Today I want to discuss one of the most common and important terms in all of Daoism: \u201cqing-jing\u201d.<\/p>\n
Laozi first used this term in Dao De Jing chapter 45: \u201cQing-jing rectifies all under Heaven\u201d.\u00a0 Zhang Dao-Ling included it as is one of the nine \u201cmandates\u201d of the Tian-Shi Daoist tradition (2nd<\/sup>-century CE), and the Qing-Jing scripture<\/a>, written during the Tang Dynasty, is recited by Quan-Zhen Daoists today.<\/p>\n To understand the phrase let\u2019s look at each character individually first, and then look at them together in the context of meditation & qi-cultivation.<\/p>\n The character for qing (\u6e05) includes the radical for water and the character for natural bluish-green color, so we can translate it as something like \u201cclear blue water\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s the opposite of muddy water.\u00a0 So it is often translated as clear or pure.\u00a0 But the character is not only a noun, it can also be a verb or adjective, so we can also say it is to clear something out or to have a clear view.<\/p>\n The character for jing (\u975c) includes the same character for clear blue water and also the character for contention.\u00a0 The meaning is to calm down contention \u2013 the image is like turbulent rapids coming to rest in a pool.\u00a0 So it is often translated as stillness or tranquility.\u00a0 It essentially means to be calm or to calm down, to settle, or to maintain a calm demeanor.<\/p>\n Together we can consider qing-jing to mean to clear out murkiness and calm down agitation.\u00a0 Clarity relates to shen (spirit), while calm relates to qi (energy).\u00a0 We want the processes of clearing shen and calming qi to happen together, like mud settling down and leaving the water clear.\u00a0 Of course we all know that to let mud settle we have to leave it alone, not hasten to push it down.\u00a0 That\u2019s wuwei.<\/p>\n So the initial method in Laozi\u2019s Daoism is called jing-zuo \u2013 \u201ccalm-sitting\u201d.\u00a0 It involves important points of posture, letting the breath be natural, and resting in open awareness.\u00a0 This method allows mud to settle.\u00a0 As our qi calms down and our spirit clears up, we invite the great qing-jing to come visit.\u00a0 As it turns out, our context is already clear & calm \u2013 great clarity, da-qing (\u5927\u6e05), is wide-open space; great calm, da-jing (\u5927\u975c), is the ever-present stillness underlying all movement.\u00a0 These are also called Heaven & Earth.<\/p>\n Clarity is opening the upper dantian.\u00a0 Calm is settling into the lower dantian.\u00a0 Calm relates to heat, clarity to light.\u00a0 When the upper dantian opens, the clear water lets in sunlight.\u00a0 As the 4th<\/sup>-century BCE Neiye says, \u201cgreat clarity perceives great luminosity\u201d.\u00a0 Some Daoist schools discourage open meditation because it may leave us vulnerable to possession.\u00a0 I think they are correct if we have not established stability in the lower dantian.\u00a0 The Neiye also says, \u201cif you can calm the heart-mind, you will naturally establish stability\u201d.\u00a0 Calm provides a stable base that grounds out incoming energies \u2013 this allows us to enjoy open luminosity while protecting us from possession.\u00a0 Grounded stability is really important for this practice.\u00a0 Love the mud.<\/p>\n The reason calm-sitting is considered initial is not the method so much as the view.\u00a0 We generally need to calm down in order to enter into Laozi\u2019s practice.\u00a0 But really qing-jing is not a goal \u2013 it\u2019s an aspect of our nature.\u00a0 So Laozi\u2019s sitting is not really a method to clear the shen and calm the qi \u2013 it\u2019s a platform for appreciating Heaven & Earth.\u00a0 In our sitting, if our method is correct, we will come to notice a feeling of stability below and openness above \u2013 like dropping the anchor and opening the sunroof \u2013 this is qing-jing.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a concept, it\u2019s an energetic experience.\u00a0 I hope you experience this great open stillness.\u00a0 Laozi\u2019s adepts enter effortlessly, relying on da-qing & da-jing.<\/p>\n Indeed Heaven & Earth continue to generate murkiness & agitation.\u00a0 Like a stream going from pool to riffle, pool to riffle.\u00a0 Of course this is not a problem, it\u2019s just how things are.\u00a0 So the next step in Laozi\u2019s practice is to abandon the quest for clarity & calm \u2013 just rely on Heaven & Earth and let things come and go naturally.\u00a0 That\u2019s non-dual wuweidao.<\/p>\n What are we to do?\u00a0 Let\u2019s abandon rumination and just sit calmly for a while every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today I want to discuss one of the most common and important terms in all of Daoism: \u201cqing-jing\u201d. Laozi first used this term in Dao De Jing chapter 45: \u201cQing-jing rectifies all under Heaven\u201d.\u00a0 Zhang Dao-Ling included it as is one of the nine \u201cmandates\u201d of the Tian-Shi Daoist tradition (2nd-century CE), and the Qing-Jing … Continue reading “Clear & Calm: A Look at \u201cQing-Jing\u201d (\u6e05\u975c)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1115,"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42\/revisions\/1115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldoakdao.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}