The meaning of Collecting the Mind in Taoism? 什么是收心

The meaning of Collecting the Mind in Taoism?

One of the methods of Taoist cultivation proposed by Sima Chengzhen (司马承祯).

The Zuowang Lun (坐忘论, Treatise on Sitting in Forgetting) states: the mind is "the master of the entire body, the commander of all spirits. In stillness it generates wisdom; in agitation it produces confusion." To cultivate the Dao, one must collect the mind: "At the beginning of studying the Way, one must sit peacefully, collect the mind and depart from outer objects, abide in a place of having nothing. By abiding in having nothing, not clinging to a single thing, one naturally enters the void—and the mind unites with the Dao." The purpose of sitting peacefully is to maintain the original mind in purity and stillness, to distance oneself from outer objects, to remain untainted by worldly affairs, and to return to the mind-substance of "stillness" and "voidness"—whereby the mind unites with the Dao as one.

The meaning of Collecting the Mind in Taoism?

The concrete practice of Shou Xin is to keep the mind "unmoving" and "not clinging to things." This means not only distancing oneself from worldly affairs, but also not "fixedly abiding in emptiness." For clinging to emptiness is still "abiding in something"—it can only "cause one to labor; it neither accords with principle nor avoids becoming an affliction." Therefore the fundamental point of Shou Xin is: "Simply let the mind not cling to things, and also let it not move—this is the true ground of right ding (定, stillness)."

The key to Shou Xin lies in focused stillness: "A mind that does not receive externals is called the Empty Mind (xu xin, 虚心); a mind that does not chase externals is called the Settled Mind (an xin, 安心). When the mind is settled and empty, the Internal Alchemy Dao naturally comes to dwell within." This practice connects directly with the broader contemplative tradition described in the Dao De Jing, wherein returning to the root of stillness is the path to union with the eternal Dao.