Eight Stanzas With Contemplative
Verses of Classical Taoist Philosophy
Chang Po-Tuan
1
True intent arouses real knowledge;
Conscious knowledge also spontaneously responds.
The three join as one,
And at once body and mind are settled.
2
The empty room produces light;
In quietude yang is restored:
Gather it and diligently refine it,
Transforming it into violet-gold frost.
3
In the spiritual opening the light of wisdom arises;
Essence appears, and feelings about objects vanish.
Clear and bright the jewel that glows in the dark;
Everywhere is bright and clean.
4
Volatility transmutes into true essence;
The human mind changes into the mind of Tao.
Without refinement by the spiritual fire,
How can gold be separated from the ore?
5
Real knowledge and conscious knowledge;
These two are originally the same energy.
Subjected to refinement by fire,
They merge without a trace of defect.
6
In the occult opening real consciousness appears;
Take the opportunity to get to work to nurture it.
When essence and sense cleave to one another,
They always produce the material for the elixir.
7
There is an opening of open awareness
Which is called the opening of the mysterious female;
Therein are stored spirit and energy,
Originally the root of the celestial and earthly souls.
8
Conscious knowledge is the vitality within fire;
Real knowledge is the jewel within water.
When negativity within water and fire vanishes,
The light is brilliant, truly sound.
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Reproduced from the book “The Inner Teachings of Taoism”, by Chang Po-Tuan, Commentary by Liu I-ming, Translated into English by Thomas Cleary, Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston & London, 1986, 118 pages. See “Explanatory Verses”, pp. 32-33. The first four stanzas are also published at “The Aquarian Theosophist”, August 2020, pp. 10-11.
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The above item was published in the associated websites on 30 May 2021.
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Helena Blavatsky (photo) wrote these words: “Deserve, then desire”.
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