Chapter 15: Quotations on the Mental Practice of Quiet Immersion

¹ ★The mental practices cultivated by Chinese schools are: Confucians “rectify the mind and make the will sincere.” Buddhists “see into their original nature.” Daoists “temper the mind in quietude.”

¹ ★中國各家修煉心法：儒家「正心誠意」。佛家「明心見性」。道家「清靜煉心」。

² Chinese Original Quiet Sitting is for “directly cultivating the great empty Dao of the highest heaven, which is a natural, unforced, and non-purposive mindfulness.”

² 正宗靜坐乃是「直修昊天虛無大道自然無為心法」。

³ ★Adhere to the following key points when practicing the quiet immersion of the Supreme Truth- Blossom Vehicle Method for reaching the highest heaven in a natural, unforced, non-purposive mindfulness for cultivating the great empty Dao:

³ ★法華上乘，昊天自然無為靜參心法：

⁴ With ‘Verse on Quiet Immersion’ and the silent invitation of the primordial Qi, this method is direct dual cultivation of one’s self- nature and physical body. It leads practitioners to return to their original source.

⁴ 靜參口訣，默運祖炁，性命雙修，返本還原。

⁵ There is no focusing on energy opening points, no visualization, no breath control and no deliberate movement of qi.

⁵ 既不守竅觀想，亦不調息運氣。

⁶ Breathing is poised between ceasing and continuing, between inhaling and exhaling.

⁶ 若亡若存，似呼似吸。

⁷ Not fixating on self or others, not hearing or seeing.

⁷ 無人無我，不聞不見。

⁸ First step is to follow the practice of tempering the mind. Tempering the mind until it is left with nothing.

⁸ 先做煉心功夫，務將此心煉得一無所有。

⁹ Let one’s spirit join the great void. Let one’s body unite with the universe.

⁹ 與太虛合其神，與宇宙合其體。

¹⁰ “Let everything take place naturally” is the fountainhead. “Let everything be natural and unforced” be the principle.

¹⁰ 以自然為宗，以無為為法。

¹¹ Let the sense of self and environment slip away. Enter a trance-like state. Let the intertwining and transforming of Qi proceed on its own, until the acupressure points open up naturally and remain open.

¹¹ 人境俱忘，渾渾噩噩，任其絪縕炁化，自然關開竅通。

¹² Accumulate merits until karmic obstacles are removed.

¹² 積功累德，業消障除。

¹³ Refine shen back to emptiness and bring your Embryo of Sainthood to completion.

¹³ 煉神還虛，聖胎圓滿。

¹⁴ [Then you will be able to] emerge from the grotto to be greeted by myriad deities. Rejoin the source in nature, and serve forever at God’s side, abiding with the universe.

¹⁴ 運乎出峒，萬神迎禮。回歸自然，永侍　上帝左右，與宇宙共始終。

¹⁵ ★In preparation for quiet sitting, the primordial Qi is drawn in, by way of silent chanting, through the crown of the head and descends to Xingqiao^[57] and Minggong.^[58]

¹⁵ ★靜坐時默運祖炁，就是從頂門進入，再到性竅、命宮。

¹⁶ This primordial Qi is God’s true spirit-yang Qi drawn in by way of silent chanting.

¹⁶ 所謂默運祖炁的「炁」就是　上帝靈陽真炁。

¹⁷ We must gradually rid our bodies of murky qi, yin qi before our own yang qi can be activated. Then the yang qi in the body will attune and merge with the perfect spirit-yang Qi and begin to transform. It will ultimately manifest itself as pure yang Qi naturally.

¹⁷ 須將自身濁氣陰氣逐漸排除，自身一己陽氣才能發動，然後才與靈陽真炁調和運化，最後自然呈現純陽之炁。

¹⁸ ★The natural, unforced and non- purposive mindfulness requires that we “let everything go. Put everything down. Let all thoughts go and put all thoughts down.”

¹⁸ ★自然無為心法即是「一切放下，放下一切；一切不想，不想一切」。

¹⁹ ★The natural, unforced and non- purposive mindfulness is teaching you to “seek substance in the emptiness” and “truth in non- being.”

¹⁹ ★自然無為心法即是要在「虛中求實，無中求真」。

²⁰ ★The natural, unforced and non- purposive mindfulness is teaching you to emulate the movements of the heavenly bodies and the revolutions of planets. It allows everything to flow according to its natural course.

²⁰ ★自然無為心法即是要效法天體之運行，星球之運轉，一切自自然然。

²¹ ★The natural, unforced and non- purposive mindfulness does “simmering” instead of using “high heat.”^[59] It does not resort to the slightest artificial power or intention. Let the mind and body be, and let nature take its course.

²¹ ★自然無為心法即是要用「文火」不用「武火」，不加絲毫人為的力量與意念，身心放鬆聽其自然。

²² ★While sitting, keep your mind “at the edge of sleep, yet not asleep. At the edge of waking, yet not awake,” with your whole body relaxed, you then enter a state in which “the myriad thoughts are void and the one spirit shines constantly.”

²² ★在靜坐時經常保持將睡未睡，似覺不覺，全身放鬆，「一靈常照、萬念皆空」的心理狀態。

²³ At this level you will pass from mystery to transformation and bring forth wondrous transformation of the body and spirit. This is the acme reached by a natural, unforced and non- purposive mindfulness for cultivating the great empty Dao of the highest heaven.

²³ 而達超神入化、形神俱妙的境界。這是昊天虛無大道自然無為心法的最高境界。

²⁴ ★The unforced and natural way of direct cultivation of the great empty Dao of the highest heaven is the highest of high roads. It is a true teaching from God.

²⁴ ★直修昊天虛無大道無為心法，是真正通了天，是　上帝的真傳。

²⁵ ★To cultivate the Dao is to purify our “worldly human mind” and turn it into “heavenly mind,” the “Dao mindset,” which possess nothing.

²⁵ ★修道煉心的功夫乃是將「人心」、「凡心」，煉到什麼都無的「天心」與「道心」。

²⁶ ★To temper the mind, we must purify it until it is “neither disordered nor aroused.” It is to temper ourselves until “wealth will not temp or corrupt us, poverty will not sway us and force cannot subdue us.”

²⁶ ★修道煉心要煉到「心不亂、不動心」。亦即要煉到「富貴不能淫、貧賤不能移、威武不能屈」。

²⁷ ★The everyday mind is the un- agitated mind. The un-agitated mind is not stirred up by sensations or hopes for profit.

²⁷ ★平常心就是不動心，不動心就是不對聲色貨利動心。

²⁸ ★You must restrain the dissipated mind and stop delusive thoughts, if you are to reach the heights of quiet sitting: no mind and no thoughts.

²⁸ ★要能收放心，止妄念，才能達到靜坐最高境界－無心無念。

²⁹ ★In cultivating the Dao, there should be no mind, no thoughts; one should not fixate on self or others.

²⁹ ★修道應無心、無念、無人、無我。

³⁰ The mind does not attach to any form or dwell on any object.

³⁰ 亦即心不著一切，心不住一切處。

³¹ Not a single speck of dust taints the mind. Not a single notion arises.

³¹ 一塵不染，一念不生。

³² The mind remains clean, empty, natural and enduring in quietude, with nothing left. Only then can there be great freedom and ease.

³² 乾乾淨淨，空空洞洞，自自然然，常清常靜，一無所有，方可得大自在。

³³ ★Quiet sitting is a means to overcome our worldly mind and to enhance our spiritual cultivation. This is what it takes to be pure in the mind and temperate in desires.

³³ ★透過靜坐，克制凡心，加強精神修養，才能清心寡欲。

³⁴ ★Once your heart wavers, the devil will attack you.

³⁴ ★你若心一動，魔鬼即來攻。

³⁵ ★Use “proper thoughts” to govern the tumult of delusive and confused thoughts. From there, move onward to the stage of “no- thoughts.”

³⁵ ★以「正念」收攝紛紛擾擾的妄想雜念，進而達到「無念」之境界。

³⁶ ★Only when there is “no mind, no thoughts” can your own spirit- yang qi be activated, connecting with God’s prefect spirit-yang Qi.

³⁶ ★「無心無念」才能發動自身的靈陽真氣，接上　上帝的靈陽真炁。

³⁷ The innate Qi and the acquired qi together embrace and interfuse, in a process that returns to its origin, casting out yin qi with each cycle. This tempering gives rise to pure yang Qi [in the body].

³⁷ 氣炁抱合激盪，循行復始，排除陰氣，煉就純陽真炁。

³⁸ ★You need to be broad-minded, be able to tolerate others by embracing resentments from all directions. Otherwise, you cannot make room for a Qi Embryo.

³⁸ ★要心胸寬闊，要能容忍－包容天地間的怨氣，才能安氣胎。

³⁹ ★When external affinities do not enter and internal affinities do not arise, or when you are not moved by emotional desires, your primal qi will not be harmed.

³⁹ ★外緣不入，內緣不生，不為情欲所動，就不會損傷自己的元氣。

⁴⁰ ★It is most important for every Dao cultivator to ignore their age and the self.

⁴⁰ ★每個修道人最重要的就是忘年，忘我。

⁴¹ Never look for your own gain. Strive and sacrifice ceaselessly.

⁴¹ 一切不為自己打算，不斷的犧牲奮鬥。

⁴² Commit yourself to quiet sitting wholeheartedly and temper your jing, qi and shen.

⁴² 一心靜坐，鍛煉精、氣、神。