The meaning of Twofold Contemplation in Taoism 什么是二观
Paul PengThe meaning of Twofold Contemplation in Taoism
The Two Contemplations refer to the dual methods of stillness (ding, 定) and wisdom (hui, 慧) through which the Great Dao "guides the attached toward forgetting and leads the ordinary toward the sacred."
Thinkers of the Taoist Chongxuan (重玄, Twofold Mystery) school held that the human mind is originally pure and clear, yet becomes obscured by discursive thought and deliberation; it is therefore necessary to purge these mental obscurations in order to "guide the attached toward the sacred and lead the ordinary toward the sacred."
The meaning of Twofold Contemplation in Taoism
According to the Daojiao Yishu (道教义枢, Pivot of Taoist Doctrine), Chapter Five, "On the Meaning of the Two Contemplations," the Two Contemplations are Qi Guan (气观, Contemplation of Qi) and Shen Guan (神观, Contemplation of Spirit). Qi Guan corresponds to ding (stillness), while Shen Guan corresponds to hui (wisdom): "Qi Guan is stillness—it also penetrates emptiness and existence, taking wondrous existence as its root; Shen Guan unites stillness and wisdom—it penetrates being and non-being, taking true emptiness as its foundation." Practicing the Two Contemplations enables one to attain the realm of Shuang Qian (双遣, Simultaneous Negation)—forgetting all—neither existent nor non-existent.
The Two Contemplations pervade both the physical and mental dimensions of a person: since the body has form and image, it is stilled through Qi Guan; since the mind is inherently formless and unfathomable, it is illumined through Shen Guan. Yet body and mind are fundamentally non-dual, so What is Internal Alchemy reveals that Qi Guan and Shen Guan are ultimately one—this unity is also called "entering the wondrous gate of oneness" (ru yi miao men, 入一妙门), the gateway to the Twofold Mystery realm of Simultaneous Negation.
The Two Contemplations thus represent the foundational cultivation framework of The Dongzhen Section of Taoist doctrine, integrating meditative stillness and penetrating wisdom into a single path.
