What are the Five Emptinesses in Taoism? 什么是五空
Paul PengWhat are the Five Emptinesses in Taoism?
“Emptiness” originally is a Buddhist doctrine, referring to the illusory nature of the world and the false, unreal existence of all things.
Taoism borrowed this term. Besides interpreting “emptiness” in its ontological sense, Taoism also combines it with immortal cultivation.
The Five Emptinesses are the five stages of celestial cultivation described by Chen Tuan, the famous Taoist scholar of the Song Dynasty.
What are the Five Emptinesses in Taoism?
What are the Five Emptinesses in Taoism?According to Vol. 10 of The Daozang:
The first emptiness is “Stubborn Emptiness”:
empty but untransformed, stagnant and unpenetrated,
yin-submerged and chaotic,
the clear qi buried and unexpressed,
yang-empty and unregulated.
This is the lowest state.
The second is “Nature Emptiness”:
empty but unreceptive,
still yet capable of clarity,
abiding only in the emptiness of Li,
unaware of the fullness within Kan,
locking up all mysteries,
clinging to solitary yin,
ending as a ghost of obscurity.
This is the view of annihilation.
The third is “Dharma Emptiness”:
active yet unperturbed,
still yet generative,
non-active and non-doing,
in harmony with the Way of Heaven.
This is the beginning of attaining The Dao.
The fourth is “True Emptiness”:
knowing form is not form,
knowing emptiness is not emptiness.
Then True Emptiness transforms to give birth to the True Dao;
True Dao transforms to give birth to the True Spirit;
True Spirit transforms and all things are complete.
This is the state of the Immortal.
The fifth is “Non-Emptiness”:
Heaven is high and clear, containing sun, moon, and stars;
Earth is still and tranquil, holding mountains, rivers, plants, and trees;
Humans are empty and non-being, becoming immortals.
One spirit transforms into a thousand divine forms;
one qi evolves to harmonize the nine qi.
This is the highest truth of the “Rising Dragon Turning Back.”
Among the Five Emptinesses,
“Non-Emptiness”—which seeks to realize “emptiness within non-emptiness”—
is the highest realm,
and it best captures the true meaning of “emptiness.”
