to the meditation in chapters 2 and 3. An interpretation of the Gold Pavilion classic is given in chapter 4.1 compare Tibetan Tannic meditation and other forms of apophatic or emptying prayer with Taoist practices in chapter 5. The total body (i.e., Tantric) style of prayer described here is used today in many parts of Tibet and modern mainland and overseas China.
That is to say, the meditations taught in the Taoist Gold Pavilion classic are similar to a genre of prayer techniques shared by many religious traditions. All of these traditions teach the use of body, mouth, and mind together in union when praying. In Buddhism this kind of total body prayer is called Tantric meditation. It is usually learned orally from a master, rather than from a book. Just as we must learn to swim, drive a car, or fly an airplane by taking lessons and then actually swimming, driving, or flying, SO too Taoist Tantric prayer must be learned by "jumping in" to practice.
Masters of Taoist prayer sometimes do write out the directions for Tantric meditation in an easy-to-follow fashion. The commentary used to translate the Gold Pavilion classic is such a text It helps understand the cryptic text itself. It contains directions for doing Tantric meditation without recourse to a living master. In such a case, the text is the master, whose words of explanation were once written down by an unknown disciple so as not to forget the master's instructions.
The oral directions that the master adds to the text and commentary are in fact descriptions of spiritual forces unleashed or controlled by the person doing the meditations. The illustrations found throughout the book show what these spiritual forces look like in the teachings of Tibetan and Taoist masters. When a text calls for a color, as for instance the blue-green color of new leaves in spring, the master describes what the blue-green spirit of spring looks like. For the Taoist it is in fact the personified spirit of the East, a bearded ancient called Fu Xi (Fu Hsi), patron of the family and the element wood. For the Tantric Buddhist he is Dhrtarastra, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, Gabriel; each religious tradition has set images depicted in art and envisioned in contemplative meditation.
Taoist, biblical, and Tantric symbols sometimes juxtapose male and female images, seen embracing in close physical union. The Canticle of Canticles in the Bible, the Tibetan tanka pictures, and some passages of the Gold Pavilion classic are examples of such images. There are at least three possible interpretations of these stunningly graphic symbols. The first is literal (that is, they depict sexual union). The second is figurative: the male represents compassion and the female wisdom (compassion is tempered by wisdom). The third, truly Taoist or Tantric, meaning is that all visions, good or bad, are relative and must be burned away by the fires and washed clean by the waters of Tantric meditation. The Gold Pavilion classic embraces this last interpretation.
In the true Taoist and Tantric traditions, the spiritual forces unleashed by prayer, whether good or bad, must be emptied from the mind and heart before union with the unmoving transcendent "other shore" can be realized. Tantric and Taoist prayer are therefore basically techniques for emptying the mind of images and the heart of desires, preludes to "being one with the Tao," or one with the "other shore" of wisdom. The meditations that bring about this state of emptiness (called kenosis in Western religious traditions) also bring great peace, health, and serenity, preludes to an encounter with the absolute.
The Chinese words used in this book are generally roman-izedfirstin modern pinyin, which is the preferred system of the People's Republic of China, and then using the Wade-Giles system (usually in parentheses). The exceptions to this are the words in chapter 4 and ancient names and titles that are already familiar in their Wade-Giles transliterations (i.e., Chuang-tzu, Tao-te Ching).
| CHAPTER ONE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO TAOIST MEDITATION |
|
Taoism (the T is pronounced like a D) is one of China's three great philosophical systems. With Confucianism and Buddhism it gives enduring value to Chinese culture. Confucianism provides guidelines for perceptive human relations. Buddhism teaches a sense of compassion for the living and care for the afterlife. Taoism furthers a sense of well-being and harmony with nature that fosters long life and good health. The popular saying sanjiao gui yi, "the Three Teachings make a whole person," suggests the idea that we are somehow better, more complete human beings by learning from all three systems. The person who is filled with respect and benevolence for others and compassion for all living things, and who lives in close harmony with nature, lives long and is filled with inner peace and blessing.
Another popular saying states: "Confucianism for the head, Buddhism for the heart, and Taoism for the belly." The Confucian tradition advocates the rational side of human life. Buddhism teaches kindness of heart toward the living and the chanting of sutras to alleviate sorrow for the deceased. Taoism offers ways to bring health, interior peace, and long life by harmonizing the human body with change in the outer world of nature. By integrating philosophy, meditation, diet, and exercise, Taoism reputedly can heal illness and slow the aging process.
Many Asian and Western scholars divide Taoism into two portions, a philosophy for savants and a religion for satisfying the ritual needs of unenlightened peasants. Popular Taoism, they point out, heals by exorcism, celebrates village festivals, and uses alchemy (chemical medicines that can harm when taken as an overdose; in this sense, Western medicine too is a kind of sophisticated alchemy) to prolong life.
Taoists themselves do not make such distinctions. Taoism is simply a way of maintaining inner peace and harmony. To be healthy, one's personal philosophy, religion, medication, and eating habits must be in tune with one another. Physical exercise, meditation (also called internal alchemy), good eating habits, festive holidays, good thoughts and actions, are required for a whole and healthy life. Taoism considers all these as a single process leading to peace, long life, and happiness.
In its original sense, the English word healing means in fact "to be whole." The word curing, on the other hand, means to use a chemical on the skin of a dead animal to make it into leather. Thus the term Taoist healing is more appropriate than Taoist curing. The Taoist ideal is to heal illness by making the entire person whole, rather than to cure a part of the body without healing the entire person of illness. True healing means making the whole person well.
Common sense dictates that we listen to our doctor when he or she prescribes Western medicine. Sometimes Western medicines cure one part of the body but harm other parts. Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells but causes harm to many other organs while doing so. Steroids such as prednisone, even simple remedies such as aspirin, can cause internal bleeding and harm the immune system if taken too long or in large dosages. The Taoist ideal is to be positive, happy, and peaceful when taking these medicines so that they work quickly, before too much harm is done to other parts of the body. The Taoist master encourages the patient to obey the doctor, take the medicine prescribed, undergo the operation, and recover quickly by healing (making whole) all the other parts of life as well.
Taoism is a perennial system of healing meditation that has been in practice from ancient times until the present day. The Taoist "way that never parted" draws on many sources:
The I Ching shows how to act in accord with nature's changes.
The Tao-te Ching teaches how to find and follow the Tao.
The Chuang-tzu tells how to empty the mind and heart of all negative thoughts and judgments and live with good humor in order to find the Tao.
Yin-yang five phase philosophy attunes humans to nature's changes.
The Gold Pavilion classic finds Tao within, by emptying the mind and heart of all concepts, even sacred spiritual images.
