Extensive interpretation of Tao Te Ching (47)
道德經演義（四十七）
Without stepping outside one’s doors, one
can know what is happening in the world.
不出戶，知天下，
Without looking out of one’s
windows, one can see the Tao of Heaven.
不闚牖，見天道。
The farther one pursues
knowledge, the less one knows.
其出彌遠，其知彌少。
Therefore the Sage knows
without running about, understands without seeing, accomplishes without doing.
是以聖人不行而知，不見而名，不為而成。
The Human World
(1) (39-70)(47。1)
莊子演義內篇人間世(一)(39-70)(47。1)
39 Yanhui met with Confucius’ declination. Feeling
disgrace very much, he unconsciously tried to save his face somehow. He said,
顏回碰了這樣一個軟釘子，覺得顏面盡失，他下意識地想討些面子回來。他說：
40 “Fast is easy to me. My family is poor so for many months we have tasted
neither wine nor flesh. Sir, the vegetarian diet is fast, isn’t it?”
「齋戒啊，那倒容易！我來自貧困家庭，不吃茹葷已經好幾個月了。老師啊，吃素就是齋戒吧？」
顏回曰：「回之家貧，唯不飲酒不茹葷者數月矣。如此則可以為齋乎？」
41 “That is a fast according to the sacrifice observances,” answered Confucius,
“but not the fast of the heart I mean.”
孔子回答說：「不. 吃素只是祭祀時遵守的齋戒，不是我要你做的心齋。」
42 Yanhui was confused with the variety of fast. He
asked again, “What is the fast of the heart”
顏回這回又迷糊了，怎麼齋戒也分這麼多種？他追問到：「老師，什麼是心齋？」
曰：「是祭祀之齋，非心齋也。」回曰：「敢問心齋。」
43 Confucius smiled, “Before doing important works, we need integrity and right
attitude. Calming down your heart, cleaning your body, setting good mood, and
wait for the advent of important things.
孔子笑著說：「在從事重要工作之前我們講究誠意正心，先將心靜下來，將身子洗乾淨，將心準備好，以便迎接重大事件之來臨。
44 The important things are sacrifice, praying gods, praying for son and
audience with the high-level officials
這重大事件包括祭祀、求神、問子、晉見重要官員等。
45 But all those fasts are not the fast of the heart which is the highest one I
will talk to you.
但這些還不是最高境界的心齋。」
46 Yanhui asked cautiously, “What’s the fast of the
heart?”
顏回好奇地的問：「什麼是心齋呢？」
47 Confucius said, “The fast of the heart is a way of practice, similar to
Buddhism sitting in Zen way, meditation and Yoga.
子說：「心齋是一種修煉方式，與佛家的禪坐、默想、瑜伽有些近似。
48 When practicing the fast of the heart, the yogi devotes himself to a certain
thing, as Buddha said: crossing your legs, fixing the idea ahead, deserting
other ideas, focusing your attention on praying to Buddha, monk or a thing.
心齋時，修行人專心在一定的念頭上。如世尊說的: 結跏趺坐，繫念在前，無有他想，專精念佛、念僧或念一項事物。
49 Fixing the idea, the yogi can’t hear outer information and have no reaction
on it.
念頭定住後，耳朵就不再傾聽外界的信息，對外界的信息也不要起任何反應。
50 In the fast of the heart, the yogi doesn’t cut in and take part in other’s
discussion which is ongoing. He just silently listens to the information from
the self-nature, Buddha-nature, calmness and refinement.
心齋時旁邊有人討論事情，修行人就不插嘴，也不參與討論; 他只靜靜地傾聽由自性、佛性、拙火、妙用發出的信息。
51 In the beginning, the information is weak, so he has to listen attentively.
The information is different from the outer stimulation.
最初這種信息很微弱，修行人必須專心才能發覺。這些信息與一般來自外界的刺激也不同。
52 At first it starts slightly from the tips of toe and finger or neck. If the
yogi keeps focusing on it and being patient, the information that the
self-nature gives out becomes more and more strong. It sails over his
consciousness to instruct his limbs to do the individual unique actions of
Yoga.
剛開始時也許只是輕輕地在腳尖，在指尖或著頸部; 漸漸地如果修行人夠專心，夠耐心，這股由自性發出的信息會愈來愈明顯，祂跳過修行人的意識，直接指揮他的四肢乃至全身做某些個人專屬的瑜伽動作。
仲尼曰：「若一志，無聽之以耳而聽之以心﹔無聽之以心而聽之以氣。耳止於聽，心止於符。
53 In the fast of the heart, the outer sound just reaches the yogi’s ears but
can’t stimulate him. Image in consciousness reflects out on heart and doesn’t
stimulate him any more.
所以在心齋時，外界的聲音只到耳朵，外界的聲音不能對修行人產生刺激反應; 意識中的形象也只在心中上映，不再對他產生刺激反應。
54 Go in detail, the whole consciousness stops to instruct the body.
具體地說，就是整個意識都停止對身體發出任何指令。
55 The whole body waits the self-nature to take over. So the fast of the heart
is to stop conscious activities and to vacate the whole body as so to wait the
self-nature to take over the whole body. ”
全身靜靜地等待自性來接手。這種讓意識停止活動，虛位以待自性來接手的過程就是心齋。」
氣也者，虛而待物者也。唯道集虛。虛者，心齋也」
56 Listening to these, Yanhui still had a vague idea
of it. To prove his idea of it, he said, "I can’t practice the fast of the
heart because I don’t completely stop my conscious activities.
顏回聽的似懂非懂，他為了印証自己的看法，他對孔子說：「我沒有辦法做心齋是因為我沒有徹底地讓自我意識停止活動。
57 If I wanted to practice it, I would have to admit humbly the factor that the
self-nature, Buddha-nature, calmness and refinement, essence really exist in my
body.
如果我想做心齋，我必須謙卑地承認有一股叫自性、佛性、拙火、妙用、精等在我體內真實存在的事實。
58 The fast of the heart requires that consciousness stops the operation of the
body and body is vacated for the self-nature rising. Is the vacation that you
mention so?”
心齋時我要停止意識對身體的操作，虛位以待自性的昇起。老師所謂虛是不是這個意思啊？」
顏回曰：「回之未始得使，實有回也﹔得使之也，未始有回也，可謂虛乎？」
59 Confucius answer, “Well, nearly.”
孔子說：「嗯，差不多了。」
60 Confucius said “Let me tell you. When you enter into Samadhi, the
self-nature plays the leading role. It leads you into some actions of Yoga. At
the time your body moves; however, you can’t sense why to do so and don’t know
its purpose.
孔子說：「我告訴你，當你進入三昧狀態時，自性主導一切，祂帶領你做一些瑜伽動作。這時你的身體在動作，可是在你的意識中，你完全不明白為什麼這麼做，其目的又是什麼。
61 Entering into Samadhi, the self-nature predominates you body; out of
Samadhi, the consciousness takes over and then the self-nature retreats into
tranquility. There is no obvious threshold between them.
你一入三昧，自性就開始主導; 一出三昧，意識就接手，自性就退回沉靜的狀態。 這中間沒有明顯的門檻。
62 The Samadhi have no illusion that common people fear, not to mention that
they cause disease and lead you into a way of evil.
在三昧之中也沒有一般人懼怕的虛幻景象，更不會走火入魔，引病上身。
63 We know that the self-nature is from Nature and a part of it. It is because
of causality and chance that the self-nature melts into the flesh body. Though
we don’t know why, we just insensibly accept the factor. If we take the
attitude to the self-nature, we succeed in the fast of the heart.
我們明白這股自性是來自大自然，是大自然的一部分。祂是因緣聚合，機緣巧合下來到我們這兒與肉身結合成為一體。為什麼這樣我們也不清楚，我們只是糊裡糊塗地接受這個事實。能夠存有這樣的態度，那心齋就算是成了。
夫子曰：「盡矣！吾語若：若能入游其樊而無感其名，入則鳴，不入則止。
無門無毒，一宅而寓於不得已，則幾矣。
64 Nevertheless, the experience of the fast is very particular. It is difficult
to compare it with other experiences.
不過我跟你說，心齋這種經驗是很特別的，你很難以一般的經驗去作比較。
65 Leaving no trace of our walking are easy, but walking without touch of
ground is difficult. Doing thing by other’s order or instruction, sometime it
will expose to be deceptive or conscienceless but doing things in the way of
Nature will not.
我們走路不留痕跡並不難，可是要我們走路完全不著地就很難了；奉人的命令、指示做事很容易有虛偽不實，昧著良心做事的情形。可是奉天行事就不容易發生這種事。
「絕跡易，無行地難。為人使易以偽，為天使難以偽。
66 We only hear that the creature with wings can fly but never hear that the
creature like man without wings can fly. We know that people with experience
and learning can read some books and make some comments but we don’t know many
‘non-learning skills’ can do those without experience and learning. The strange
phenomena emerge in succession after the practice of the fast of the heart. The
essential point when we are in these conditions is that our mind and mood must
keep tranquil and sound as if we sit in a clear and comfortable room and enjoy
tranquility.
我們只聽說有翼的生物會飛，可是沒聽過沒有翼如人的生物會飛；我們知道有經驗，有學歷的人會做些事，讀些書，發表些意見言論，可是我們不知道有許多 "無學之術"
是不需要經驗學習就會做的。而這些特異的現象在心齋後會陸續出現。另外要注意的是，當我們打坐，禪思進入三昧後，心境一定要保持沉穩，安祥，如同坐在一間潔白舒適的房間裡，享受那片刻的寧靜。
67 We sit here but meanwhile we still think and plan the worldly affairs, not
deserting greed, anger and obsession. Thus our sitting is in vain, without a
result.
如果我們坐在那兒，心裡還在思考，計劃，研究些世俗的問題，不能將貪瞋癡等擾亂生活的思維丟掉，那我們坐是白坐了，不會有什麼效果。
聞以有翼飛者矣，未聞以無翼飛者也﹔聞以有知知者矣，未聞以無知知者也。瞻彼闋者，虛室生白，吉祥止止。夫且不止，是之謂坐馳。
68 If we can set aside the consciousness and let the self-nature,
Buddha-nature, calmness and refinement play the leading roles, then god and
ghost would obey us, let man alone.
如果我們能做到意識靠邊站，自性、佛性、挫火、妙用等來主導我們的行為，則鬼神都將聽命於我們，願意為我們服務，何況是人呢！
69 The self-nature in our body is same as the one that operate everything in
the universe. Yu and Shun were led by it, as did Fuxi
and Jiqu. As for the Common people it is also true.
我們身上這股自性，是與宇宙萬物運作的那股自性同出一宗的。禹、舜等是靠這股自性在引導; 伏羲、几蘧也是如此，一般人那更不用說了。
70 So I would set my heart at rest if you went to the state of Wei after accomplishing the fast of the heart. ”
所以, 如果你能練成心齋再到衛國去，我就放心了。」
夫徇耳目內通而外於心知，鬼神將來舍，而況人乎！是萬物之化也，禹舜之紐也，伏戲、几蘧之所行終，而況散焉者乎！」
Xianchi’s
interpretation and remark(47。1)
咸池評述(47。1)
1 Book of Kuntalini
tells us; don’t try to control activities of thinking, which is in vain.
“挫火”一書告訴我們，別妄想自己能控制思緒的飛揚，遊走，因為那將是徒勞而無功的。
2 We have to wait
patiently. When our yoga situation is ripe, Qi
naturally collects all thinking and then enters a real emptiness and
tranquility. It is done easily in a second.
所以，在這方面我們就只能耐心的等待，直到我們的瑜伽功練得更成熟時，氣自然會將所有的思緒都收起，從而進入真正的空靜狀態。屆時，一切將會是毫不費力的在一瞬間就完成了。
3 Therefore, the
key steps are to follow Qi, to practice yoga and
think nothing.
所以說，重點在緊緊的跟隨著氣的運作，跟在氣的後面勤練瑜伽，其他的什麼都別去想。
4 He, who sits in
the way of Zen, should know that the ideas are unstoppable in your mind. So the
man of new entry in practice should never think it is easy to enter the realm
of emptiness in the beginning of practice.
另外，練習禪坐的人也應該知道，心念的遊動是永無休止的，對於初學禪坐的人來說更是如此。他們可千萬別妄想一開始就能進入空的境界。
5 In the fast of the heart, outer sound
just reaches our ears but can’t stimulate us. Image in consciousness reflects
out on heart and doesn’t stimulate us anymore. As long as we can do it
accordingly that is enough.
大致上，我們只須要做到聽止於耳，心止於符也就足夠了。
Xianchi’s interpretation of Tao Te Ching (47) a。47
咸池評述道德經演義（四十七）a。47
1 In the age of Laotse, there was no phone, no radio, no TV, no computer or
even newspaper. All they had if any were oral message. He stayed at home;
however, he knew everything under the sun and the heaven course. Did he have
heaven eyes and heaven ears?
老子的年代沒有電話、沒有收音機、沒有電視、沒有電腦，甚至連報紙可能也沒有; 就算有，也只是一些口傳的訊息。他老人家坐在家裡就能知天下、見天道，難道他真的擁有天眼、天耳不成？
2 The knowledge Laotse’s mentioned should be confined in a certain
definition, then our interpretation is fairly right.
對老子的所謂知與見，我們應該將之規範在一定的定義之下，因為這樣的解釋才比較符合實情。
3 What did he know when he stayed at home? I don’t think Laotse
would effort to study a lot of gossip news that our TV, radio, and newspaper
cover daily, even if he has heaven eyes and heaven ears. Laotse’s
knowledge refers to the Tao that operates the universe. It is the Tao about
worldly affairs, rising and falling of society, and contest and peace of
society. In a word, it is issues of principle.
老子足不出戶而知的是些什麼事呢？如果是電視台、廣播電臺、報章上每天所大幅報導的八卦新聞的話，那我想就算是天眼及天耳，它們大概也不會願意耗費這樣的功夫去瞭解的。所以，老子的所謂知與見，在這裡指的應該是宇宙萬物之間運作的道，天下事理的歸宿之道、社會興衰之道、家庭社會裡和睦共處、爭勇鬥狠之道。總而言之，老子的知、見，其所針對的應該是屬於原則性方面的問題。
4 In cold winter, the old gentleman
counted days at home, knowing that spring was approached. The earth will become
thriving again.
寒冷的冬天，老先生坐在家裡計算日子，知道春天已經快要來了，大地即將復蘇，一切又將趨向欣欣向榮。
5 The stock market has been bear for three years. The weighted index falls to
the history low. The old gentleman knew that it should rise when it hit the
bottom. The bear market always goes easy and comes easy. In the depressive
time, we should be composed, live an austere life, and wait for the spring of
the market. If we don’t know the situation, it is very pitiful to sell stock at
low price.
屈指一算，股票市場已經連續走了三年空頭，加權指數也由高點跌入谷底。老先生知道物極必反，而空頭市場應該是來得快，去得也快。因此，在這個哀鴻遍野的時刻，就應該沉住氣，節衣縮食地過日子，以靜待股市回春。如果不知時，在低檔時將手上的股票賤價拋售出去，那就未免太可惜了。
6 A family often have laugh from their garden and their kids are lovely and
polite. You don’t need to visit them to check their credit. You are sure that
the family has stable income; father is kind; children are filial. It is a good
family. You may marry your daughter or son to them.
一個家庭，如果經常由他們的園子裡傳來歡笑的聲音，他們家的孩子也一個個表現得活潑可愛、恭敬有禮，這時你哪裡還需要什麼家庭訪問，更不用聘請徵信社去展開調查: 因為從中你已經可以肯定的知道，這個家庭收入穩定，父慈子孝，是個好人家，女兒可以娶，兒子可以嫁。
7 So is society. You see, the streets and
lanes are clean; people on street walks with smile and nice clothes; gardens
are around houses; business is booming with crowed customers. So the society
must be healthy. You may live there for long time.
推廣到社會中也是一樣，你只要仔細觀看那些整齊清潔的巷弄街道，那面帶笑容、衣著光鮮的街上行人，以至於一般房子外面之花團錦簇，商家生意興隆、客戶盈門等等這些: 這時候你便心中有數，知道這個社會必定是健康的，可以長居久住。
8 As long as we watch carefully the people and things around us, we can obtain
such knowledge.
而這樣的知，只須要我們細心的觀察身邊的人、事、物的細微末角，就能獲得。
9 When we read Tao Te Ching, we detect that Laotse make much of the trivia. Governance by non-action
that Laotse advocated requires governor to notice the
symptom of events. After trivia is solved, the big things will not happen.
Solving trivia must watch carefully all kinds of symptom.
通過閱讀道德經，我們知道老子是非常注重微小事物的。老子最有名的無為而治，就是要執政者注意事情發生前的徵候。只要將小事逐一化解，就不會有太大的事故發生。而想要化解小事，就必須要小心謹慎、仔細地留意各種徵候。
10 I have no
experience that heaven eyes and heaven ears are acquired through sitting, practice
of Zen and yoga. But I am sure that knowing the heaven’s Tao, it is unnecessary
through sitting, practice of Zen and yoga.
至於經由打坐、禪修、瑜伽等是否能獲得天眼及天耳，我個人沒有這方面的經驗; 可是知天下，見天道並非一定要打坐禪修才能獲得，這一點卻是可以肯定的。