Essay on the Primordial Void and Heart's Depth 太虚心渊篇

The author is unknown.

It was presumably compiled during the Song Dynasty. Consisting of one volume, it is included in the Taixuan Section of The Daozang.

The first half of the book is a preface, and the second half contains forty-three five-character quatrains explaining the meaning of the preface. It mainly discusses the way of observing the mind to realize one’s true nature— a core practice in Taoism.

Essay on the Primordial Void and Heart's Depth

It states that since the origin of one’s inherent nature, all beings share the same endowment: pure, bright, clear, and translucent, with no evil seeds germinating. However, by chasing external conditions, clinging to causes, coveting mundane desires, and falling into muddled consciousness, one turns away from life and moves toward death.

If one can nourish the roots of goodness, wash away all defilements, observe the mind through the mind, and contemplate nature through nature— inwardly perceiving that one’s own mind is mindless, and outwardly discerning that all physical forms are formless— then one’s true nature will become pure and clear, free from attachments and thoughts: as round as an autumn moon, as serene as white clouds. Attaining the state of emptiness without clinging, and reality without form, one can enter a pure realm and clearly perceive The Dao.

It is evident that this book was influenced by Qingjing Jing (Scripture of Purity and Tranquility) and Buddhist theories of mind and nature, reflecting the syncretic characteristics of Taoist thought during this period.