆是不曾打通關口，出入榮貴而不為榮貴所牽，借世法而修道法，修道立德，行其道以救世，處榮貴者忘榮貴，無榮貴者莫羡榮貴，則道法可成。
Wealth and nobility are what people desire. Honour and Nobility are divided into the heavenly rank and the human rank. The heavenly rank is the Dao and the virtues of benevolence and righteousness. The human rank is Gong, fame, emoluments and position. To cultivate the heavenly rank one must be filled with benevolence and righteousness, accumulate the Dao and virtues, restrain ostentation, and move towards the simple and down-to-earth, storing essence and spirit and nourishing the upright Qi.
The teachings are not about an avoidance of honour and nobility. When one encounters them in a situation, one must make honest efforts not to be greedy for such honour and nobility. If one is placed in [circumstances of] honour and nobility and [comes to] depend on them, perhaps one will reside in and [harbour] greed for such honour and nobility. Perhaps honour and nobility will depart, yet one will not forget about them. Perhaps one will encounter honour and nobility, yet fawn over them. Perhaps one will see them and still know that it is honour and nobility – in all of these [situations], one has not yet opened up the gateway of this barrier.
If one exits and enters honour and nobility, yet is not caught up in them, based on the laws of the world, one is able to cultivate the Dao and the laws of the Dao, to establish the virtues, and to spread the Dao in order to save the world. If one is situated in honour and nobility, yet forgets about them, and if one is without honour and nobility, and yet is not envious of them, then the laws of the Dao can be attained.
Excerpt from ‘The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao’. The original text contains extensive commentaries by Xing De (Li Shifu). The commentaries are also deeply knowledgeable in Chinese tradition, bridging Daoism with Buddhism, Confucianism and even Christianity, and possess a rare mystical depth stemming from Xing De’s long-term practice.
