清 靜 經
The Clarity and Stillness Classic, (Author unknown), translated by Robert Coons.
老君曰。大道無形。生育天地。大道無情。運行日月。
The old Gentleman said: The great Dao has no form, it gives birth to heaven and earth.
The great Dao has no emotions, it moves the sun and move along their path.
大道無名。長養萬物。吾不知其名。強名曰道。
The great Dao has no name, it forever nurtures the ten thousand beings.
I don’t know its name, the strong name I give it is “the way.”
夫道者。有清有濁。有動有靜。天清地濁。天動地靜。
The Dao is both clear and solid, moving and still. The sky is clear the earth is solid, the sky moves, the earth is still.
男清女濁。男動女靜。降本流末。而生萬物。
Male is clear and female is solid. Male moves and female is still. Descending from its root and flowing to its end, and giving birth to the Ten thousand beings.
清者濁之源。動者靜之基。人能常清靜。天地悉皆歸。
Clarity is the origin of solidity. Movement is the origin of stillness. If people can remain long clear and still, heaven and earth will return entirely.
夫人神好清。而心擾之。人心好靜。而欲牽之。
He whose spirit wishes to be clear has a confused heart. He who wishes his heart to be still will always be drawn by his desires.
若能常遣其欲而心自靜。澄其心。而神自清。
If he can forever diminish his desire, his heart will be quiet of its own accord.
Purifying his heart, his spirit will become clear of its own accord.
自然六欲不生。三毒消滅。所以不能者。為心未澄。
Naturally the six desires will not arise, the three poisons will be extinguished.
He who can’t, can’t because his heart is not yet pure.
欲未遣也。能遣之者。內觀其心。心無其心。
His desire has not yet been reduced. If he can reduce it, he can observe inside his mind. His mind will be without a mind.
外觀其形。形無其形。遠觀其物。物無其物。
He looks out at his form, his form with without a form. He looks far away at other beings, their being is without a being.
三者既悟。惟見於空。觀空亦空。空無所空。
Understanding these three, he only meets with emptiness. Seeing emptiness upon emptiness, the emptiness has no emptiness.
所空既無。無無亦無。無無既無。湛然常寂。
All that is empty is also nothing. Nothing, nothing, and nothing. After nothing, nothing and nothing then he will be deeply quiet.
寂無所寂。欲豈能生。欲既不生。即是真靜。
Quiet and without any quiet, how would his desire arise? Without desire arising, he will be truly still.
真常應物。真常得性。常應常靜。常清靜矣。
Forever complying with nature, forever grasping consciousness. Forever complying, forever still. Forever clear and still.
如此清靜。漸入真道。既入真道。名為得道。
This clarity and stillness gradually enters the real Dao. After it has entered the real Dao, it is called “obtaining the Dao,”
雖名得道。實無所得。為化眾生。名為得道。
Even though it is called obtaining the Dao, nothing has been obtained.
Because all life has been changed, it is called obtaining the Dao.
能悟之者。可傳聖道。
He who understands this can grasp the way of the sages.
老君曰。上士無爭。下士好爭。上德不德。下德執德。
The old gentleman said: the highest master does not argue, the lowest master loves to argue. The highest virtue has no virtue, the lowest virtue holds virtue.
執著之者。不名道德。眾生所以不得真道者。
That which is held and tries cannot be called the virtue of the Dao. All living things therefore cannot have grasped the true Dao.
為有妄心。既有妄心。即驚其神。既驚其神。
If he has a reckless heart, then after he has a reckless heart then he has an upset spirit, after he has an upset spirit
即著萬物。既著萬物。即生貪求。既生貪求。
then he tries to affect the ten thousand beings, after he tries to affect the ten thousand beings
then he entreats a greedy purpose, after he entreats a greedy purpose,
即是煩惱。煩惱妄想。憂苦身心。便遭濁辱。
Then he will become angry and agitated. Angry, agitated and with uncontrolled thought, he will be tied up in bitterness of body and mind, and he will alone befall disgrace.
流浪生死。常沉苦海。永失真道。
Flowing forever between life and death, forever submurged in the bitter sea. Forever losing the true way.
真常之道。悟者自得。得悟道者。常清靜矣。
The real forever lasting Dao, if understood, then he will grasp it naturally. If he grasps and understands the Dao, he will be forever clear and still.