Hua
Hu Ching
By
Lao Tzu
(Translated
by Brian Walker)
Go to Introdcution
to the Hua Hu Ching of Lao Tzu
One
I reach the Integral Way of uniting with the
great and mysterious Tao. My teachings are simple; if you try to make a
religion or science of them, they will elude you. Profound yet plain,
they
contain the entire truth of the universe. Those who wish to know the
whole
truth take joy in doing the work and service that comes to them. Having
completed it, they take joy in cleansing and feeding themselves. Having
cared for others and for themselves, they then turn to the master for
instruction.
This simple path leads to peace, virtue, and abundance.
Two
Men and women who wish to be aware of the
whole
truth should adopt the practices of the Integral Way. These
time-honored
disciplines calm the mind and bring one into harmony with all things.
The
first practice is the practice of undiscriminating virtue: take care of
those who are deserving; also, and equally, take care of those who are
not. When you extend your virtue in all directions without
discriminating,
your feet are firmly planted on the path that returns to the Tao.
Three
Those who wish to embody the Tao should
embrace
all things. To embrace all things means first that one holds no anger
or
resistance toward any idea or thing, living or dead, formed or
formless.
Acceptance is the very essence of the Tao. To embrace all things means
also that one rids oneself of any concept of separation; male and
female,
self and other, life and death. Division is contrary to the nature of
the
Tao. Foregoing antagonism and separation, one enters in the harmonious
oneness of all things.
Four
Every departure from the Tao contaminates
one's
spirit. Anger is a departure, resistance a departure, self- absorption
a departure. Over many lifetimes the burden of contaminations can
become
great. There is only one way to cleanse oneself of these
contaminations,
and that is to practice virtue. What is meant by this? To practice
virtue
is to selflessly offer assistance to others, giving without limitation
one's time, abilities, and possessions in service, whenever and
wherever
needed, without prejudice concerning the identity of those in need. If
your willingness to give blessings is limited, so also is your ability
to receive them. This is the subtle operation of the Tao.
Five
Do you imagine the universe is agitated? Go
into
the desert at night and took out at the stars. This practice should
answer
the question. The superior person settles her mind as the universe
settles
the stars in the sky. By connecting her mind with the subtle origin,
she
calms it. Once calmed, it naturally expands, and ultimately her mind
becomes
as vast and immeasurable as the night sky.
Six
The Tao gives rise to all forms, yet it has
no
form of its own. If you attempt to fix a picture of it in your mind,
you
will lose it. This is like pinning a butterfly: the husk is captured,
but
the flying is lost. Why not be content with simply experiencing it?
Seven
The teaching of the Integral Way will go on
as
long as there is a Tao and someone who wishes to embody it; What is
painted
in these scrolls today will appear in different forms in many
generations
to come. These things, however, will never change: Those who wish to
attain
oneness must practice undiscriminating virtue. They must dissolve all
ideas
of duality: good and bad, beautiful and ugly, high and low. They will
be
obliged to abandon any mental bias born of cultural or religious
belief.
Indeed, they should hold their minds free of any thought which
interferes
with their understanding of the universe as a harmonious oneness. The
beginning
of these practices is the beginning of liberation.
Eight
I confess that there is nothing to teach: no
religion, no science, no body of information which will lead your mind
back to the Tao. Today I speak in this fashion, tomorrow in another,
but
always the Integral Way is beyond words and beyond mind. Simply be
aware
of the oneness of things.
Nine
He who desires the admiration of the world
will
do well to amass a great fortune and then give it away. The world will
respond with admiration in proportion to the size of his treasure. Of
course,
this is meaningless. Stop striving after admiration. Place your esteem
on the Tao. Live in accord with it, share with others the teachings
that
lead to it, and you will be immersed in the blessings that flow from it.
Ten
The ego is a monkey catapulting through the
jungle:
Totally fascinated by the realm of the senses, it swings from one
desire
to the next, one conflict to the next, one self-centered idea to the
next.
If you threaten it, it actually fears for its life. Let this monkey go.
Let the senses go. Let desires go. Let conflicts go. Let ideas go. Let
the fiction of life and death go. Just remain in the center, watching.
And then forget that you are there.