The Dao Is Not for Sale 道是不賣的

167 The Dao Is Not for Sale 道是不賣的 HARRISON MORETZ I have a pine breeze for sale, would you like to buy some? For thirty thousand taels of gold, I shall give you one gourd full. – Lü Dongbin In the sixties, Zen Buddhism became popular in the West. While some students practiced authentically and attained real accomplishment—as seen in the thriving Zen communities that continue their tradition—there also arose a popular (mis)understanding of Zen. Certain notions from Zen had appeal for Westerners and casual interpretations worked their way into the mainstream, as evidenced by a plethora of books entitled “The Zen of ___ (fill in the blank)”. That was Zen; this is Dao. The Dao is the new Zen. Just as with Zen, many people think the Dao is whatever they want it to be. Although Zen became a marketing device for many products, the austere nature of its practice kept it somewhat insulated from “brand” commercialization. Daoist practices are more diverse and more susceptible to abuse. There is a saying: “Those outside the field judge by flashiness; those in the field judge by skill/knowledge” 外行看熱鬧，內行看門道. Popular‑ ity comes from flash; depth comes from proper method and context. Students get excited when offered secret teachings on esoteric knowl‑ edge, but true accomplishment does not rely solely on technique. Rather, it relies on the greater context of the Daoist teaching and the character of the practitioner’s awakening (wu 悟) and connection (tong 通). The con‑ text and manner, therefore, in which the teaching is delivered can hinder or facilitate true penetration and awakening: these are not for sale—in essence, they cannot be purchased, bartered, or acquired materially. 168 / Journal of Daoist Studies 2 (2009) Cultivating Virtue There are two important categories of Daoist cultivation. The one more familiar to people in the West is inner cultivation (neigong 內功). It in‑ cludes both stillness and moving practices, such as meditation, internal alchemy, life‑nourishing, qigong, and internal martial arts. Inner cultiva‑ tion has its counterpart in outer cultivation (waigong 外功), which in‑ cludes the cultivation of virtue and the accumulation of merit (gongde 功 德), as well as doing good works (xingshan 行善). An essential part of cultivation is doing things for the benefit of others — both individuals and community. Virtue (de 德)—understood as a high level of personal integrity, responsibility for self and society, honesty, decency, truthful‑ ness, as well as the classic Confucian ideals of filiality, loyalty, benevo‑ lence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom—is essential to cultivating the Dao. As already the fourth‑century alchemist Ge Hong says: If one seeks to become an immortal it is necessary to be first of all loyal, filial, harmonious, compliant, benevolent, and sincere. If one does not engage in the cultivation of virtue but only practices methods [fangshu 方術], one never realizes long life. If a person desires to attain earthly immortality, he or she must perform 300 good deeds [shan 善]; if they wish to become a celestial immortal, they need 1,200 good deeds; if at 1,199, they do not keep the middle and commit even one bad deed, they must begin the count all over again. Thus good deeds are [not measured by] greatness; evil deeds [are not measured by] smallness. The character of a person determines the extent to which his or her inner cultivation bears fruit. If one is sincere and consistent and acts outwardly for the benefit of all, then inner cultivation will bear fruit. Thus, if one only practices internal cultivation without pursuing outer cultivation, it is not possi‑ ble to achieve genuine attainment. (Baopuzi 3.6) Similarly, the seventh‑century Dajiao yishu 道教義樞 (Pivotal Mean‑ ing of the Daoist Teaching) says: “Dao and virtue have one body but two aspects; they are one but not one, two but not two” (ch. 1). Dao and vir‑ tue are inner and outer aspects: Dao is unmanifest and ineffable while Moretz, “The Dao Is Not for Sale” / 169 virtue is its expression in the world of phenomena. Dao is the unformed source; virtue, its function in the world, the expression of the innate po‑ tency of Dao. The Daode jing 道德經 (Book of the Dao and Its Virtue) notes that “Dao produces—virtue nourishes...