Neiye Inner Cultivation

Neiye, Inner Cultivation Translation © 2005 - SShazi hazi Daor Daoren aoren

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Introduction: Quote from an article entitled “Neiyeh”, by Dr. Russell Kirkland, Associate Professor of Religion, University of Georgia.

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A long-overlooked text of classical times, the Neiye ("Inner Cultivation" or "Inner Development") is a text of some 1600 characters, written in rhymed prose, a form close to th at of the Daode jing. It sometimes echoes that text and the Zhuangzi, but it lacks many of the concerns found in those works. Generally dated to 350-300 BCE, it is pr eserved in the Guanzi (ch. 49), along with two later, apparently derivative texts, Xinshu, shang and xia (ch. 36-37). The Neiye had extremely profound effects on Taoism and Chinese culture. It seems to have influenced (1) the form, and certain contents, of the Daode jing; (2) the self-cultivation beliefs and practices of many later Taoists (from the Huainanzi and Taiping jing to the 20th-century); and (3) certain fundamental concepts of traditional Chinese medicine. It may also have influenced Neo-Confucian ideals of self-cultivation, by way of Mencius' teachings on cultivating the heart/mind (xin) and building up qi (Mengzi 2A.2).

The Neiye seems to b e the earliest extant text that explains and encourages self-cultivation through daily, practiced regulation of the forces of life. Those forces include *qi ("life-energy" — the universal force that gives life to all things); and *jing ("vital essence" — one's innate reservoir of q i). (There is no trace here of th e much later Chinese concept that jing referred to reproductive fluids.) Like Mencius, the Neiye suggests that the xin was originally as it should be, but now needs rectification (zheng). The xin becomes agitated by excessive activity, which leads to dissipation of one's jing, resulting in confusion, sickness, and death. To p reserve one's health and vitality, one must quieten (jing) one's xin. Then one can then attract and retain qi, and other vaguely interrelated forces, such as shen ("spirit" or "spiritual consciousness"), and tao (a vague term, apparently interchangeable with shen and ch'i). (Such concepts are explained more intelligibly in passages of the Huainanzi: see Roth 1991)." http://kirkland.myweb.uga.edu/rk/pdf/pubs.html

Shazi Daoren at http://groups.google.com/group/alt.philosophy.taoism/topics recently took a stab at a translation of this work and posted it in five groups of chapters: http://groups.google.com/groups?q=group:alt.philosophy.taoism+insubject:neiye&start=0&scoring=d&num=100 . He's given me permission to reproduce his translation here in full which follows. Sean Denty

Translation © 2005 - Shazi Daoren. Brought to you care of http://www.thetaobums.com

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Neiye Inner Cultivation zhang 1 The Essence of all things things,, tthru transformation creat creates es life. Below, it brings to life the five grains, above, it aligns the stars. When flowing among the heaven and earth, we call this the 'spiritual being'. When stored up in the center of the bosom, we call this the Sage.

zhang 2 Therefore, Therefore, regarding 'Energy', it is: Bright! As As if ascending the sky; Dark! As As if entering into the abyss; Disperse! As As if existing in the ocean; Present! As As if existing in the self. Therefore this Energy: cannot be stopped by force, yet can be pacified by Virtue, cannot be spoken by voice, yet can be embraced by the mind. Reverently nurture it and do not let it go: tthis is called 'developing Virtue'. Virtue' . When Virtue develops and wisdom emerges, tthe myriad things will all be attained.


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zhang 3 All forms of the Heart are naturally infused, naturally filled, naturally generated, naturally completed. They can become lost, out of place Due to sorrow, happiness, joy, anger, desire, or profitprofit-seeking. If you are able to cast off sorrow, happiness, joy, anger, desire and profitprofit-seeking, your Heart will return to its natural flow flow.. The natural emotion of the Heart is beneficial calmness and tranquility. Do not vex it, do not disturb itit,, and harmony will naturally develop.

zhang 4 Clear! As As though though right by your side. Vague! As As though though it will not be attained. Indescribable! As As though though beyond the limitless. The TT he proof of this is not far off: daily we make use of its inner power. The Way Way is what fills the body, yet people are unable to fix it in place. It goes forth but does not return; tit comes back but does not stay. Silent! None can hear its sound. Present! It exists within the heart. Obscure! We do not see its form. Manifest! Manifes t! It arises with us. Look at it and not see its form, listen to it and not hear its sound. Yet there is a course to its accomplishments. We call it the Way.


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zhang 5 The Way has no fixed position; in the cultivated Heart, it gracefully abides abides.. When the heart is calm and Energy aligned, aligned, tthe Way can thereby repose. The Way is not distant from us, when people attain it they are fruitful The Way does not leave, when people are in tune with it, they understand. Thus it is present! As As if you need but ask for it. Remote! As As if dissipated and is nowhere to be found. The Way's sensation: How can you be in tune with its sound? Cultivate your Heart and you will resonate in tune. The Way thereby can be attained

zhang 6 "Dao" As for Dao, tthe mouth is not able to speak of it, it , tthe eyes are not able to see it, it, tthe ears are not able to hear it, it, tit is that which cultivates the Heart and aligns the body. When people lose it they die, die, when they attain it they flo flourish, urish, when endeavors lose it they fail, when they attain it they succeed succeed,, tthus Dao is always without root without trunk. trunk . Without leaves without flowers, tthe myriad myriad things are generated by it; tthe myriad things are completed by it. We declare it 'Dao'.


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zhang 7 "Ruling Principles" Heaven's ruling principle is to be aligned. Earth's ruling principle is to be level. Humanity's ruling principles are grace and tranquility. Spring, autumn, winter, and summer summer,, these are heaven's sseasons. easons. Mountains, hills, rivers, and valleys, valleys, these are earth's features. Pleasure and anger, taking and giving, giving, these are human devices. Therefore the Sage Sage,, changes with the seasons and doesn't transform them, yields to things and doe doess not change them them..

zhang 8 "Alignment" If able to be aligned, able to be calm, only then can you be stable. With a stable heart within your bosom, eyes and ears acute and clear, four limbs firm and sure, you can thereby make a dwellin dwellingg-place for Essence. As for Essence: It is the Essence of Energy. Energy's Dao is to flourish, to flourish is to think think,, to think think is to know, know, to know is where to stop. All forms of the Heart Heart,, crossing over to knowledge lose life.


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zhang 9 "One" Those able to transform One thing are called 'Spiritual'; 'Spiritual' ; tthose able to change One affair are called 'wise'. To tra transform nsform without expending Energ Energy, y, to change without expending wisdom, wisdom, by grasping the One only the Master is aable ble to do this! Grasp the One One,, do not loose it, and you will be able to master the myriad things. The Master acts upon things, and is not acted upon by things things.. Attain to the guiding principle of the One.

zhang 10 "managing" Harness the Heart within bosom,, within your bosom control the words issuing forth from your mouth, manage affairs in concert with others, tthen it follows, the world will be governed. "One word is attained, and the world submits" So goes the saying.

zhang 11 "Aligning the Body" When the body is not aligned, De will not thrive. When the center is not calm, calm, tthe Heart will not be harnessed. Align the body, collect De. Leave to heaven benevolence and to earth justice-justice- tthese will naturally thrive on their own.


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zhang 12 "Attaining the Center" The Spirit comprehends the Ultimate Ultimate;; Manifest! It understands the myriad things. Hold it within your bosom, do not waver. Do not let external things confuse your faculties faculties;; do not let your faculties confuse your Heart.. yo ur Heart This is called 'attaining the center.'

zhang 13 "Stabilizing Jing" The Spirit naturally abides in the body, one moment it goes forward, one moment it comes back, no one is able to think of it. Losing it results in disorder. disorder. Attaining it results in order. Reverently purify its dwellingdwelling-place, and Jing will naturally arise. Jing: put aside thinking of it, s till till your effort to control it. Strictly and reverently venerate it, it, and Jing will naturally stablize. Attain it and don't let it go, ears and eyes not overflow heart and mind without any scheme. Align the Heart within the breast breast,, and the myriad things will attain their full measure.


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zhang 14 "The Heart within the Heart" Dao fills all under heaven. It exists everywhere that people are, but people are unable to understand this. One word explains it, ascending to to reach the sky, descending to the limits of earth, replete throughout the nine provinces. How can I speak or explain it? It exists exists in the calm Heart. When my Heart is harnessed, my faculties are ordered. When my Heart is calm, my faculties are calmed. What orders them is the Heart; what calms them is the Heart. The Heart is used to harbor the Heart. Heart. At the center center of the Heart Heart is another Heart; tthe Heart within the Heart. Hear t. For awareness precedes words, awarene wareness ss then leads to formed reality, for f ormed ormed reality then leads to words, Words then lead to action, action then leads to order. To not be ordered invariably inv ariably leads to disorder. Disorder leads to death.


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zhang 15 "The Fount of Qi" When Jing isis preserved, it naturally grows, externally it will emanate. Hidden inside, it becomes a primal spring. spring. Abounding like a flood, it harmonizes and equalizes, equalizes , tit becomes a fount of Qi. When the fount is not dried up, tthe four limbs are firm. When the spring is not drained, tthe nine apertures freely circulate [Qi]. [Qi]. Then you are able to exhaust the universe, and cover the four seas. Within, when when your mind is unconfused, without, there will be no disasters. When your heart is whole within, your body will be whole without, and you won't encounter natural disasters, or receive harm from others. Call such 'Shengren'.

zhang 16 - Inner Virtue If you are able to be aligned and tranquil, your skin will be supple and smooth, your ears and eyes will be acute and clear, your muscles will flex and your bones strong. You will then be able to bear the Great Circle of heave heaven, n, and tread over the Great Square of earth. You will abase yourself with great purity, perceiving with great clarity. Be reverently aware without wavering, and you you will daily renew your Virtue. Completely comprehending the world, drawing drawing from the Four Directions, reverently everently developing your wholeness, tthis is called Inner Virtue. However, should you not return to practice, tthis will increase your instability. Translation © 2005 - Shazi Daoren. Brought to you care of http://www.thetaobums.com

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zhang 17 - Practicing Dao To be wholly in accord with Dao, you must practice, you must focus, you must expand, you must relax, you must be firm, you must be regular. Hold fast to excellence excellence,, do not let abandon it. Chase away excess, let go of the trivial. Once you know the Ultimate, Ultimate , you will return return to Dao and De.

zhang 18 - Manifest Qi When the whole Heart is centered, it cannot be concealed or hidden, tit is apparent from your body's appearance, tit is visible by your skin color. With good Qi, when you greet others, they will be kinder than brothers and sisters. With bad Qi, when you greet others, they will harm you with force and weapons. The sound of 'no 'no--words', words' , is louder than the thunder of a drum. The perceptible form of the Heart's Qi, Qi, is brighter than the sun and moon, and more concerned than parents. Rewards are not sufficient to encourage the good; punishments are not sufficient to discourage the bad. The mind attains Qi, and the world submits. The Heart and mind stabilized, and the the wo world rld listens.


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zhang 19 - Concentrating Qi When you concentrate Qi like a spirit, all things things will support your existence. Are you able to concentrate, able to be one with them? Are you able to be without divining or counting stalks, yet know bad bad and good fortune? Are you able to stop? Are you able to be yourself? Are you able to not demand from others, yet attain it within yourself? You think about it and think about it. And again, deeply think about it. You think about it, yet you can't can 't fathom it. A Spiritual Being will fathom it, not due to the Spiritual Being's power, but due to the ultimate of Jing and Qi. When your four limbs are aligned aligned,, your blood and Qi are tranquil. When your mind is one and your heart concentrat concentrated, ed, and yo your ur ears and eyes not distracted, even that which is most remote will be accessible.

zhang 20 - SelfSelf -Realization Thinking and searching generate knowledge. Laziness and ease generate worry. Cruelty and arrogance generate resentment. Worry and grief generate disease. Disease then causes death. When you think about it and don't let it go, you will be internally distressed and externally weak. Don’t let little things become big plans, else life will abandon you. Eat, but do not exceed your appetite, tthink, but do not overanalyze. Temper and put these in balance, and you will attain self self--realization.


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zhang 21 - Balance and Alignment As for all human life, heaven brings forth its Jing/ Jing/essence; essence; earth brings forth f orth its bodily form. These join in order to make a person. When in harmony, then there is life; when not in harmony then there is no life. In examining the Dao of harmony, you cannot sense it by sight; you cannot summon it by a chance meeti meeting. ng. When balance and alignment fill your chest, and respiration is governed within the heart, tthis results in enhanced life. When fondness and resentment cause you to lose stability, then make a determination to restrict the five desire desires,s, to remove these two misfortunes. Do not be fondly attached, do not be resentful, let balance and alignment fill your chest.

zhang 22 - Stabilizing Your Nature As for all human life, tit must flow from balance and alignment. alignment . Where we los losee these, must be by fondness, resentment, worry and anxiety. Therefore, to stop resentment there's nothing like poetry; tto cast aside worry there's nothing like music; tto temper music there's nothing like ritual; tto keep to ritual there there's's nothing like reverence; tto keep to reverence there's nothing like stillness. When inwardly still and outwardly reverent, reverent, you are able to return to your nature nature;; your nature will become greatly stable.


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zhang 23 - Dao of Eating As for th thee Dao of eating, overeating harms the body and brings misfortune misfortune.. Under eating dries up the bones bones,, and congeals the blood blood.. The point between overeating and under eating eating:: This is called harmonious completion. It is the where Jing ab abides ides, ides, and where wisdom is generated. When hunger and eating lose balance, then make a determination determination.. When full, move away from gluttony; when hungry, expand your thoughts beyond food; when old, abandon anxiety. If you don't move away from fr om gluttony, Qi will not circulate within your extremities. If when lusting food you don’t expand your thoughts, when you eat you will not stop. If when old you don’t abandon anxiety, this will cause your alertness to be exhausted.

zhang 2244 - Recycling Qi Enlarge your Heart and release it, expand your Qi and increase it. Your body calm and unmoving; you’re able to hold to the one one,, and abandon the myriad distractions. You see profit and are not tempted, you see harm and do not fear. Detached and relaxed, yet compassionate; in solitude enjoying yourself; this this is called recycling Qi; Your thoughts and actions are like heaven.


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zhang 25 - Not Forcing As for all human life, it thrives thrives within serenity. Worry results in the loss of of discipline discipline;; resentment results in the loss of equilibrium. When worried or sad, fondly attached or resentful, tthe Dao then is without abode. Fondness and desire: still them; folly f olly and confusion: correct them. Do not pull, pull, do not push, good fortune will naturally return, tthe Dao will naturally come. By this means you can rely on it. Tranquility results in attaining it, impatience results in losing it.

zhang 26 - Dao of Tempering Desire The ephemeral Qi w within ithin the Heart: One moment it comes, one moment it departs. So minute, it is without interior; so great, it is without exterior. Where we lose it, it, is due to our impatience causing harm. When the Heart maintains stillness, Dao will naturally naturally stabilize. For people who attain Dao, tit pervades their structure to the tip of their hair. At the center of their chest, nothing is lost. Temper desire with Dao, Dao, and the the myriad things will not trouble you. Translation © 2005 - shazi daor daoren en


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Notes: Some of these phrases were very difficult. Some of them didn't quite align with daojia, or at least to my understanding of it. It’s very difficult to be unbiased in translation. zhang 6 This is close to a literal translation Heart is xin - heart/mind zhang 7 The first three lines are quite terse in Chinese heaven-rule-align, etc I followed a bit of Roth’s approach to solving this obliqueness. zhang 8 This verse seems core to neiye and equates Jing and Qi as the object of alignment. Such alignment focuses on calmness, centered heart, a specific awareness of eyes and ears, and posture. Then Jing is able to dwell and Qi is able to flourish (grow, flourish, be born, etc.) this doesn't seem to result in emptiness but rather a level of thought that stops short of knowledge. zhang 9 This is a very interesting verse. The first two lines don't convey the one theme as well as in the Chinese, where line 1 starts 'One thing' and line 2 'One affair'. This focus on 'One' is replete in this zhang. The Master - junzi is the same word konzi uses as the 'superior man'. I felt that the use of Master in 9.5 juxtaposed against the verb 'master' in 9.7works very well. I really like the concept the master acts (not Wei, but rather, shi) upon things and is not acted upon was an interesting concept. Although the 'One' concept seems quite daoist, the use of junzi and some of the act on things don't be acted upon may be a bit Confucian. zhang 10 Harness, control, manage, govern are all the same word in Chinese. Yet the idea conveys better as multiple words appropriate to the object of each line. The last two lines are a bit enigmatic, and I’ve translated it as close to the text as I could. It’s a powerful statement, perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but yet the idea of attaining Dao in later daojiao does empower the Master. zhang 11 The Roth translation seems to ignore line 6 which is 'tian ren di yi'' heaven benevolence earth justice/righteousness' Roth has: 5 Align your body, assist the inner power, 6 Then it will gradually come on its own. True, benevolence and righteousness are distinctly Confucian thoughts, yet it makes more sense to contrast these with the last line having a form of 'ziran' but not exactly 'self so'. zhang 12 This is where the 'spirit' begins to take some central importance in the neiye. I spent two days thinking about one word here - guan - "Government", translated inline 4 and 5 as 'faculties'. Roth translates it 'senses', which isn't quite it, as I see it, it would be the government or constitution of the body, your general health/faculties. zhang 13


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I left more words in this cut untranslated, especially Jing, De, and Qi, meaning: Jing - the essence De – Virtue Qi - well, Qi, ch'i, Energy. But some words, spirit/shen, heart/xini have translated. I’m just inconsistent that way - dao ke dao. zhang 14 This zhang is amazing, and amazingly difficult to translate. 1-7 portray the 'Dao is everywhere' concept8-9 introduce the core teaching, that Dao is accessible only by what's in the Heart. I did not translate Heart as Xin, although it isn't quite heart either. Its heart/mind.10-16 may be some of the most powerful words I've read in daojia regarding the centrality of what's in the heart/mind. even to the point that the writer is juxtaposing the conscious heart/mind with the unconscious heart/mind, that one, not sure which, controls the other.17-23 show a descent from awareness 'mind'/yi through the embodiment of ideas into actions and order. I’m not sure this isn't more Confucian than daojia. There’s definitely no wuwei here, and sort of an exalting of order and action. zhang 15 I can't begin to express the beauty of the language here. zhang 16 Most of these lines are without pronouns. hence, I could have said 'if I am able to...'it's hard to tell whether 2 3 and 4 are consequences of alignment and tranquility or additional conditions to be met for 5 thru 8.basically, 1-4 may set the stage for the four 'greats' in 5-8.in 4 and 6, there are references to 'great circle' and 'great square' .Roth puts 'of the heavens' and 'of the earth' in brackets, but I simplified a bit herein order to easily get the reference. I still haven't made up my mind whether it's better to say 'de' or 'Virtue'. For some reason 'Virtue' in this zhang feels better to me. In 7 there's a word 'jian', which means cheap or lowly, which I interpret as abasing or humbling oneself. in 12 there's a word 'qiong', which means exhaust or poor, Roth used 'exhaust', but it doesn't seem to make sense in context. Draw from is a way to exhaust something, which is what I used. And the 'four directions' is an idiomatic expression; it actually says the 'four ji' as in four ridgepoles or extremes. We might say in archaic English, 'the four corners of the earth’. This is all called 'inner virtue' neide. What a concept! inner cultivation results in inner virtue...line 15 has 'ran er' so yet...which together mean 'however' in modern Chinese. I felt this combination made better sense, yet these two last lines are difficult at best to translate. zhang 17 This starts, literally, 'all dao' which can also be entirely Dao. To make sense of this in context there are a set of six practices that 'must' be one's discipline. Hence, I came back to be wholly (one with) in accord with Dao. Line 5 'excellence' is Shan, good; good-ati felt excellence a better fit, the attribute of disciplined practice. To say 'hold fast to the good would simply not fit. Ultimate is 'ji' as in taiji, wuji. The ridge pole. Once you know the taiji/wuji, or in other words, the 'jis', you return to daode. Very interesting thought. zhang 18 Line 1 could be entire heart exists in center. But it seems to make better sense in the light of earlier use of zhong/center, to focus on the centered heart. Lines 2-8 are easy translations, quite literal. lines 9-10 are quite close to literal, line 10 first word is 'ji' which might mean spreading hate or sickness but in context, it seems better to say 'is louder than' I suggest that ji is just a metaphor for being disruptively loud. this would appear to be an idiomatic axiom.13 is a difficult translation.16 and 18 have 'yi' - mind, idea, intention, and given that 18 has both yi and xin, I feel comfortable translating yi as mind in most places here. Yi seems to be the rational thinking mind. The promises of the entire world submitting or listening are a bit hyperbolic here. I think the writer is trying to get across that by concentrating Qi and aligning the heart/mind, whatever an individual can do naturally thereafter happens, whereas forcing things without the internal de/Qi is simply a waste of energy.


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zhang 19 This is an amazing verse. I don't have much to say about the translation; for the most part it came easily and is straightforward. Line 1 'like a spirit' is literally what it says. Then in lines 12 and 13, guishen reappears 'spiritual being' - ghost spirit. This is the disembodied jing in chapter 1.in other words, no matter how much one thinks about something, you won't get it. Having Qi concentrated from Jing, as would a spiritual being, one simply understands stuff. How does the human being do this? Aligning the body, calming the blood (heart-beat) and breath, centering the heart and mind through some form of meditation (the neiye is not specific as to what). This will collect energy/Qi, and align the person's spirit with Dao, attaining de. In such a state, one can 'see the world' without leaving his/her village. zhang 20 The first four lines are causal pairs of things resulting in something 'bad' notice that 'knowledge' is in the same class as worry, resentment, and disease. The four 'bads' escalate to death. It may be innocent enough to think and search, but if you think about it, it will burn you up. Line 8 is quite funny, literally, 'no flea makes plans', which also must be some sort of idiomatic expression. Seems more appropriate to 'nip little things in the bud', like several zhang of ddj. Lines 10 and 11 have dual negatives in them, and it's easier to understand in Chinese than translate. The idea is to eat and think moderately, not as if (literally) you can't get enough. Line 13 literally says 'you will self realize 'it's a very powerful statement. zhang 21 7-9 there's a theme here that I cannot quite translate accurately. The theme is around the harmony of Dao, that its 'emotion' cannot be 'seen' and it's 'note of Chinese scale' cannot be 'completed'. I’m sure red will see in this something about sound meditation, and perhaps there is a sense of how the harmony of Dao isn't quite like traditional sound or music. the idea, however, conveys to me that there is a futility in trying to see Dao with one's eye's or hear it with one's ears. There is a translation of the Chinese note as a summons, summon it by a chance meeting is an accurate translation. It also is similar to some phrases in sunzi bingfa around summoning information. In the end, I like where this landed. Fondness and resentment are also joy and anger and were translated such in a previous zhang. However, the joy here is really a fondness, an attachment to people and things, not the ecstasy found in meditation or 'true happiness' whatever that may be. given that fondness has its opposite in resentment, and this anger is truly the type directed toward others, then fondness and resentment seem to translate better.14 - make a determination - is actually 'make a plan', or lay it out on paper inform of a diagram. I could argue that daojia seems to be against making plans, but in fact there are several zhangin ddj around planning things when they're small. So, instead of an elaborate plan, which this isn't really talking about, it's more about commitment. A determination to do the type of inner cultivation that rectifies the deficiencies of one's training. zhang 22 Isn’t hard to translate, I just have a hard time with the premise that one can use music and ritual as a means of attaining stability. That’s a personal matter -- not that I don't participate in ritual or music, but rather whether such are consistent with daojia. It really doesn't matter, because in the context of these writings, daojia and rujia are not in conflict within neiye. zhang 23 Clearly is about balanced diet between over- and under eating. The problem lies in line 4, where the words at the beginning, da she, is really mean 'great absorption'. All I can say is that it must be idiomatic for under eating or great fasting of some sort. The context all clearly points to a mean between overfilling and something else. In line 15, the phrase begins with 'abalone', implying that when one is in the presence of a food delicacy, one has to be able to move away from a type of sick envy. Literally: abalone - as a rule/result - sick envy - move. In other words, don't let the lust for fine food absorb you into a sick envy; move away from it! All that is just easier said move away from gluttony. The last two lines might be better said, but the translation here is pretty much as written - this will cause (ci jiang). Translation © 2005 - Shazi Daoren. Brought to you care of http://www.thetaobums.com

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zhang 24 Is nearly a perfect description of the result of neiye. What is neiye? In my opinion, any type of meditation where the body maintains a relaxed alignment, the chest expanded to allow for deep breathing, awareness yet ability to detach from distraction. To do this, one balances eating sleeping, and the sense desires; drawing upon Jing to cultivate Qi, and Dao to cultivate De. When you do this, when you're with others you can be detached and relaxed yet compassionate, and when alone you can truly enjoy yourself. zhang 25 So can all this be trained? Forced? Hell no. no pulling no pushing no forcing at all. Just let it flow tranquility and serenity allow 'it' to stabilize. Impatience, literally, causes you to lose 'it'. zhang 26 Ephemeral could also be mysterious - it's kind of like a dead spirit in the etymology very temporary, but not necessarily fleeting. I think 'ephemeral' captures the idea. Line 6 hits impatience again. Key thought. Line 9 and 10 - those who 'attain', Dao pervades everything from structure through hair. I could ask 'how can one attain something that is already everywhere?' yet there is no exact distinction in neiye between dao/de/jing/qi. Whatever 'it' is, 'it' is forever nameless, so these labels tend not to be precise in their meaning in the original, nor in translation. The last two lines are poetic without grammar "Dao of tempering desire [results in] 10K things no trouble"


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Neiye Inner Cultivation

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