#taoist scripture

[sanctuaryofdao]

The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Scripture 玉 皇 心 印 經

The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Scripture 玉 皇 心 印 經 Yu Huang Xin Yin Jing The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Scripture

The Supreme Medicine has three components: Jing [essence], Qi [vitality], and Shen [spirit]. They are indistinct and invisible, elusive, and obscure.

Keep to Non-existence, yet hold on to Existence and perfection is yours in an instant.

When distant winds blend together, in one hundred days of spiritual work and morning recitation to the Shang Di, then in one year you will soar as an immortal.

For those who know, awakening is easy. For those who are ignorant, the practices are difficult.

Fulfilling vows illuminates the Heavens.

Breathing nourishes youthfulness. Depart from the mysterious and enter the female. Appears to have perished, yet appears to exist, the Dao is continuous and unbroken, like a firm stem with deep roots.

Each person has Essence. The Spirit unites with the Essence. The Spirit unites with the Qi. Then the True Body unites with the Qi. Having not acquired the True, these terms appear to be fanciful exaggerations.

The Spirit is capable of entering stone. The Spirit is capable of physical flight. Entering water it is not drowned. Entering fire it is not burned.

The Spirit depends on life form. The Jing depends on sufficient Qi. If these are neither depleted nor injured, the result will be youthfulness and longevity.

These three components have one principle, yet it is so subtle it cannot be heard.

Their meeting results in existence. Their parting results in nonexistence. The seven apertures interpenetrate and each emit wisdom light. The sacred sun and sacred moon illuminate the Golden Court. One attainment is eternal attainment.

The body will naturally become weightless. When the supreme harmony is replete, the bone fragments become like winter jade. Acquiring the elixir results in immortality, not acquiring it results in extinction. The elixir is within yourself. It is not white and not green.

Recite and hold [to this scripture] 10,000 times, And to these subtle principles of self-illumination.

End of The Jade Emperor’s Mind Seal Scripture.

[sanctuaryofdao]

The Exalted One’s Clarity and Tranquility of the Constant Scripture

The Exalted One’s Clarity and Tranquility of the Constant Scripture 太 上 常 清 靜 經 Tai Shang Chang Qing Jing Jing Du Jiang reads the text aloud. The Venerable Sage, the Exalted One, spoke this Clarity and Tranquility of the Constant Scripture. The Venerable Sage said, “The Great Dao is formless, yet it gave birth to Heaven and Earth. The Great Dao is without impulse, yet it revolves and gives motion to the sun and moon. The Great Dao is nameless, yet it eternally nourishes the myriad things. I do not know its name, but if pressed to give it a name, I would call it Dao. “From the Dao there is both clarity and turbidity, and there is movement and tranquility. Heaven is clear and the Earth is turbid; Heaven moves and the Earth is tranquil. The masculine is clear and the feminine turbid; the masculine moves and the feminine is tranquil. [Clarity] originally descended from Heaven, and so [turbidity] flows on endlessly, giving birth to the myriad things. “Clarity is the source of turbidity; movement is the basis of tranquility. If people were able to be constantly clear and tranquil they would then understand that all of Heaven and Earth return to [Dao]. “Now, the spirits of human beings are fond of clarity, but their minds are disturbed. Their minds are fond of tranquility, but they are distracted by sense desires. “If able to constantly eradicate sense-desires, the mind itself will become tranquil. Bring clarity to the mind and the spirit will become tranquil and clear. Then naturally the Six Sense-Desires will not arise and the Three Poisons will be extinguished. The reason people are unable to bring this about is that they have no clarity of mind and sense-desires have not been eliminated. “When [people] can bring about this elimination, they will, when inwardly contemplating the mind, see the mind as a false mind. When they outwardly contemplate their bodily form, they will see the bodily form as a false bodily form. So, too, when contemplating things apart from their self they will see things as false things. “When [people] are awakened to these three falsehoods, only then is the Void perceived. But they must contemplate the Void as also being Void—a Void without there even being a Void. This is because when nothingness is Void, then this Voidness becomes no-nothingness. When nothingness becomes no-nothingness, there will be a deep and constant tranquility—tranquility without any perception of tranquility. How then can sense-desires arise? For when sense-desires do not arise, this is true tranquility. “The True and Constant respond to all things. Through the True and Constant, Essence can then be acquired, which is forever responsive and forever tranquil—Clarity and Tranquility of the Constant. “Thus, by means of clarity and tranquility there is a gradual entrance to the True Dao, and having entered the True Dao is called, ‘Obtaining the Dao.’ Even though it is called ‘Obtaining the Dao,’ in truth there is nothing to obtain. It is only because of the transformation of a living being that it is called, ‘Obtaining the Dao.’ Those who have awakened to this may transmit it to others, for they are sages of the Dao.” The Venerable Sage, the Exalted One, said, “The superior person is without contention and the inferior person is quarrelsome. The virtue of [superior people] is that they do not seek to be virtuous, while [inferior people] grasp at virtue. Those who grasp are confused about both the Dao and virtue. “The reason living beings do not attain the True Dao is because they have false thoughts. When there are false thoughts the spirit is aggravated. When the spirit is aggravated the myriad things are attracted. When attracted by the myriad things, greed comes forth and there are then perplexities. These perplexities result in confused thinking, which causes further grief and bitterness to the body and mind. [False thinking] is the cause for meeting with turbidity and defilement, drifting about birth and death, constantly sinking into a bitter sea and forever losing the True Dao. “The realization of the True and Constant Dao is a matter of self-attainment. Attain and realize the Dao of Clarity and Tranquility of the Constant!”

End of The Exalted One’s Clarity and Tranquility of the Constant Scripture.

[modernshxmxn]

We must realize that this mind comes when we are aware and goes when we are not aware. How can we manage to be always aware, so that it does not go away? It is just a matter of thorough familiarity, that is all. I have seen wild birds being kept; they are not domestic fowl, but because they have been raised and familiarized, they will not leave even if released. Our mind is here in our own heart-if we develop thorough familiarity with our mind, why would there be any reason to lose it?

Anonymous Taoist (late Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Secret Records of Understanding the Way,

Thomas Cleary translated and edited, Taoist Meditation: Methods for Cultivating a Healthy Mind and Body.

[modernshxmxn]

Therefore cultivation of the Way does not require leaving home. You must mix with society, harmonizing illumination, living in the material world without being infected by materialism.

Anonymous Taoist (late Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Secret Records of Understanding the Way,

Thomas Cleary translated and edited, Taoist Meditation: Methods for Cultivating a Healthy Mind and Body.

[modernshxmxn]

If superior people only study the Way, is it because they gain some benefit? Yes, it is. What is that benefit? Those who study the Way study what is in the self. The mind can be broadened, the body can be benefited; sickness can be cure, death can be avoided. No benefits are greater than these.

Anthology on the Cultivation of Realization. Author, Unknown. Ming Dynasty (China) 1368-1644 

Thomas Cleary translated and edited, Taoist Meditation: Methods for Cultivating a Healthy Mind and Body.

[sanctuaryofdao]

Secret of the Golden Flower Intro - Sanctuary of Dao

The Secret of the Golden Flower The full title of this work is The Supreme One’s Platform on the Secret of the Golden Flower (太 乙 金 華 宗 旨, Tai Yi Jin Hua Zong Zhi)
. The Secret of the Golden Flower is one of Daoism’s primary meditation and internal alchemy texts. The text is &

The Secret of the Golden Flower The full title of this work is The Supreme One’s Platform on the Secret of the Golden Flower (太 乙 金 華 宗 旨, Tai Yi Jin Hua Zong Zhi)
. The Secret of the Golden Flower is one of Daoism’s primary meditation and internal alchemy texts. The text is &

[modernshxmxn]

What gives me life is the spirit, what kills me is the mind.

Xisheng jing (17.2), translation by Livia Kohn

[childrenofthetao]

Do not seek fame. Do not make plans. Do not be absorbed by activities. Do not think that you know. Be aware of all that is and dwell in the infinite. Wander where there is no path. Be all that heaven gave you, but act as though you have received nothing. Be empty, that is all.

Chuang Tzu