The Daodejing, Daoism, and the Restoration of Humanity in the Asian Healing Arts: With Translation and Commentary on the Text

Reviews

“In a time when we are forgetting the value and mystery of Life, when the very root of Life is at stake, it is my deepest honor and pleasure to enter this meticulous and careful conversation with Antiquity. This is a book to restore the root and purpose of any practitioner of Chinese medicine. Dennis opens the conversation between Lǎozi’s instructions, the acupuncture points, and the practices of inner cultivation and brings deep inquiry into the practice of acupuncture. A conversation through time, this work comes alive, forward, backward, inward outward, from Heaven to Earth and back again. Within the detail and devotion of his scholarship he guards the secrets of life.”

—Laura Clarke Stelmok, LicAc.(UK), M.Ac, Dipl.Ac.; Program Director of The Unseen Hand: Medicine from Antiquity, A Gathering of Physicians, Artists and Scribes

“I’ve known Dennis Willmont for thirty years. It would appear that he has spent much of that time studying, teaching, writing and compiling Daoist teaching and healing arts, as he has amassed a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge in his voluminous work on the Dàodéjīng. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a comprehensive guide and historical analysis of Daoism and Daoist medicine. Practical in orientation, both practitioners and laypersons will gain value from this book.”

—Z’ev Rosenberg, L. Ac.; Professor, Alembic Institute; Senior researcher, Xinglin Institute; Chair Emeritus/Pacific College of Oriental Medicine

“This work is an exploration of a here to date inadequately discussed component of East Asian Medicine. It goes into meticulous detail in understanding the Dàodéjīng, its author, and the text’s position within the broader East Asian philosophical tradition. Dennis grounds the mystical culture surrounding the Dàodéjīng within the worldview of the ancients and connects this worldview with the traditional healing arts. Based on this solid foundation, Dennis then turns to the text of the Dàodéjīng itself. He presents each of the 81 verses and expounds on them so that a modern reader can come to a fuller understanding within a deep context of both culture and medicine. Experienced practitioners and well as academicians will find this a fascinating and useful text. It should be seen as an embodiment of the living tradition of Daoist medicine brought forth by someone who has devoted his life to illuminating the remnants of the classical approach.”

—Steve Jackowicz, M.AC., L.Ac., Ph.D.; Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Bridgeport Acupuncture Institute

"As it was presented to me in acupuncture school, the Daodejing is a prescription for following the “middle path.” As I learned from Dennis Willmont’s latest book, The Dàodéjīng, Daoism, and the Restoration of Humanity in the Asian Healing Arts, it is so much more than that. Although my instructors recognized it as an important Chinese book, no one ever made a connection between the practice of acupuncture and the information contained within the Dàodéjīng. Not only was it not part of our education, we were not even encouraged to read it; and there was never any suggestion that it might affect how we practice. Dennis Willmont’s text corrects that omission, and in the process he restores dimensionality to our medicine.

Acupuncture, as it is taught in our schools, essentially is technique. Yes, it is complex and sophisticated; but we come away from our education with the sense that acupuncture is a neatly circumscribed discipline. This is why non-acupuncturists see it as a method that can be applied by rote or recipe. In part, I believe it is our fault that they see our profession that way, though certainly it is not intentional. This is how it was taught to us, and this is how we pass it down to others.

We cannot blame the schools for this. Our instructors also were not taught the wholeness of our medicine, even those who studied in China. As Willmont explains, the change in the written language made by the Chinese Communists during the Cultural Revolution destroyed the threads of linguistic meaning that came down to the average person in China, unchanged through thousands of years. Now the only people who can decipher the true meanings of the classic texts are people who learned the Chinese language as it was written prior to the Cultural Revolution, or those who emigrated to Taiwan. Fortunately for us, Dennis Willmont is one of these people. As an acupuncturist in practice for over 40 years, and as a scholar who has studied the Dàodéjīng in all its aspects for over 50 years, he is able to present to us the richness of the Daodejing and make it relevant to our daily work.

When the written Chinese language lost its integrity, we also lost the original meanings of the acupuncture point names. Willmont explains these point names for us; they are so much more than poetry and metaphor. This information alone makes Willmont’s book an important text; but he does not stop there. He also shows us how the richness of acupuncture practice has been lost, and he begins the process of returning it to its power. From a complete medicine practiced in many styles to treat all ailments, it was reduced over the centuries to a fraction of what it was, simplified, and demoted to a less powerful medicine than herbs. In studying the Dàodéjīng, Willmont is recovering what we have lost and restoring acupuncture to the powerful medicine it once was. He returns to us the pieces of our medicine that have been lopped off, such as Daoist meditation and inner alchemy. His discussion of the history, politics, and meaning of the Dàodéjīng illuminates the relationship of acupuncture to the bāguà, the Yìjīng, Daoism, the Five Elements, the levels of disease, and the restoration of health to society as well as to the individual.

Though we talk about how acupuncture developed within a philosophical, cultural, and political context, we do not really understand that context or what it means for the way we practice. Willmont shows us, in great and exquisite detail, where our medicine belongs in the scheme of things. Acupuncture is one element in a rich tapestry of medical practice that is much more expansive than we realize, embracing meditation, Qìgōng, inner alchemy, and a conceptual framework for understanding wellness and how to foster it. The Dàodéjīng is the warp of this tapestry, the foundation upon which our medicine was built. The Dàodéjīng shows us how all the elements of our medicine are woven together, both in the way we practice it and in the way we live our lives. The practitioner who understands the Dàodéjīng practices a very different kind of medicine from the practitioner who simply puts acupuncture needles into points. The Dàodéjīng explains not just which points to use, when, and how; it also teaches the practitioner the proper way to approach healing.

A small example of how Willmont’s book has altered my practice forever is in the application of the concept of “spontaneity.” Many acupuncturists have accidentally invoked spontaneity in their treatments. We have stumbled upon it without knowing what we are doing and without being able to replicate the experience. We recognize it as important, but not knowing what we did (or, more accurately, did not do), we are unable to do (i.e., not do) it again. I am not making a joke or playing with words. This is a serious concept that is taught in the Dàodéjīng in chapter after chapter. Willmont helps us to understand its importance and gives us the tools to become spontaneous in our treatments. Primary among these tools is a proper application of Qìgōng and meditation to the practice of acupuncture. We are taught in school that Qìgōng is important for our work as acupuncturists, but we are never taught how they are connected. We proceed through the decades of our careers practicing acupuncture and practicing Qìgōng and never putting them together. We come out of school crippled and remain crippled throughout our careers. Again, it is not the fault of our instructors, as they are crippled in this way, too.

My practice is largely orthopedic, and I do a lot of work with my hands in addition to needles. Since I am just beginning to think about how to apply the concept of spontaneity in my treatments, my ability to be spontaneous is unreliable. Yet just the awareness of the need to be spontaneous and the willingness to allow the Qì to go where it will has resulted in more profound treatment sessions with better outcomes achieved more easily. Patients notice the difference and remark on it, and they respond differently to my touch. They are much more likely to enter a state of altered consciousness, quickly; and we are more attuned and responsive to each other. Spontaneity, even in the hands of a novice, raises the level of practice in acupuncture above the mechanical variations otherwise practiced. This is just one example of how Willmont is restoring our medicine to its fullness.

The Dàodéjīng, Daoism, and the Restoration of Humanity in the Asian Healing Arts is, in my opinion, the most important book on the Daodejing that has ever been written. It should be a required text in every acupuncture school across the globe. As other professions try to co-opt acupuncture and incorporate it as a technique into their own scopes of practice, it is essential that we understand, appreciate, and demonstrate to the world the true depth and power of our medicine. If it is powerful as a technique, just imagine the good that can be done when its modern practitioners are able to use it the way it was practiced millennia ago. I can only wonder what kind of acupuncturist I might have become had I learned the information in this volume at the beginning of my career rather than at the end."

—Mary J. Rogel Ph.D., L.Ac, Editor of the Oriental Medicine Journal

Features

Table of Contents

Part I: Cultural Background of the Dàodéjīng

Basic Meaning of the Text 20

Thematic Context 20

Integration of the Ancient Schools 21

Thematic Context Outline 22

Thematic Context Terms 27

Early Culture 30

Dynastic Periods 30

Xià Dynasty (2205 BCE-1818 BCE) 30

Shāng Dynasty (1766-1122 BCE) 30

The Zhōu Dynasty (1122-256 BCE) 31

The Warring States Period (403-222 BCE) 33

Qín Dynasty (221-207 BCE) 35

Hàn Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) 36

Period of Disunity (220-618 CE) 39

Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 to 589 CE) 40

Suí Dynasty (589-618 CE) 40

Táng Dynasty (618-905 CE) 41

Sòng Dynasty (960-1279 CE) 42

Yuán Dynasty (1271-1368 CE) 43

Míng Dynasty (1368–1644 CE) 45

Thematic Overview of Chinese Cultural History 46

Important Early Daoist Texts 52

Guǎnzi (400-200 BCE) 52

Zhuāngzǐ (399-295 BCE) 52

Huáinánzǐ (139 BCE) 52

Lièzĭ (300 CE) 53

Dàozáng (1016-1607 CE) 53

Important Early Confucians 55

Confucianism in General 55

Confucius (551-479 BCE) 55

Mòzǐ (479-381 BCE) 57

Mencius (371-289 BCE) 58

Xúnzǐ (340-245 BCE) 58

Daoist Background of the Dàodéjīng 60

Philosophical and Religious Daoism 60

Political Alliance 61

Timelines 61

Lineages 62

General 62

Celestial Masters (Tiān Shī Dào 天師道―142 CE) 64

Highest Purity (Shàngqīng 上清―304 CE) 65

Numinous Treasure (Lìngbǎo 靈寶―400 CE) 69

Complete Perfection (Quánzhēn 全眞―1159 CE, Sòng Dynasty) 69

Summary 73

Historical Basis of the Author 74

Lǎozi in History 75

Source Text 75

Pre-Hàn Dynasty Texts 77

Hàn Dynasty Texts 78

Post-Hàn Dynasty Texts 78

Summary 74

Lǎozi in Myth 78

Overview 78

Magical Practitioners 79

Political Elite 84

Supernatural Status 84

Relationship with Buddhism 84

The Yǐn Xǐ Geneology of Early Daoism 86

Place and Date of Birth 87

The Deification of Lǎozi 89

The Disappearance of Lǎozi 98

A Normal Death 98

Journey to the West 99

Important Places 102

Dragon Horn Mountain 102

Hángǔ Pass 102

Lóuguàn 102

Historical Basis of the Text 103

About the Text 105

Original Form 105

Organization: Section and Chapter Divisions 106

Style 106

Transmissions 106

Mǎwángduī 107

Guōdiàn 107

Differences Between the Mǎwángduī and Guōdiàn Transmissions 107

Western Translations 107

Dating of the Text 108

Variations on Dàodéjīng Themes 109

Historical Use of the Text 110

Importance of the Text for the General Public and Daoism 110

Use by Daoist Sects 111

Major Historical Commentaries 112

General 112

Héshàng Gōng 113

Wángbì 115

The Dàodéjīng as Core Daoist Healing Text 115

Political Rule and Daoism in Ancient China 121

Influence of the King 121

Source of Authority 121

Ruler of the Heart 122

When Lǎozi Becomes a God 123

Body/Mind/Spirit Methods and Applications 127

Natural Healing and Worldview 127

Dual Cultivation and the Unique Principle of Yin and Yang 131

Body: Food and Herbs 139

Traditional Approach 139

Modern Applications: Georges Ohsawa and the Macrobiotic Way of Life 141

Mind: Virtue/Empowerment, Worldview, and Daoist Psychology 144

Etymology and Definition of Dé 144

Confucian Conceptions of Virtue as Morality 145

Daoist Conceptions of Virtue 147

The Five Constant Virtues 149

Zhì/Wisdom and Gratitude 150

Rén/Humanity and Infinite Freedom 152

Lǐ/Appropriateness and Eternal Happiness 153

Xìn/Accountability and Faith 154

Yì/Righteousness, Justice, and the Seven Levels of Judgment 155

Virtue and the Mandate of Heaven 158

Spirit: Meditation, Qìgōng, and Alchemy 160

Meditation 160

Methods 162

Breath 163

Stretching and Relaxing 164

Mantra and Chanting 164

Visualization 165

Talismans 166

Asceticism 168

Healing 168

Qìgōng 170

Definition 170

Dǎoyǐn 170

Other Forms 171

Examples 172

History 173

Timeline of Events 175

Fǎlún Gōng 177

Inner Alchemy 180

Definition 180

Goals 182

History 182

Texts and Schools 183

First Texts 183

Celestial Masters (142 CE in the Hàn Dynasty) 185

Highest Purity (304 CE) 186

Three Caverns 186

Complete Perfection (1159 CE in the Sòng Dynasty) 186

Modern Times 187

Methods 187

Outer Alchemy 187

Inner Alchemy 190

Stages of Inner Alchemy 192

Preparation: Creating the Cauldron and the Inner Smile 192

The Microcosmic Orbit 193

Five Phase Fusion 194

Meditational Alchemy 198

Macrocosmic Orbit 205

Greater Macrocosmic Orbit 207

Transformation of the Three Treasures 209

Lǎozi as a Profound Symbol of Chinese Culture 215

An Historical Perspective of Lǎozi 215

The Yellow Emperor (Huángdì 黃帝) 215

Fúxī 伏羲 215

Record Keepers and Astrologers 215

Immortality Practices 216

The Buddha 217

The Hángǔ Pass 217

The Meaning of Lǎozi Riding the Ox through the Hángǔ Pass 218

The Conversion of the Barbarians 218

The Ox in the Cycles of the Five Phases 218

The Ox in the Chinese Zodiac 219

The Weaving Maiden and Cowherd Boy 219

The Birthing of the Immortal Fetus in Inner Alchemy 220

The Meaning of These Legends in Terms of Lǎozi as the “Old Child” 220

Acupuncture 225

Principles 225

The Manifestation Sequence and the Seventy-One Meridians of Acupuncture 225

The Three Levels of Healing in Acupuncture 227

The Symptomatic and Preventive Levels 227

The Spiritual Level 228

Reciprocal Imagery Between the Points and Themes of the Text 229

Identification between Lǎozi and the Shén/Spirit of the Heart 230

Oneness and the Navel Center 232

Receiving Nourishment from the One 235

Polarization Legends Common to the Meridian System and the Dàodéjīng 237

Daoist Divinities and the Acupuncture Points 241

Eight Acupuncture Dào Formulas 242

General Principles 242

Yang Treatments 243

(1) Dào Treatment: Builds the Yang of the Main Supporting Organs (12 Points) 243

(2) The Golden Elixir Treatment (12 Points) 244

Yin Treatments 248

(3) Seven Emotions Treatment: Builds Yin of the Main Organs (13 Points) 248

(4) The Great One Treatment (14 Points) 249

Balanced Treatments 253

(5) The Virtue/Empowerment Treatment (14 Points) 253

(6) The Big Bell Treatment: Fulfilling Inner Potential (16 Points) 255

(7) The Heavenly Ancestor Treatment: God as Lǎozi is Within (10 Points) 262

(8) Deities as Ancestors Treatment (9 Points) 264

The Classical Chinese Language as Worldview 267

General 267

History 268

The Spoken Language 269

Symbolism in Language 270

Challenges in Translating 272

Chapter Titles 277

Part II: The Text and Commentaries 280

Book One: “The Book of Dào” 280

Chapter 1 (1:1)―The Dào that Has No Name 280

Translation

Commentary

Chapter 2 (1:2)―The Hidden Perfection of Yin and Yang 286

Translation

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Chapter 3 (1:3)―Acting with Non-Action 288

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Chapter 4 (1:4)―The Pattern/Template of the Lord 292

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Chapter 5 (1:5)―Straw Dogs 294

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Chapter 6 (1:6)―The Spirit of the Valley 298

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Commentary

Chapter 7 (1:7)―Leaving Yourself Behind 302

Commentary

Translation

Chapter 8 (1:8)―The Highest Good is like Water 304

Translation

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Chapter 9 (1:9)―Filling a Hall with Gold and Jade 308

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Chapter 10 (2:1)―Mysterious Virtue 310

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Chapter 11 (2:2)―The Thirty Spokes of a Single Wheel 314

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Chapter 12 (2:3)―The Belly of the Sage 316

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Chapter 13 (2:4)―Valuing Great Suffering 318

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Chapter 14 (2:5)―Knowing the Ancient Beginning 322

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Chapter 15 (2:6)―The Simplicity of a Woodcutter 328

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Chapter 16 (2:7)―Returning to Destiny 332

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Chapter 17 (2:8)―Accountability 334

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Chapter 18 (2:9)―Confusion and Disorder in the Kingdom 336

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Chapter 19 (3:1)―Limiting Desire 338

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Chapter 20 (3:2)―The Infant Child Who has not Laughed 340

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Chapter 21 (3:3)―The Accountability of the Vague and Elusive 342

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Chapter 22 (3:4)―Becoming the Model for Everyone 346

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Chapter 23 (3:5)―The Whirlwind and the Thunderstorm 350

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Chapter 24 (3:6)―Excess Nourishment and Useless Activities 352

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Chapter 25 (3:7)―The Mother of the World 354

Translation

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Chapter 26 (3:8)―Showing Your Lightness to the World 356

Translation

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Chapter 27 (3:9)―Depending on the Good 358

Translation

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Chapter 28 (4:1)―The Greatest Tailor Never Cuts 362

Translation

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Chapter 29 (4:2)―The Spirit Vessel of the World 364

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Chapter 30 (4:3)―Using Strength through Weapons 366

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Chapter 31 (4:4)―Abiding with the Funeral Rites 368

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Chapter 32 (4:5)―The Dào that has No Name 370

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Chapter 33 (4:6)―He Who Dies But Doesn’t Perish 372

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Chapter 34 (4:7)―Without Acting as their Ruler 374

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Chapter 35 (4:8)―The Pattern/Template of the World 376

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Chapter 36 (4:9)―The Fish Cannot Escape from the Depths 378

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Chapter 37 (5:1)―Quietude 382

Translation

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Book Two: “The Book of Dé” 384

Chapter 38 (5:2)―High and Low Virtue 384

Translation

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Chapter 39 (5:3)―Attaining Oneness 388

Translation

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Chapter 40 (5:4)―The Movement of Dào is in Returning 392

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Chapter 41 (5:5)―When the Scholar/Warrior Hears of the Dào 394

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Chapter 42 (5:6)―The Manifestation Sequence 398

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Chapter 43 (5:7)―The Benefits of Non-Action 400

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Chapter 44 (5:8)―Valuing the Real Self 402

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Chapter 45 (5:9)―Stillness Rectifies the World 404

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Chapter 46 (6:1)―War Horses Breeding on the Frontier 406

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Chapter 47 (6:2)―Knowing the World without Leaving the Door 408

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Chapter 48 (6:3)―Through Non-Action, Nothing is Left Undone 410

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Chapter 49 (6:4)―Being Good to Those Who are Not Good 412

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Chapter 50 (6:5)―The Tiger Finds No Place to Claw 414

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Chapter 51 (6:6)―Giving Life to the Ten Thousand Things 418

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Chapter 52 (6:7)―The Mother of the World 420

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Chapter 53 (6:8)―Braggers and Thieves 422

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Chapter 54 (6:9)―Cultivating Virtue 424

Translation

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Chapter 55 (7:1)―Poisonous Insects and Snakes 426

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Chapter 56 (7:2)―The Mysterious Union 430

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Chapter 57 (7:3)―Self-Rectification 436

Translation

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Chapter 58 (7:4)―Making Things Square Without Cutting 440

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Chapter 59 (7:5)―Preventive Medicine 442

Translation

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Chapter 60 (7:6)―Cooking a Small Fish 444

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Chapter 61 (7:7)―Seeking the Lowest Level 446

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Chapter 62 (7:8)―Making Obeisance with the Jade Disc 448

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Chapter 63 (7:9)―Taking Care of Things While They are Small 450

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Chapter 64 (8:1)―The Journey of a Thousand Miles 452

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Chapter 65 (8:2)―Returning to the Great Beginning 456

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Chapter 66 (8:3)―Putting Yourself Last 458

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Chapter 67 (8:4)―The Three Treasures 460

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Chapter 68 (8:5)―Using the Force of Others 464

Translation

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Chapter 69 (8:6)―Baring Arms without Rolling up the Sleeves 466

Translation

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Chapter 70 (8:7)―Keeping Jade in the Bosom 468

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Chapter 71 (8:8)―Being Sick of Being Sick 470

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Chapter 72 (8:9)―When a Greater Majesty Will Arrive 472

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Chapter 73 (9:1)―The Spreading of Heaven’s Net 474

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Chapter 74 (9:2)―The Official Executioner 476

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Chapter 75 (9:3)―Acting with no Regard for Life 478

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Chapter 76 (9:4)―Disciples of the Living and the Dead 480

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Chapter 77 (9:5)―Handling a Stretched Bow 482

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Chapter 78 (9:6)―Ruler over the Gods 484

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Chapter 79 (9:7)―Holding the Left Tally 486

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Chapter 80 (9:8)―O for a Small Kingdom 488

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Chapter 81 (9:9)―Being without Contention or Suffering 490

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Appendix 492

Basic Pronunciation 492

Thematic Context According to Terms 493

Important Names 498

People 498

Places 500

Texts 501

Bibliography 504

Index 518

Endnotes 526