Mr. Zongxuan's Xuan Gang Lun: Chapter 25, Meeting the Principles of Heaven

 A question was asked: When the human mind is allowed to roam freely for a long time, it becomes vast and forgets to return; when it is suddenly settled, it leaps boundlessly. Allowing it leads to the detriment of our nature, while settling it exhausts our spirit. How, then, can those seeking the Dao achieve stillness? I answered: Nature is originally perfectly condensed. It moves when affected by external things. If the habit of movement persists for a long time, how can it suddenly become tranquil? Since one has become accustomed to movement and dispersion, one can become accustomed to stillness and tranquility. Therefore, those who are good at cultivating stillness find peace and abundance, while those who are not find it troublesome and fruitless. Thus, when restlessness arises, it is restrained by tranquility; when deviation occurs, it is corrected by integrity; when seeking arises, it is suppressed by letting go; when turbidity appears, it is clarified by purity. Leisurely and carefree, without desire or striving, one then takes the profound emptiness as the realm, the calm indifference as the city walls, the Great Harmony as the palace, and the silent illumination as the sun and moon. Being precise and subtle, neither neglecting nor transgressing, one acts thus, rests thus, acts hastily thus, and wanders freely thus. Those who practice this for a long time will have external things merge with the outside and the spirit reflect within. Without thinking of stillness, one becomes still; without seeking peace, one becomes more peaceful. Both movement and stillness are forgotten, and the principles of Heaven naturally converge. Therefore, walking on frost is the beginning of walking on solid ice, and cultivating stillness is the step to契合 the Dao. Did the ancients not say, 'Accumulated habits become nature'? This is exactly what is meant.

Explanation: Someone asked: If the human mind is allowed to wander, it becomes lost and forgets to return; if allowed to pause, the mind still leaps boundlessly. Since allowing it affects our nature, and pausing it exhausts our spirit, how can practitioners of the Dao achieve stillness? I replied: Nature is originally condensed, but it moves when encountering external objects. Once it moves, if this becomes a habit, how can it remain tranquil? Since one has adapted to movement and dispersion, one should try to adapt to the tranquility of stillness. Therefore, those who adapt to stillness can easily achieve cultivation results, while those who cannot adapt feel troubled and achieve nothing. When restlessness arises, it is controlled by tranquility; when thoughts are incorrect, they are purified by integrity; when desires arise, they are suppressed by letting go. This is the 'clarifying turbidity with purity' mentioned in the Dao De Jing. Leisurely and carefree, not seeking or managing, one then takes the profound emptiness as the realm, the calm indifference as the city walls, the Great Harmony as the palace, and the silent illumination as the sun and moon. Every detail, being precise and subtle, must be done without negligence or imagination. This applies not only during action but also during rest, during haste, and during leisure. Practicing this for a long time, although objects are outside, the spirit within can still perceive them. One does not need to seek stillness to become still, nor seek peace to become peaceful. This is forgetting both movement and stillness, and naturally meeting the principles of Heaven. Therefore, walking on frost is merely the beginning of walking on solid ice, and cultivating stillness is the ladder to契合 the Dao. Have we not heard the ancients say: 'Long-acquired habits become ordinary'? This is the meaning.

Analysis:

This section discusses the method of entering stillness. It states that human nature is originally perfectly condensed and unmoving, but becomes active when encountering external objects.

Just as in a famous Chan Buddhist gong'an from the time of Empress Wu Zetian: Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng saw monks arguing whether the flag was moving or the wind was moving, and Hui Neng said it was neither the flag nor the wind moving, but the mind of the observer moving.

Actually, this concept was recognized early by Daoism, but since this understanding is only for the beginning of entering the Dao, not much energy is usually spent discussing it.

However, this issue is still very important for beginners in cultivation because practitioners face a problem at the beginning. Usually, the mind thinks of many things. When one suddenly becomes quiet, one inevitably has floating thoughts. Suppressing these thoughts is exhausting and consumes energy. As a result, in order to achieve a thoughtless state during sitting meditation, one spends more energy on it, which反而 fails to nourish the spirit, leaving one feeling tired or sleepy after meditation.

This passage points out a brilliant solution: it is not only during sitting meditation that one needs stillness, but one must cultivate the habit of stillness in daily life. Over time, one will naturally become still.

The movement of the human mind is to recognize external objects. In reality, even if the mind does not move, it can still observe external objects.

Here is a hypothetical scenario to illustrate this problem:

An older male youth living at the bottom of society, feeling hopeless about life, sits in a park. Suddenly, a beautiful woman approaches and talks to him. Usually, those with weak willpower will have their minds move at this moment, their spirits will become chaotic, and their appearance will be awkward. Similar plots appear in some TV dramas or movies. This situation is what is meant by 'the mind moving,' although this type of movement is quite obvious.

Similarly, when a woman goes to Taobao and suddenly sees a sparkling shoe, she likes it immediately and wants to buy it, resulting in impulsive shopping. This is also 'the mind moving.'

These are scenes where the mind moves upon encountering external objects. What happens if the mind does not move? If the mind does not move, it does not affect the young man appreciating the woman's beauty, nor does it affect the woman appreciating the beautiful shoes on Taobao.

The difference between moving and not moving lies in whether desire is controlling you, or whether you are appreciating.

Moving means your mind tries to grasp external objects, then tries to move with them, follow them, and be influenced by them.

Stillness means your mind is like a mirror; external objects are reflected in the mirror, and you observe their changes.

This is the difference between objects controlling the moving mind and the still mind controlling objects. The still mind controlling objects is only the first half of the skill. After mastering this, one must forget both mind and objects, which is the foundation of entering the Dao.

Ordinary people do not know that one must first use the still mind to control objects before forgetting both mind and objects. They either confuse the concepts or are arrogant, believing they can directly forget both mind and objects, resulting in no achievement.

The ability of the mind to control objects has verification criteria in reality: when achieved, one can begin to influence external objects. For example, seeing a flower, if you can control the mind, you can say it will definitely wither tomorrow, and it will not last until the day after. Or, when chatting with someone, if you say there must be a black box in the north of their home, the object will exist. Or, if you see someone carrying a bag and say it will definitely be stolen, the person will indeed be robbed.

This is what some cultivators call 'words follow the law.'

For those without cultivation, this phenomenon also occurs occasionally. For example, casually making a prediction that turns out to be true, or during an exam, suddenly feeling that a question must be answered with A, without reason or calculation, and getting the answer right. This is not telepathy, but the occasional ability of the mind to control objects.

In Buddhism, such phenomena are often called supernatural powers. However, one should not become addicted to them. The path of cultivation is like sailing against the current. If the mind clings to these, there will be no progress, and cultivation will regress. Ultimately, seeking control with desire cannot achieve control. Therefore, both Daoist and Buddhist moral cultivation believe that pursuing supernatural powers will hinder proper cultivation, which is the reason.