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Chapter 1 of 1
清静经
Laozi said:
The Great Way (the most fundamental operating principle and source of existence in the universe) has no visible form, yet it gives birth to heaven and earth; the Great Way has no partial feelings, yet it drives the movement of the sun and moon; the Great Way has no name that can be identified, yet it nourishes the growth of all things. I do not know what to call it, so I give it a makeshift name—"the Way."
This Way has both clarity and turbidity, both movement and stillness. Heaven is clear; earth is turbid; heaven moves; earth is still. Corresponding to humans: the masculine temperament leans toward clarity, the feminine toward turbidity; the masculine tends toward movement, the feminine toward stillness. From the source (clarity, stillness) descending to the branches (turbidity, movement), all things are thus born. 🌊
Clarity is the origin of turbidity; movement is rooted in stillness. If a person can constantly maintain purity and stillness, the energies of heaven and earth will return to them.
The human Spirit (innate spiritual awareness) by nature delights in clarity, but thoughts disturb it; the human mind by nature delights in stillness, but desires stir it. If one can consistently disperse desires, the mind will naturally become still; if one clarifies the mind, the Spirit will naturally become clear. In this way, the six desires (arising from eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) will naturally not arise, and the three poisons (greed, anger, and delusion) will be eliminated. 🍃
The reason one cannot achieve purity and stillness is that the mind has not yet been clarified, and desires have not yet been dispersed.
Those who can disperse desires look inward to observe their minds, discovering that the mind has no fixed "mind" to cling to; they look outward to observe their bodies, discovering that the body has no fixed "form" to cling to; they look further to observe all things, discovering that all things have no fixed "thing" to cling to. When all three are seen through, only one recognition of "emptiness" remains; upon further contemplation of this "emptiness," one discovers that emptiness itself is empty—even the concept of "emptiness" does not exist; since "emptiness" is no more, the thought of "non-existence" also vanishes; when "non-existence" is gone, the mind enters a clear, deep, and profound stillness; when one does not even cling to the state of "stillness," how could desires possibly arise? ⛰
When desires do not arise, that is true stillness. By responding to all things with this constant and true stillness, one can realize the constant and true nature. Maintaining continuous stillness amidst continuous responding—that is the constant purity and stillness.
Having achieved such purity and stillness, one gradually enters the true Way. Entering the true Way is called "attaining the Way." Although it is called "attaining the Way," there is actually no specific thing that is obtained; it is only for the sake of teaching sentient beings that it is called "attaining the Way." Those who can awaken to this level may transmit this sacred Way.
Laozi also said:
Superior practitioners do not contend; inferior people are fond of contending; superior Virtue does not advertise itself as virtuous; inferior Virtue clings to the form of "possessing virtue." Those who cling tightly do not truly possess Virtue and the Way.
The reason sentient beings cannot attain the true Way is because of the deluded mind (a mind of false discrimination). With a deluded mind, one's Spirit becomes disturbed; when the Spirit is disturbed, one clings to all things; clinging to all things gives rise to craving; with craving comes affliction. Worries and delusions cause the body and mind to suffer, to endure defilement and humiliation, to drift through birth and death, constantly sinking in the sea of suffering, forever losing sight of the true Way. 🌙
The true and constant Way is attained by those who awaken to it themselves. Those who truly awaken to the Way forever abide in purity and stillness.
The core of this scripture lies in the complete path from fundamental nature to practice: the Way's fundamental nature is formless, affectionless, and nameless, yet its operation manifests as the yin-yang interplay of clarity/turbidity and movement/stillness. All things arise from the source, and humans are within this. The human spirit and mind are by nature pure and still, but they are obscured by desires and delusive thoughts. The core of practice is not to "gain" something new, but to subtract: dispersing desires, clarifying the mind, breaking attachments, layer by layer going deeper, until even "emptiness" and "non-existence" are not clung to, ultimately returning to that originally pure and still true state. This purity and stillness is not dead silence, but "constant responding with constant stillness"—maintaining inner stability amid the dynamic responses of the world.
The greatest inspiration this scripture offers modern people is its precise diagnosis of the contemporary spiritual predicament: our problem is not that we don't strive enough, but that we aren't still enough. Information overload, proliferating desires, and competitive anxiety correspond exactly to what the scripture describes as "thoughts disturb it," "desires stir it," and "the deluded mind." The remedy the Pure and Still Sutra offers is not escaping reality, but an inner "decluttering and letting go": first identify which things are truly needed and which are cravings driven by the deluded mind, then layer by layer let them go. The so-called "observe the mind within—the mind has no mind" means, in modern terms: do not mistake the thoughts in your head as "you" yourself; learn to maintain distance from thoughts. This is a remarkably high level of psychological flexibility—an ancient echo of modern mindfulness-based therapies. 🌱
The most exquisite aspect of the Pure and Still Sutra lies in its logic of dissolution: "Observe emptiness—emptiness is also empty; what is empty becomes non-existent; since what is empty is no more, non-existence itself also disappears; since what does not exist has vanished, all is clear, deep, and perpetually still." This is a process of continuous self-transcendence, clinging neither to "emptiness" nor "non-existence." In philosophical terms, this mode of thinking closely resembles negative theology or the philosophy of emptiness (śūnyatā): ultimate reality cannot be pointed to by any concept; it can only be expressed through layers of negation—"apophatic" disclosure. Yet the final landing point returns to the remarkably simple "constant purity and stillness"—a negation followed by affirmation: purity and stillness are not a goal to be laboriously achieved, but a natural state that manifests once all superfluous things are set down. This reminds us: true freedom is not "having more options," but "no longer being held hostage by options." 🤔
This content is based on classical Taoist scriptures and is provided solely for traditional cultural learning and life reference. It does not constitute religious, medical, or investment advice.