Tocar la quietud

Bissier 1959

"Nan Bo Zi Qi va preguntar a la senyora Nu Yu: "Ets vella en anys, però la teva cara brilla com la d'un nen. Per què?"

"És que he après sobre el Dao", va dir Nu Yu.

Nan Bo Zi Qi va dir: "Es pot assolir el Dao estudiant?"

"No, no", va contestar Nu Yu. "Com ​​seria possible? Vós no sou la mena de persona que podria fer-ho. Hi havia un noi que es deia Bu Liang Yi que tenia la capacitat del savi, però no el camí del savi. Jo posseeixo el camí del savi, però no la seva capacitat. Podria ell esdevenir un savi si jo volgués ensenyar-li el camí del savi? No. Seria massa fàcil ensenyar la saviesa a algú predisposat. Jo li vaig dir que havia de perseverar en els seus exercicis. Aquesta és la meva experiència personal: al cap de tres dies, vaig aconseguir distanciar-me del món exterior. Vaig continuar. Set dies més tard em vaig poder distanciar de les coses properes. Vaig continuar nou dies més i vaig poder distanciar-me de la meva pròpia existència. Un bell matí vaig tenir la visió de l'únic; podia penetrar-ho tot com els primers raigs de sol al matí. En ser capaç de veure cada cosa individualment, podia superar la sensació de passat i futur. Vaig poder entrar llavors en el domini on no hi ha mort ni naixement. El que mata la vida no és la mort. El que dóna vida no és el naixement. Aquest domini ho pot reconduir tot i acollir-ho tot, destruir-ho tot i acomplir-ho tot. S'anomena "tocar la quietud"; qui toca la quietud es torna complet."

Nan Bo Zi Qi va preguntar: "Ets l'única que ha sentit parlar d'això?"

Nu Yu va dir: "He sentit parlar d'això al fill de l'escriptura. Ell n'havia sentit parlar al net de la lectura. Aquest en va sentir parlar a la il·luminació. Aquesta ho va saber de l'atenció sostinguda. Aquesta ho va saber del treball laboriós. Aquest ho va saber del càntic. Aquest de la foscor profunda. Aquesta del buit suprem. Aquest, del sense començament."

Zhuangzi, del capítol 6 (versió de Raimon Ribera, a partir de la traducció a l'anglès de Nina Correa i al francès de Liou Kia-hway)

Versió anglesa de Nina Correa:

Nan Bo Zi Qi (Exalted Count of Southern Curiosity) asked of Nu Yu (Independent Woman): "You're old in years, but your face beams like a child. Why is that?"

"I've learned about Dao."

Nan Bo Zi Qi said: "Can Dao be obtained through studying?"

"What? How could that be possible? You're not the kind of person who could do that anyway. There was a guy named Bu Liang Yi (Rigidly Biased Fortuneteller) who had the ability to become a sage, but wasn't wise enough to learn about Dao. I'm wise enough to learn about Dao, but don't have the ability to become a sage. I really wanted to teach him. Oh, what great hopes I had that he'd end up becoming a true sage! It's not so easy to change one who has the ability to become a sage into one who is wise enough to learn about Dao simply by explaining it to them. Yet I kept a close watch on him and tried to explain it. After three days he could disregard the world. After he disregarded the world, I still kept at him. After seven days he could disregard living things. After he disregarded living things, I still kept at him. After nine days he could disregard life. After he disregarded life, he could then penetrate everything like the first rays of sun in the morning. Being able to penetrate everything like the first rays of sun in the morning, he could then see each thing individually. Being able to see each thing individually, he could then overcome a sense of past and future. Being able to overcome a sense of past and future, he could then enter where there is no death and no birth. What kills life isn't death. What brings forth life isn't birth. As for how he related to things - without following, without rejecting, without constructing, without destroying. A name for this would be Embracing Contentment. One who embraces contentment - embraces and then becomes complete.

Nan Bo Zi Qi asked: "Are you the only one who's heard about this?"

"I heard about this from Master of Various Texts. Master of Various Texts heard about it from Oral Tradition. Oral Tradition heard about it from Clear Sightedness. Clear Sightedness heard about it from Midday Whisperer. Midday Whisperer heard about it from Humble Servant. Humble Servant heard about it from Oblivious Chanter. Oblivious Chanter heard about it from Dark Mysteries. Dark Mysteries heard about it from Solitary Star. Solitary Star heard about it from Uncertain Beginning."