Extensive interpretation of Tao Te Ching(15)
道德經演義（十五）
The wise ones of old had subtle wisdom
and depth of understanding, so profound that they could not be understood.
古之善為道者，微妙玄通，深不可識。
And because they could not be understood,
perforce must they be so described:
夫唯不可識，故強為之容:
Cautious, like crossing a wintry stream,
豫兮若冬涉川，
Irresolute, like one fearing danger all
around,
猶兮若畏四鄰，
Grave, like one acting as guest,
儼兮其若客，
Self-effacing, like ice beginning to
melt,
渙兮若冰之將釋，
Genuine, like a piece of undressed wood,
敦兮其若樸，
Open-minded, like a valley,
曠兮其若谷，
and mixing freely, like murky
water.
混兮其若濁。
Who can find repose in a muddy world?
孰能晦以理之徐明?
By lying still, it becomes clear.
孰能濁以靜之徐清?
Who can maintain his calm for long? By
activity, it comes back to life.
孰能安以動之徐生?
He who embraces this Tao, guards against
being over-full.
保此道者不欲盈。
He is beyond wearing out and renewal.
夫唯不盈，故能蔽而新成。
The Great Supreme
(1) (12-21)(15。1)
莊子演義內篇大宗師(一)(12-21)(15。1)
12 The men of real successful in practice don’t dream in sleep. After sound
sleep, they are vigorous and unperturbed, without a touch of worry.
真正修行成功的人，他們睡覺時是不會作夢的。他們睡飽了精神抖擻，心中坦然，沒有一絲憂慮之情。
13 They don’t care food. They eat the food on hand. Their breath is slow, weak,
deep and so stable. The ordinary people’s breath seems from the throat but
theirs seems from the heel.
他們吃東西從不講究，有什麼就吃什麼。他們的呼吸細而深，顯得那麼沈穩。我們一般人呼吸似乎是發自喉嚨，而他們的呼吸好像是起自腳跟。
古之真人，其寢不夢，其覺無憂，其食不甘，其息深深。真人之息以踵，眾人之息以喉。
14 The people with malicious aforethought his talk is bitter, stinking and
sour. Those who have much desire and lose themselves in chasing it are shallow
and mediocre in gift and talent. They have no artistic awareness.
心術不正的人，言談酸苦而惡臭。欲念深厚，被欲念牽著鼻子走的人，天賦才能就相對地淺薄而稀鬆平常，沒有藝術氣息。
屈服者，其嗌言若哇。其耆欲深者，其天機淺。
15 The men of real successful in practice cherish the every moment of their
lives and have no intent to escape death. They are calm to his life and death.
Their coming and going are quick and degage. They will not forget what they
have made up their mind in practice, but don’t care what the outcome of their
practice will become in the future.
修行成功的人，他們珍惜生命中的每一刻，可也不會刻意地逃避死亡。他們生不喜、死不憂。他們來去瀟灑，不拖泥帶水。他們不會忘記自己立志修行的初衷，然而，對於今後修行會有什麼樣的成果，也蠻不在乎。
古之真人，不知說生，不知惡死。其出不欣，其入不距。翛然而往，翛然而來而矣。不忘其所始，不求其所終。受而喜之，忘而複之。是之謂不以心損道，不以人助天，是之謂真人。
16 They delightedly accept their lives and patiently wait for the moment of
passing away without any worry.
他們欣然地接受生命，耐心地等待那逝去的一刻而不憂心。
17 This kind of attitude of life precludes people’s mind from misguiding the
operation of the Nature and the arrangement of Tao. Whoever can adhere to this
principle is regarded to bear the fruit of practice.
這樣的人生態度，就是為了不讓個人的意識去誤導道的自然運作，干擾道的安排。能夠守住這樣原則的人，我們說他修行已有成果。
18 Men who bear the fruit of practice are active and broad-minded; they don’t
hold on some concepts and self-righteous ideas as unchangeable; they are not
stubborn and inflexible.
修行成功的人，他們的心是開朗而活潑的; 不會死抱著一些念頭或自以為是的想法，頑固而死板。
19 Their attitude is amiable, composed and couth.
他們的態度祥和，雍容儒雅。
20 Another special point is that their forehead is somewhat protruding like a
senior player of inner Kongfu.
另外比較特別的一點是，他們額頭都顯得比較突出，像一名內功高手。
21 Their attitude sometime is silent and depressive, like the bleak autumn
while sometime is warm and harmonious, like the spring wind. Their mood totally
follows the season’s environment. They are harmonious with the universe,
abandoning private and personal concepts. Therefore, they will leave you
profound and enigmatic impression.
他們的態度有時沉寂憂悶，頗有秋天蕭瑟的氣氛; 有時又溫暖和睦，令人有如沐春風的感覺; 他們的喜怒哀樂如四季運轉般自然而不虛偽，與萬物和諧相處。他們心無己見，反而給人一種莫測高深，捉摸不定的感覺。
若然者，其心忘，其容寂，其顙頯。淒然似秋，暖然似春，喜怒通四時，與物有宜而莫知其極。
Xianchi’s
interpretation and remark (15。1)
咸池評述(15。1)
1 Reading this
chapter, you don’t fool so much to bend yourself to imitate the actions of
these successful men of practice. The actions mentioned by Chuang
Tzu can’t be imitated or can’t be imitated all of them.
讀了莊子這篇文章，可別傻到專門去學這些修行有成的人的樣子。莊子所描述的這些模樣，一般人是學不來，也是學不全的。
2
The only way to be a real and lovely man of practice is to strictly practice
and to sit in Zen way so as to improve inner culture. The perfect personality
will give out from your culture and is shown via your action naturally.
只有老老實實地修行，認真地禪坐、練功，由內心深處逐漸提昇，擁有了完美的人格之後，再由個人修養中自自然然地散發出來，表現在行為上，這才是真實而可愛的。
3 Copycat of the
successful man of practice is not much real than simply doing as Dongshi.
與其勉強自己去附庸風雅，那倒不如老老實實地做個東施來的真實些。
4 Without
sufficient practice, you can’t be successful man of practice, even pretending
to be. At least, your forehead can not be protruded, isn’t it?
工夫尚未到家，真人的樣子就是再怎麼裝也是裝不出來的。至少你的前額就弄不凸，是吧！
Evidences Of A Full Character (1) (9)(15。2)
莊子演義內篇德充符(一)(9)(15。2)
9 Confucius answered, “Yes. It is so. Fox example, we don’t take running water
as mirror because it can’t reflect our image. Only still water can be mirror.
The water is no difference but only still one has mirror function. They are
trees but only pine and cypress can keep green both in winter and summer. We
all are man but only the sages such as King Yao and
King Shun can fully show their perfect and intact personality, which is our
admired example.
孔子說：「是啊！就是這樣。比如我們不會對著波濤洶湧的流水照鏡子。因為這樣的水無法反映我們的形象，只有靜止無波的水面才能成為鏡子。所以同樣是水，只有波浪不興的水可當鏡子用；同樣是樹木，只有松柏能長青於冬夏；同樣是人，只有堯舜等賢者能充分發揮優美完整的人格，成為我們為之欽羨不已的表率。
仲尼曰：「人莫鑑於流水，而鑑於止水。唯止能止眾止。受命於地，唯松柏獨也正，在冬夏青青﹔受命於天，唯堯舜獨也正，在萬物之首。幸能正生，以正眾生。
Xianchi’s interpretation and remark(15.2)
咸池評述(15。2)
1 Ripple on water
results from pushing by outer force, such as wind or flow.
水面生波是因為風、水流等外物的推波助瀾所造成的。
2 The troublous feeling is due to the disturbance of outer world. The less the
disturbance is, the more calm the feeling becomes. It is simple and easy to
know.
紛亂的心情，是為了應付外界的干擾而產生的。外界干擾愈少，心情就愈平靜，這是再簡單不過的道理。
3 However, common
people stand to ceaselessly build ties on complicate social relations and
finally are entangled by the net which is built up by themselves.
可是一般人卻偏偏要在煩雜的人際關係中，不斷地結網，將自己糾纏於其中。
4 The complicate
social relations are like a net that sticks you in the middle of it. Each
friend holding his own thread of the net, and when they shake their thread, you
on the net are bothered so much that calm of feeling becomes impossible.
複雜的人際關際，就像是一張網，而你就置身於網中。許多人各據一角，大家奮力搖動網繩，置身其中的你，此時想要歸於安寧，就完全不可得了。
5 Buddha asked
man of practice to reduce desire for content and to stay in tranquility and
leisure, which aims at reducing outer disturbance and keeping a sound, tranquil
and peaceful mind for practice.
世尊要求修行人少欲知足，樂閒靜處; 目的就在求減少外力干擾，都是為了求得保持一顆沉穩，安寧，祥和之心的修行功夫。
6 People say that
when you are at home, you have to depend on parent; when you work in the
society, you have to seek help from friends. In order to live through future
rainy day, usually people would make a lot of friends. However, the result is
that they are hurt before being benefited. All freshmen in the society should
be discreet to it.
我們常說在家靠父母，出外靠朋友。為了將來可能的不時之需，為此而結交了一大群的朋友，結果往往是未蒙其利，先受其害。對此，社會新鮮人，可千萬不能不慎。
Xianchi’s interpretation and remark of
Tao Te ching (15) a.15
咸池評述道德經演義（十五）a。15
1 Man of practice is not like kids in
school. They start from kindergarten, to primary school, upgrade grade by
grade. Each grade is very clear. He, who finishes courses of high school, is
identified record of formal schooling. He, who gets doctor diploma, is known
that he is proficient in his field.
修行的人不像孩子們上學那樣，他們從幼稚園開始、小班、中班、大班，讀完之後還有個結業儀式。然後上小學，一、二、三、四、五、六年級逐步晉昇，每個階段都分得非常清。有高中文憑的，我們說他擁有高中學歷; 有博士頭銜的，我們知道，他肯定是在某個領域表現得異乎常人，也比較精通。
2 Man of practice never receives a certificate that proves your result of
practice. It is something like a scholar who studies at home. Though he is
knowledgeable of eastern and western culture, he will not be entitled as
bachelor or master, or even doctor by school or academic institutions. Man of
practice just knows something enigmatical. If you do not observe his deed and
talk, it is difficult to know that he is a bookman.
修行人是沒有人會頒給你一張明確的，能印證你修行成果的證書的。這情形有點像是那種在家中自己讀書研究的學者； 雖然本身學貫中西，但卻不能因此而稱他是學士或碩士，甚至是博士。他只是懂些東西，有點令人莫測高深，因此，若不從旁仔細觀察他的言談舉止，你實在也很難看得出他是不是飽學之士。
3 Man of practice is the same. He practices, sits, and meditates every day. It
is difficult to say what degree his practice reaches for years or for dozens of
years, except his hair whitening and aging. So, the profound man of practice is
known only through his deed and attitude.
修行的人也是這樣。他整天的練功、打坐、默想，幾年下來，幾十年下來，除了頭髮白了、年歲長了；你很難明確的說，他到底是修到了什麼樣的層次。所以，凡是深不可測的修士，你想要瞭解他的話，也只能從其行為及態度上去作研究了。
4 Laotse held that a successful man of practice is
discreet in his behavior as if a man walks across frozen river and each step is
taken after careful detection. He concentrates on marching step by step. He
walks slightly to avoid crushing ice layer. He even dare not stop to prevent
from his weight crushing the thin ice.
老子認為，那些得道的修行者，他們的行為舉止，應是小心翼翼地，有如冬季穿越冰封的河川; 每一個腳步都是經過了仔細地推敲之後，才敢邁出。他們全神貫注，心無旁鶩，靜靜地一步一腳印的前進。他們輕輕地走，深怕會壓破了冰塊。他們甚至不敢停下來，就怕自己的體重會將薄冰壓碎。
5 Laotse held that such attitude is a natural
behavior of a man of practice, by which we may judge his practice.
老子認為，這樣的態度是修行者本身自然表現出來的，而我們可以根據這些行為模式來判斷一個人的修為是高或僅僅是初入門而已。
6 Buddha had his own way to judge a man of practice. He had out line fifteen
criteria: a good man of practice certainly has less desire and felt contented,
and like to stay in tranquility and leisure; what he does is in order and
brave; he is tolerant and free from bad habits; his body is soft; he is
peaceful; he persists in practice, doing Samadhi, gaining wisdom, holding and
practicing extrication; he has an understanding based on knowledge.
世尊在判斷一個修行者的修為方面，也有他獨特的法子。他認為一個好的修行者，他必定是: 少欲知足，樂閒靜處，有猛勇意，所為不亂，無怯弱心，能有所忍，除去惡法，體性柔和，不好鬥訟，恒修精進，行三眛，習智慧，念解脫、修行解脫、所知見身等十五項。
7 I tried to score each of the fifteen criteria, for example, 10 scores for
less desire and feeling contented; 10 scores for doing Samadhi, 5 scores for
having an understanding based on knowledge. The total score is 100. A man of
practice sincerely scores his practice. For example, less desire and feeling
contented are 7; doing Samadhi is 8; having an understanding based on knowledge
is 4. Then you add up all sub-score. Thus you know your result of practice.
我曾經試著將這十五項行為標準分別給它們加上象徵性的分數，比如：少欲知足１０分，行三眛１０分，所知見身５分等， 總分為１００分。自認是修行的人，可以很誠心的根據自己的表現打分數。比如：少欲知足７分，行三眛８分，所知見身４分等。然後再將這十五項的評分總結起來，就會大概的知道自己修行的成果是如何的了。
8 In fact, man of practice has better not care for the result, just doing it
silently. If he pays much attention to the progress, it would be harmful to his
practice. Especially, it gets more kicks than halfpence, if he is lost in ego.
其實，修行的人最好不要太在乎結果，默默地做就好，太注意成果進度，反而會有揠苗助長的壞處。特別是著了我相，那就得不償失了