Neiye, Inner Cultivation

Translation © 2005 - Shazi Daoren

aoren

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Introduction:

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

QUOTE
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 that 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 preserved 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 be 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 qi). (There is no trace here of the 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 preserve 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

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2
Neiye
Inner Cultivation

zhang 1

The Essence of all things,

things,
thru
thru transformation creates
creates life.
Below, it brings to life the five grains,
above,
above, it aligns the stars.
When flowing among the heaven and earth,
we
we call this the 'spiritual being'.
When stored up in the center of the bosom,
we
we call this the Sage.

zhang 2

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

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3
zhang 3

All forms of the Heart

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

zhang 4

Clear! As though right by your side.

Vague! As though it will not be attained.
Indescribable! As though beyond the limitless.
The proof of this is not far off:
daily
daily we make use of its inner power.
The Way
Way is what fills the body,
yet
yet people are unable to fix it in place.
It goes forth but does not return;
it
it 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!
Manifest! It arises with us.
Look at it and not see its form,
listen
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
in the cultivated Heart, it gracefully abides.
abides.
When the heart is calm and Energy aligned,
aligned,
the
the Way can thereby repose.
The Way is not distant from us,
when
when people attain it they are fruitful
The Way does not leave,
when
when people are in tune with it, they understand.
Thus it is present! As if you need but ask for it.
Remote! 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,
the
the mouth is not able to speak of it,it,
the
the eyes are not able to see it,
it,
the
the ears are not able to hear it,
it,
it
it is that which cultivates the Heart and aligns the body.
When people lose it they die,
die,
wh
when they attain it they flourish,
flourish,
when endeavors lose it they fail,
when
when they attain it they succeed,
succeed,
thus
thus Dao is always without root without trunk.
trunk.
Without leaves without flowers,
the
the myriad
myriad things are generated by it;
the
the 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 seasons.
seasons.
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
changes with the seasons and doesn't transform them,
yields
yields to things and does
does not change them.
them.

zhang 8 "Alignment"

If able to be aligned, able to be calm,

only
only then can you be stable.
With a stable heart within your bosom,
eyes
eyes and ears acute and clear,
four limbs firm and sure,
you can thereby make a dwelling
dwelling-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 is to know,
know,
to know is where to stop.
All forms of the Heart,
Heart,
crossing
crossing over to knowledge lose life.

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zhang 9 "One"

'Spiritual';;
Those able to transform One thing are called 'Spiritual'
those
those able to change One affair are called 'wise'.
To transform
transform without expending Energy,
Energy,
to change without expending wisdom,
wisdom,
by grasping the One only the Master is able
able 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

within your bosom,
bosom,
control
control the words issuing forth from your mouth,
manage
manage affairs in concert with others,
then
then 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,
the
the Heart will not be harnessed.
Align the body, collect De.
Leave to heaven benevolence and to earth justice--
justice--
these
these will naturally thrive on their own.

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zhang 12 "Attaining the Center"

The Spirit comprehends the Ultimate;

Ultimate;
Manifest!
Manifest! It understands the myriad things.
Hold it within your bosom, do not waver.
Do not let external things confuse your faculties;
faculties;
do
do not let your faculties confuse your
your Heart.
Heart.
This is called 'attaining the center.'

zhang 13 "Stabilizing Jing"

The Spirit naturally abides in the body,

one
one moment it goes forward, one moment it comes back,
no
no one is able to think of it.
Losing it results in disorder.
disorder.
Attaining it results in order.
Reverently purify its dwelling-
dwelling-place,
and
and Jing will naturally arise.
Jing: put aside thinking of it,
still
still your effort to control it.
Strictly and reverently venerate it,it,
and
and Jing will naturally stablize.
Attain it and don't let it go,
ears
ears and eyes not overflow
he
heart and mind without any scheme.
Align the Heart within the breast,
breast,
and
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
but people are unable to understand this.
One word explains it,
ascending to reach the sky,
de
descending to the limits of earth,
replete
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;
the
the Heart within the Heart.
Heart.
For awareness precedes words,
awarene
awareness
wareness then leads to formed reality,
for
formed
ormed reality then leads to words,
Words then lead to action,
action then leads to order.
To not be ordered invariably
invariably 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,
it
it becomes a fount of Qi.
When the fount is not dried up,
the
the four limbs are firm.
When the spring is not drained,
the
the nine apertures freely circulate [Qi].
[Qi].
Then you are able to exhaust the universe,
and
and cover the four seas.
Within, when
when your mind is unconfused,
without,
without, there will be no disasters.
When your heart is whole within,
your
your body will be whole without,
and
and you won't encounter natural disasters,
or
or receive harm from others.
Call such 'Shengren'.

zhang 16 - Inner Virtue

If you are able to be aligned and tranquil,

your
your skin will be supple and smooth,
your
your ears and eyes will be acute and clear,
your
your muscles will flex and your bones strong.
You will then be able to bear the Great Circle of heaven,
heaven,
and
and tread over the Great Square of earth.
You will abase yourself with great purity,
perceiving
perceiving with great clarity.
Be reverently aware without wavering,
and
and you
you will daily renew your Virtue.
Completely comprehending the world,
drawing
drawing from the Four Directions,
rever
reverently
everently developing your wholeness,
this
this is called Inner Virtue.
However, should you not return to practice,
this
this will increase your instability.

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zhang 17 - Practicing Dao

To be wholly in accord with Dao,

you
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
you will return
return to Dao and De.

zhang 18 - Manifest Qi

When the whole Heart is centered,

it cannot be concealed or hidden,
it
it is apparent from your body's appearance,
it
it 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
is louder than the thunder of a drum.
The perceptible form of the Heart's Qi,
Qi,
is
is brighter than the sun and moon,
and
and more concerned than parents.
Rewards are not sufficient to encourage the good;
punishments
punishments are not sufficient to discourage the bad.
The mind attains Qi,
and
and the world submits.
The Heart and mind stabilized,
and the world
world listens.

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zhang 19 - Concentrating Qi

When you concentrate Qi like a spirit,

all 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
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
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
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 concentrated,
concentrated,
and
and your
your ears and eyes not distracted,
even
even that which is most remote will be accessible.

zhang 20 - Self-
Self-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,
think,
think, 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
heaven brings forth its Jing/essence;
Jing/essence;
earth
earth brings forth
forth its bodily form.
These join in order to make a person.
When in harmony, then there is life;
when
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 meeting.
meeting.
When balance and alignment fill your chest,
and respiration is governed within the heart,
this
this results in enhanced life.
When fondness and resentment cause you to lose stability,
then make a determination
to restrict the five desires,
desires,
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,

it
it must flow from balance and alignment.
alignment.
Where we lose
lose these,
must
must be by fondness, resentment, worry and anxiety.
Therefore, to stop resentment there's nothing like poetry;
to
to cast aside worry there's nothing like music;
to
to temper music there's nothing like ritual;
to
to keep to ritual there's
there's nothing like reverence;
to
to 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 the
the 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 abides
abides,
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 fromfrom 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 24
24 - 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 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 within serenity.
Worry results in the loss of discipline;
discipline;
resentment
resentment results in the loss of equilibrium.
When worried or sad, fondly attached or resentful,
the
the Dao then is without abode.
Fondness and desire: still them;
folly
folly and confusion: correct them.
Do not pull,
pull, do not push,
good
good fortune will naturally return,
the
the Dao will naturally come.
By this means you can rely on it.
Tranquility results in attaining it,
impatience
impatience results in losing it.

zhang 26 - Dao of Tempering Desire

The ephemeral Qi within

within 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,
it
it 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 myriad things will not trouble you.

Translation © 2005 - shazi daoren

daoren

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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"

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

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