Daoist Cultivation of Qi and Virtue for Life, Wisdom, and Learning by Tom Culham & Jing Lin

Author:Tom Culham & Jing Lin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030449476
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

According to the Huainanzi , it is vital to know one’s innate nature; however, tensions arise between emotions related to engaging in the external pleasures of life and the requirement to cultivate inner tranquillity to gain awareness of one’s innate nature. The passage, Originating in the Way in the Huainanzi , describes the tension and consequences for leaders of ancient China in pursuing excessive pleasures at the expense of focusing on the innate within which is the path to cultivating the Way (Roth, 2010). There are two messages: one relates to the consequences of seeking out pleasures such as: music; celebrations; beautiful women; drinking; feasting; hunting; and horse racing, not recognizing that: “Sadness and happiness revolve and generate one another” (Roth, 2010, p. 70). This is a reminder that seeking moderation and emotional equilibrium in daily life is a process of aligning oneself with tranquillity the ruling principle of the Dao and vital to cultivation. The other is that: All these (pleasures) may bring you contentment, consume you with a blazing passion, and tempt you to lust after them. But when you unhitch the chariot, rest the horses, stop the wine, and halt the music,

Your heart suddenly feels as if it is in mourning,

And you are as depressed as if you had a great loss. (Roth, 2010, pp. 70–1)

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