Valley Spirit

Gu Shen, Ku Shên



The Dark and Empty Ground of All Beings

The Ever Giving Mysterious Mother of Life 

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 6

Tao Te Ching Chapter Index

Daodejing Concordance

Cloud Hands Blog

 


Compiled by

Michael P. Garofalo
Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Red Bluff, California

 

 

Valley Spirit

 

 

 

 

"Taoists use the metaphor of gu shen, "the valley spirit."  A valley supports life, feeds the animals who live there and provides fertile earth for agriculture.  It can do this only because it is empty.  It accepts the flow of the river because it is most low and most humble.  It receives the warmth of the sun because it is wide and not filled with anything to block the light.  It brings forth life because it supports all who come to it."
-  Deng Ming-Dao, Scholar Warrior, p. 182

 

 

I live in the north Sacramento Valley, California, near the town of Red Bluff.  At this location, the Sacramento Valley is about 70 miles wide.  To the east are the southern Cascades, a range of volcanic mountains, with some nearby peaks over 10,000 feet high (e.g., Mt. Lassen). To the west are the Yolly Bolly Mountains, with nearby peaks over 8,000 feet high.  To the north are multiple mountain ranges such as the Trinity Alps and Cascades, and the massive peak, Mt. Shasta, over 14,000 feet high.  Dozens of creeks flow from the mountains down into the Sacramento Valley, and all flow into the Sacramento River.  The area where I live is rural.  The primary agricultural products are almonds, olives, walnuts, prunes, winter wheat, cattle, and sheep.  My outdoor practice of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong cannot help but be influenced by the "Valley Spirit."  Our sacred circle garden is called the Gushen Grove
-  Mike Garofalo, November, 2013

 

 

"The valley spirit not dying
is called the mysterious female.
The opening of the mysterious female
is called the root of heaven and earth.
Continuous, on the brink of existence,
to put it into practice, don't try to force it."
-  Translated by Thomas Cleary, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 6

 

 

The valley spirit never dies;
It is called the mysterious female.
The gateway of the mysterious female
Is called the root of heaven and earth.
It is like a veil barely seen,
But if you use it, it never fails."
Chanting the Tao Te Ching

 

 

"The valley spirit never dies
Call it the mystery, the woman.
The mystery,
the Door of the Woman,
is the root
of earth and heaven.
Forever this endures, forever.
And all its uses are easy."
-  Translated by Ursula K. Le Guin, Chapter 6

 

 

The Valley Spirit (Ku Shên, Gu Shen), The Completion of Material Forms, Effort or Labor or Toil (ch'in), The Infinitude of Creative Effort, Mother or Female (p'in), Earth (ti), Heaven (t'ien), Endless, Mysterious or Profound or Secret (hsüan), Fertile, Spirit or Soul (shên), Bounty, Enduring or Remaining in Existence (ts'un), Ceaseless, Using (yung), Visible, Creation, Inexhaustible, Spontaneous, Deep, Root or Origin or Cause (kên), Field, Spring, Female (p'in), Deathless, Womb, Gate or Door or Entrance (mên), Source, Continuous (mien), Valley or Fountain (ku), Seems or Appears (jo), Productive, Rebirth, The Mysterious Female,  成象    

 

 

"The Valley Spirit never dies
It is named the Mysterious Female.
And the doorway of the Mysterious Female
Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang.
It is there within us all the while.
Draw upon it as you will, it never runs dry."
-  Translated by Arthur Waley, Chapter 6

 

 

"The Tao is called the Great Mother
empty yet inexhaustible,
it gives birth to infinite worlds.
It is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.
-  Translated by Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 6

 

 

"The wu-chi diagram describes the process of transformation through internal alchemy, or the return to the Tao.  The empty circle at the bottom is the Mysterious Gate [Mysterious Entrance] or the Valley Spirit.  Gate means "opening," and Valley referes to "Emptiness" or "Void."  On the physical level the Valley Spirit lies in the Life Gate (ming-men) on the spinal column (an area on the spine between the kidneys).  The ming-men controls movement of generative energy in the lower tan-t'ien (the area near the navel).  On the spiritual level, the Valley Spirit is consciousness emptied of sensations, emotions, and thoughts."
-   Cultivating Stillness:  A Taoist Manual for Transforming Body and Mind, p. xvii
     Translated by Eva Wong, 1992.  

 

 

"The Mysterious Gate has many names.  In Confucianism, it is called the altar of wisdom.  It embodies limitless compassion.  It is a consciousness without thoughts and it reflects the way of heaven.  It is intuitive knowledge and reflects the way of earth.  In Buddhism, the Mysterious Gate is the spirit mountain, the empty consciousness of original mind, or nirvana, the realm of the Amitabha Buddha.  In Taoism, it is the Golden Palace, the realm of t'ai-chi, the domain of the Three Pure Realms, the root of existence of all things.  Although it is given different names by the three religions, it is nonetheless the same thing.  In Confucianism, when this gate is opened, the sage emerges.  In Buddhism, when this gate is opened, the Buddha emerges.  In Taoism, when this gate is opened, the immortal emerges."
-   Cultivating Stillness:  A Taoist Manual for Transforming Body and Mind, p. 18
    Translated by Eva Wong, 1992.  

 

 

"Know honor,
Yet keep humility.
Be the valley of the universe!
Being the valley of the universe,
Ever true and resourceful,
Return to the state of the uncarved block."
-  Tao Te Ching, #28, Translaged by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English

 

 

"High mountains receive more of these energies than the surrounding lowlands, and their atmosphere is more easily ionized.  The positive ions are pulled down the mountains by the earth's force fields, while the negative ions tend to rise, leaving a greater concentration on the mountain tops.  Applied to human beings, negative charges have good effects, while positive charges have bad effects."
-  Frank Waters, Mountain Dialogues, p. 69

 

 

"Ku shen: “Valley Spirit”.  The first word modifies the second here, as in English.  Both are normally nouns.  (“Shen gu” would be “valley of spirits” or “spiritual valley”.)"
-   Chapter Two

 

 

"When discussing Taoist philosophy, metaphors are used to describe various concepts. These examples are usually taken from nature. The metaphor of 'gu shen', loosely translated as 'the valley spirit', has been used to describe the concept of Emptiness.  Emptiness, by most people, is viewed as something negative.  The metaphor of gu shen shows how very important, and positive, Emptiness is.   A valley allows the flow of the river because it is low and humble.  It is wide so accepts the warmth and light of the sun to sustain growth.  So in it's emptiness, it supports life, not only in it, but to those who come to it."
Why "Gu-Shen?"

 

 

"The Tao Te Ching can be seen as advocating mostly "female" (or Yin) values, emphasizing "water" fluidity and softness (instead of the solid and stable "mountain"), choosing the obscure and mysterious aspect of things in order to be able to rule-without-ruling them.  In this respect, this book can be understood as challenging "male" (or Yang) values such as clarity, stability, positive action, and domination of nature, values often also referred to as Confucian."
Online Law Encyclopedia  

 

 

"The life-force of the valley never dies--
This is called the dark female.
The gateway of the dark female--
This is called the root of the world.
Wispy and delicate, it only seems to be there,
Yet its productivity is bottomless."
-   Translated by Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall, Dao De Jing, Chapter 6 

 

 

"You darkness that I come from,
out of which all things come,
I love you more that all the fires
that fence the world,
for the fire makes a circle of light for everyone,
and then no one outside learns of you,
But the darkness pulls in everything,
shapes and fires, animals and myself.
How easily it gathers them,
powers and people.
It is possible a great energy is moving near us.
I have faith in the night."

-  Ranier Marie Rilke, I Have Faith in Nights

 

 

A monk introduced himself to the teacher Hsuan-sha, saying, "I have just entered this monastery.  Please show me where to enter the Way."
"Do you hear the sound of the valley stream?" asked Hsuan-sha.
"Yes," said the monk.
"Enter there!" 

 

 

谷神不死, 是謂玄牝.
玄牝之門.
是謂天地根.
綿綿若存.
用之不勤.
-  Chinese characters, Chapter 6, Tao Te Ching

 

 

ku shên pu ssu, shih wei hsüan p'in.
hsüan p'in chih mên.
shih wei t'ien ti kên.
mien mien jo ts'un.
yung chih pu ch'in.
-  Wade-Giles transliteration, Chapter 6, Tao Te Ching 

 

 

gu shen bu si, shi wei xuan pin. 
xuan pin zhi men. 
shi wei tian di gen. 
mian mian ruo cun. 
yong zhi bu qin. 
-  Pinyin transliteration, Chapter 6, Daodejing

 

 

1-4
(304-307)


gu3 . shen2 . bu4 . si3
.
5-8
(308-311)


shi4 . wei4 . xuan2 . pin4
.
9-12
(312-315)


xuan2 . pin4 . zhi1 . men2
.
13-17
(316-320)


shi4 . wei4 . tian1 . di4 . gen1
.
18-21
(321-324)


mian2 . mian2 . ruo4 . cun2
.
22-25
(325-328)


yong4 . zhi1 . bu4 . qin2

Laozi Daodejing Sealscript, Chapter 6, by Alice

 

 

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters and English (includes a word by word key) from YellowBridge

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, Pinyin transliteration (romanization), English and German by Dr. Hilmar Alquiros. 

Laozi Daodejing: Chapters with Chinese characters, seal script, detailed word by word concordance, Pinyin, German, French and English.  Excellent! 

Chinese and English Dictionary, MDGB

Chinese Character Dictionary

Dao De Jing Wade-Giles Concordance by Nina

Dao De Jing English and Wade-Giles Concordance by Mike Garofalo

Tao Te Ching in Pinyin transliteration with Chinese characters, WuWei Foundation

Tao Te Ching in Pinyin transliteration

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters and English

Tao Te Ching: English translation, Word by Word Chinese and English, and Commentary, Center Tao by Carl Abbott

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, English, Word by word analysis, Zhongwen

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters: Big 5 Traditional and GB Simplified

Convert from Pinyin to Wade Giles to Yale transliterations of Words and Terms: A Translation Tool from Qi Journal

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, Pinyin and Wade Giles transliteration spellings, English; a word for word translation of the Guodian Laozi Version. 

Lao Zi's Dao De Jing: A Matrix Translation with Chinese Text by Bradford Hatcher. 

Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition  By Jonathan Star.  Detailed tables for each verse provide line number, all the Chinese characters, Wade-Giles Romanization, and a list of meanings for each character.  An essential desk reference tool for Tao Te Ching students, with word by word transliterations, meanings, interpretations.  

 

 

The valley spirit dies not, aye the same;
The female mystery thus do we name.
Its gate, from which at first they issued forth,
Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.
Long and unbroken does its power remain,
Used gently, and without the touch of pain. 

 

 

"Departing from the Mysterious, entering the Female.
It appears to have perished, yet appears to exist.
Unmovable, its origin is mysterious."
The Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Classic

"In the Recorded Sayings of Master Ta Ma it is said, "The Mysterious [hsuan] represents heaven, ching [essence], and the nose.  The Female [p'in] represents earth, blood [qi], and the abdomen.  Hsuan is the father of ching [jing], and p'in is the mother of qi.  So that which departs from the father is ching, and that which enters the female is qi.  Within each person there is the Mysterious Female.  Everyone can create a spiritual embryo.  The Valley Spirit refers to yang shen [pure spirit]; with just one drop of yang shen uniting with the ching and qi, the Spirit Embryo is born."
-   The Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Classic.  The Taoist Guide to Health, Longevity, and Immortality.  Translated with commentary by Stuart Alve Olson.  Rochester, Vermont, 2003.  Index, bibliography, 216 pages.  ISBN: 0892811358.  Reference, p. 139.   

 

 

"Here's the commonly available version for Chapter 6
[of the Tao Te Ching):

谷神不死, 是謂玄牝.
玄牝之門, 是謂天地之根.
綿綿若存,用之不勤

And the subtle difference of the older one:

谷神不死 是謂玄牝
玄牝之門 是謂天地之根
綿綿呵若存 用之不勤

The life-force of the valley never dies--
This is called the dark female.
The gateway of the dark female--
This is called the root of the world.
Wispy and delicate, it only seems to be there,
Yet its productivity is bottomless. 
- Translated by Ames and Hall

 

 

"The spirit of the valley – a powerful symbol of the female principle – is eternal. It has always been there and will always be. We can call it the mystical female, or the sacred feminine.  The sacred feminine is the universal source of life. Therefore, the doorway to the essence of the mystical female is what we can call the root, origin, or genesis of the entire world. This essence – life itself – is a continuous flow. We tend to take it for granted and not pay attention to it, but it is always there. And it does not matter how much it is utilized – the power of life is literally inexhaustible."
-   Derek Lin, Tao Te Ching, p. 12.

 

 

"And that futhermore, 綿 was actually, 帛 (white, on top of turban, meaning silk) as the left-side and 系 (drawing threads together, meaning series) making a character I don't think is in the Unicode standard. Even Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Classic which references this passage uses the 綿 form. Combined with 呵 which zhongwen.com says means "exhale", that last passage includes some reference to inner alchemy. ...

According to Dr. Jwing-Ming Yang, 谷神 and 神谷 refers to the crown (GV-20) and the third eye. The two halves of the brain is divided in the middle, the convolutions on both side form a valley. The opening (門) to the valley (谷) lies in those two acupuncture points and chakra vertecies. When energy floods the valley, the 神 is expressed through the eyes. ...

Reiki practitioners tend to pull in from ... somewhere, with the idea that they are pulling from an inexhaustible source of energy. They are pulling through the 谷神. Some practice specifically pulling through the crown, and down the spine, sometimes all the way through the earth. Mixing the 'heavenly' and 'earthly' energies makes a big difference in the quality and quantity."

- qaexl, Valley Spirit  

 

 

"Carus と Waley では、 he が使用されている。 翻訳の時代を考えると、 総称として he が疑いなく使われていたのであろうが、 しかし、 「女性の賢人」 という可能性を一顧だにしなかったことも確実であろう。また、 Feng and English は妙を mystery 徼を manifestation と訳しているのに対し、ル・グウィンは、 what's hidden と only what it wants と、 意味にふみこんで訳している。どちらがいいのか一概に言えないにしても、 詩を意識し、 なるべく平明に語ろうとしているル・グウィンの姿勢はよくわかる。次に 6 章の 「谷神は死せず、 是れを玄牝と謂う (谷神不死、 是謂玄牝)」の部分を見てみたい。

The valley spirit never dies. / Call it the mystery, the woman. (Le Guin 9)

The valley sprit not expires, / Mysterious woman 'tis called by the sires. (Carus 37)

The Valley Spirit never dies. / It is named the Mysterious Female. (Waley 149)

The valley spirit never dies; / It is the woman, primal mother. (Feng and English.)"

Earthsea - Le Guin and the Tao Te Ching, The Chukyo University Society of English Language and Literature 

 

 

"The valley spirit dies not, aye the same;
The female mystery thus do we name.
Its gate, from which at first they issued forth,
Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.
Long and unbroken does its power remain,
Used gently, and without the touch of pain.

'The Completion of Material Forms.' This title rightly expresses the import of this enigmatical chapter; but there is a foundation laid in it for the development of the later Tâoism, which occupies itself with the prolongation of life by the management of the breath or vital force.

'The valley' is used metaphorically as a symbol of 'emptiness' or 'vacancy;' and 'the spirit of the valley' is the something invisible, yet almost personal, belonging to the Tâo, which constitutes the Teh in the name of our King. 'The spirit of the valley' has come to be a name for the activity of the Tâo in all the realm of its operation. 'The female mystery' is the Tâo with a name of Chapter 1, which is 'the Mother of all things.' 
All living beings have a father and mother. The processes of generation and production can hardly be imaged by us but by a recognition of this fact; and so Lâo-dze thought of the existing realm of nature--of life--as coming through an evolution (not a creation) from the primal air or breath, dividing into two, and thence appearing in the forms of things, material and immaterial. The chapter is found in Lieh-dze (I, 1 b) quoted by him from a book of Hwang-Tî; and here Lâo-dze has appropriated it, and made it his own."
Texts of Taoism (SBE 39)  

 

 

"According to Lao-Tzu, the Tao is what gives rise to the Ten Thousand Things (wan-wu); it penetrates all of existence; it "acts without acting" (wu-wei). How, though, can anything act without acting? The best analogy I have seen to explain this is one from Prof. Robert Henricks, who compares the Tao to an uncultivated field, and the Ten Thousand Things to wildflowers. The field does nothing, it does not act... but the wildflowers can not exist without the field. So it is with the Ten Thousand Things and the Tao. The Ma-wang-tui slips refer in Chapter 6 to the "valley spirit" - this is likely another name for the Tao. Here is Chapter 6 in its entirety:

The valley spirit never dies;
We call it the mysterious female.
The gates of the mysterious female -
These we call the roots of Heaven and Earth.
Subtle yet everlasting! It seems to exist.
In being used, it is not exhausted.

Like the field under the wildflowers, the valley spirit is used by the Ten Thousand Things, but they are not necessarily aware of it. All one can say of the Tao is that "it seems to exist" - there is no physical evidence for its existence. It is still, empty, and inexhaustible.  The flowers are nourished by the field, but do not exhaust it. Likewise, the Tao enriches our lives, but there is no way we could ever "use up" the Tao."
-  The Tao and the Field  

 

 

“The dragon and tiger are none other than yin and yang, the female and male.  They are the cauldron and furnace of alchemical literature, the medicinal substance required to compound the golden pill.  The cauldron, cool and limitless as the element Water, fills herself and nourishes the Fire that would not die.  You have read in the Great One of the miraculous pass, the portal into all knowledge.  I will tell you what this pass is.  It is none other that the inexhaustible female.  Must I be blunt?  Can you grasp the concept of the dragon and the tiger, water and fire, cauldron and furnace, pestle and mortar?  The mysterious female is the key to the firing process.  This talk of base metals into gold and drinking an elixir of mercury is not the real alchemy.  Enter into her and take it into yourself, again and again.  Lao Tzu said, “The valley spirit is the mysterious female.  Her door is the root of heaven and earth.”  It replenishes itself continuously.  There is no coercion, but it is freely given.  Opening up, you will enter the cinnabar chamber where all knowledge is stored.  Conserving your essence, you will draw her into yourself, up through the lower and middle tan tien into the seat of ecstasy.  Her you will find madness and death … or the knowledge that will give you eternal life.”
-  Simon Marnier, White Tiger, Green Dragon, p. 23

 

 

"The Valley and the Spirit never die.
They form what is called the mystic mother,
From whose gate comes the origin of heaven and earth.
This origin seems ever to endure.
In use it can never be exhausted." - Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 6
 
 
"The Valley Spirit never dies. 
It is called the Mysterious Female. 
The entrance top the Mysterious Female Is called the root of Heaven and Earth.
Endless flow of inexhaustible energy." - Translated by Stephen Addis, 1993, Chapter 6
 
 
"The spirit of the valley never dies. 
It is called the subtle and profound female. 
The gate of the subtle and profound female Is the root of Heaven and Earth.
It is continuous, and seems to be always existing. Use it and you will never wear it out." - Translated by Chan Wing-Tsit, 1963, Chapter 6
 
 
"The valley spirit is not dead;
They say it is the mystic female.
Her gateway is, they further say,
The base of heaven and earth. 
Constantly, and so forever,
Use her without labor."
-  Translated by Raymond Blakney, 1955, Chapter 6  

 

 

"Here are two translations from the Tao Te Ching, Chapter 6:

"The valley spirit never dies;
It is the woman, primal mother.
Her gateway is the root of heaven and earth."
(Feng and English)

"The Valley Spirit never dies.
It is named the Mysterious Female.
And the Doorway of the Mysterious Female
Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang."
(Arthur Waley)

Is the valley spirit "primal mother" or Mysterious Female? There's a difference! In the first translation, her gateway "is", present tense, right now, the root of heaven and earth. But in the second, the Tao seems to be talking about a cosmic event long ago, the origin of "Heaven and Earth," some sort of creation myth: "the Doorway of the Mysterious Female is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang."   Yet, neither translation is wrong. The Chinese text permits both of them, and indeed, many others. It has to do with the great differences between Chinese and English. "
Laputan Logic

 

 

"Tao is the mysterious origin of creation. It manifests itself through an energy we call Teh. The “Spirit of the Valley” is the result of effectively adapting to – and dealing with – this energy. Laotse uses the word “valley” to describe this result, because energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can, however, be directed, deflected, and channeled in the same way that a valley directs, deflects, and channels the perceivable energy form of moving water.  Nature is the greatest expression of Tao and it is tangible evidence of the intelligence of the source from which it emanates. Adapting to this expression, this energy, is how we move toward adapting to its source because the source and its expressions are actually one and the same."
-   The Spirit of the Valley

 

 

"The spirit of emptiness is immortal.
It is called the Great Mother
because it gives birth to Heaven and Earth.

It is like a vapor,
barely seen but always present.
Use it effortlessly."
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 6, Translated by J. H. McDonald

 

 

The Valley Spirit, The Completion of Material Forms, The Infinitude of Creative Effort, The Mysterious Female
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu  

 

"The Spirit of the perennial spring is said to be immortal, she is called the Mysterious One.
The Mysterious One is typical of the source of heaven and earth.
It is continually and endlessly issuing and without effort."
-   Translated by Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel, 1919

 

"The Spirit of the Depths is immortal; it is called the Azure Heaven and the Mother Earth.
The passage through which these Two Influences emerge and enter is called the root of the visible creation.
They are ceaseless in action as though permanent, and may be drawn upon without ever being exhausted."
-   Translated by
Frederic H. Balfour, 1884

 

"The valley spirit never dies.
It is the unknown first mother,
whose gate is the root
from which grew heaven and earth.
It is dimly seen, yet always present.
Draw from it all you wish;
it will never run dry."
-   Translated by T. McCarroll  

 

"The valley spirit never dies.
It's named the mystic woman.
And the gate of the profound woman is the root that heaven and earth sprang from.
It's there within us all the while;
draw upon it as you will,
you can never wear it out."
-   Translated by T. Byrn 

 

"The mystery of the valley is immortal;
It is known as the Subtle Female. The gateway of the Subtle Female
is the source of Heaven and Earth.
Everlasting, endless, it appears to exist.
Its usefulness comes with no effort."
-   Translated by R. L. Wing

 

"The valley spirit is not dead:
They say it is the mystic female.
Her gateway is, they further say,
The base of heaven and earth.
Constantly, and so forever,
Use her without labor."
-   Translated by Raymond Blakney, 1955

 

"The spirit of emptiness is immortal.
It is called the Great Mother
because it gives birth to Heaven and Earth.
It is like a vapor,
barely seen but always present.
Use it effortlessly."
-   Translated by John McDonald

 

"Like the sheltered, fertile valley,
the meditative mind is still,
yet retains its energy.
Since both energy and stillness,
of themselves, do not have form,
it is not through the senses
that they may be found,
nor understood by intellect alone,
although, in nature, both abound.
In the meditative state,
the mind ceases to differentiate
between existences,
and that which may or may not be.
It leaves them well alone,
for they exist,
not differentiated, but as one,
within the meditative mind."
-   Translated by Stan Rosenthal  

 

"The concept of Yin is ever present.
It is the Mystic Female from whom
the heavens and the earth originate.
Constantly, continuously, enduring always.
Use her!"
-   Translated by C. Ganson  

 

"The heart of Tao is immortal
the mysterious fertile mother of us all.
of heaven and earth,
of every thing
and not-thing.
Invisible yet ever-present,
You can use it forever without using it up."
-   Translated by Brian Walker

 

"Like a riverbed, the heart is never filled
 It is an ineffable female
 Whose entrance is the source of the World;
 Tao is ever present within it:
 Draw upon it and it will never fail."
-   Translated by Peter Merel  
 

"The valley spirit dies not, aye the same;
The female mystery thus do we name.
Its gate, from which at first they issued forth,
Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.
Long and unbroken does its power remain,
Used gently, and without the touch of pain."
-   Translated by Stephen McIntyre, 2009

 

 

"The Cavity of the mysterious female lies within. Its without structure and form and is limitless. Try to find it, and it will seem as if it is beyond thousands of mountains. Try to locate it, in the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, or kidneys, and you will find nothing. Words cannot describe this cavity. If you try to grasp it, it is nowhere to be found.

The cavity of the Mysterious Gate is the most important gate in the body. The cavity is the mind within the mind. Its not made of flesh and blood, yet its the spirit that directs everything in us. The spirit dwells inside a substantive form. It is there, and yet not there. When the ego is absent, the one cavity of the Mysterious Gate will emerge. However, even if there is only a small trace of ego present, the cavity will disappear."
Nourishing the Essence of Life: The Inner, Outer, and Secret Teachings of Taoism by Eva Wong, p.58 

 

 

"The valley spirit that doesn't die we call the dark womb
as real as gossamer silk and yet we can't exhaust it.
The valley spirit that doesn't die we call the dark womb the dark womb's mouth
we call the source of creation as real as gossamer silk and yet we can't exhaust it."
-   Translated by Red Pine, Chapter 6

 

 

谷神不死, 是謂玄牝.
玄牝之門.
是謂天地根.
綿綿若存.
用之不勤.
-  Chinese characters, Chapter 6, Tao Te Ching

 

 

ku shên pu ssu, shih wei hsüan p'in.
hsüan p'in chih mên.
shih wei t'ien ti kên.
mien mien jo ts'un.
yung chih pu ch'in.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Chapter 6, Tao Te Ching 

 


Audio Version in Chinese of Chapter 6 of the Tao Te Ching

 


gu shen bu si, shi wei xuan pin. 
xuan pin zhi men. 
shi wei tian di gen. 
mian mian ruo cun. 
yong zhi bu qin. 
-  Pinyin Romanization, Chapter 6, Daodejing

 

 

 

"The spirit of the valley does not die
It may be known as the mysterious feminine
The gateway of the mysterious feminine
May be known as the source of heaven and earth
Endless, continuous, seeming to exist
To practice this is not effort."
-   Translated by Bradford Hatcher, 2005, Chapter 6 

 

 

"The valley spirit does not die.
It is called the dark and mysterious female.
The portal of the dark and mysterious female is called the root of heaven and earth.
It has a kind of wispy continuity as though existing.
Use it without exertion."
-   Translated by Patrick E. Moran, Chapter 6 

 

 

"The Spirit of the Valley never dies.
It is called the Mysterious Female.
The gate of the Mysterious Female is the source of Heaven and Earth.
Ever-abiding, always existing,
It can be used, but never exhausted."
-   Translated by Keith H. Sutton, Chapter 6 

 

"The valley spirit dies not, aye the same;
The female mystery thus do we name.
Its gate, from which at first they issued forth,
Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.
Long and unbroken does its power remain,
Used gently, and without the touch of pain."
-  Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 6  

 

 

 

 

"Nature's spirit never dies, so it is called the organ of reproducibility.
This organ functions as the root of the world.
It lasts forever and can never be used up."
-  Translated Xiaolin Yang, Chapter 6 

 

 

"The Spirit of the Fountain dies not.
It is called the Mysterious Feminine.
The Doorway of the Mysterious Feminine
Is called the Root of Heaven-and-Earth.
Lingering like gossamer, it has only a hint of existence;
And yet when you draw upon it, it is inexhaustible."
-  Translated by John C. H. Wu, 1961, Chapter 6 

 

 

"The manifestations of Infinity never cease manifesting.  
Infinity is the primal creator, the oneness of male and female.
Infinity is the gate though which heaven and earth manifested.
It is invisible to the senses, yet totally permeates all things.
It is inexhaustible and eternally available for any purpose."
-  Translated by John Worldpeace, Chapter 6

 

 

"The Tao is called the Great Mother:
empty yet never-ending,
it gives birth to unlimited worlds.
It is always at hand within you.
Use it gently, and without force."
-   Translated by Rivenrock, Chapter 6 

 

 

"The unlimited capacity of valleys;
the unbelievable power of Spirits;
and the unending life of immortality are called the Profound Origin Mother.
The beginning of the Profound Origin Mother is the root of Heaven and Earth.
Endlessly, endlessly!
It is existing.
Yet its usefulness is invisible."
-  Translated by Tang Zi-Chang, Chapter 6

 

 

"The Tao never dies;
It is a deep womb.
And the opening of the womb
Is called the root of heaven and earth.
It exists for ever,
And its use can never be exhausted."
-  Translated by Gu Zengkun, Chapter 6

 

 

"The mystery of the valley is immortal;
It is known as the Subtle Female.
The gateway of the Subtle Female
Is the source of Heaven and Earth.
Everlasting, endless, it appears to exist.
Its usefulness comes with no effort."
-  Translated by R. L. Wing, 1986, Chapter 6

 

 

"The Spirit of the Valley never dies.
Hence comes the name Mysterious Female.
The gateway of the Mysterious Female
Is the root of Heaven and Earth.
Continuous like a thread it seems to exist;
Its utility is inexhaustible."
-  Translated by Henry Wei, 1982, Chapter 6 

 

 

"The unlimited capacity of valleys;
the unbelievable power of Spirits;
and the unending life of immortality are called the Profound Origin Mother.
The beginning of the Profound Origin Mother is the root of Heaven and Earth.
Endlessly, endlessly!
It is existing.
Yet its usefulness is invisible."
-  Translated by Tang Zi-Chang, Chapter 6

 

 

谷 = Valley

神 = Spirit

 

 

 

神        (Gu Shen, Valley Spirit)

 

Chapter 15   Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Circa 200 BCE

Reference to Valley, Gu, in Chapter 15 of the Tao Te Ching  

Open and broad as valleys
Vacant like a valley
Empty, like valleys
How empty! They resemble the valley
They were like valleys! Vast, oh
Receptive – As if an open valley
Willing and open like a deep valley
Accepting like a valley
Hollow like a cave
Hollow, like caves
Expansive as a vale
Wide and open-stretching, like a vale
Receptive! like a valley
Open-minded, like a valley
Open, like a valley
and Capacious, like a deep valley
Broad, as a valley
Open as a valley
Vacant were they, as a ravine
They were like a valley between high mountains
Open and broad as valleys
Receptive as a valley
Empty as a valley
Capacious, they were like a valley
Expansive? Like the space between hills
Yet, receptive as a hollow in the hills
Wide open, like a valley
They were empty as a valley
and Capacious, like a deep valley
How wide, like a valley
Vacant, like a valley
Vacant, like a valley
Empty, like a valley
They were lowly, like the valley
Regarding digging ditches: the steeper you slope their sides, the sooner they will wash down
Like a valley awaiting a guest, How receptive!
Receptive, like an inviting, open valley

Taken from the 38 English language translations included on this Chapter 15 hypertext notebook
on the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.  Compiled by Mike Garofalo, Gushen Grove, 2018.   

 

 

谷  Ku, Gu, Valley, Flood Plain, Canyon, Gorge, Ravine, Channel, Hollow

               Pictured as, Described as, Likened to, Imagined as, Pretended to be ...


A good area for a house, farms and a village.  The Chinese character reminds me of a house with two higher mountains in the background. 

Usually, a productive valley featuring an all year river and streams; flatter, wider, open, with good soil; and with mountains on one or two sides. 

Fertile foothills and flood plains bordered by mountains like the North Sacramento River Valley in California, or the Willamette River Valley in Oregon,
or the Columbia River Valley in Washington.

A cozy cabin at the edge of a beautiful meadow, small ponds, and creek in the foothills.  Something like the Hundred Acre Wood in Ashdown Forest, England, where Winnie the Pooh and friends lived.  Fantasy valleys are everywhere in art and fiction. 

By "hollow" we might mean, 1. Having a hole or empty space inside.  Synonyms: empty, void, unfilled, vacant.  Example: The broad and green valley that lie below was largely uninhabited.  2.  Without significance.  Synonyms: meaningless, empty,  valueless, worthless, useless, pyrrhic, nugatory, futile, fruitless, profitless, pointless.  Example: He had no intentions, he felt hollow inside. 

All the "Great Civilizations" from the history of the Four Corners of our Globe Earth, for the last 10,000 years, are the stories of human beings living in a valley by a river. 

Channels can be natural or man made.  An arroyo is a channel for flash floods in the desert.  We can hollow out a cave for a larger shelter, or dig through a mountain side to create a channel for water from a productive spring.  Something like the Panama Canal creates its own valley, a powerful Ku. 

A rugged area, sparsely populated, where a seasonally powerful river or glaciers over the millennium have cut a steep walled canyon out of the mountains, like the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, Yosemite Valley in California, or the Snake River Gorge in Idaho.   

A valley offers an opening, a slit, a doorway, a crack, a corridor, a way in and out, an entrance and exit.  I was born in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles, California, and will die in the Columbia River Valley of Washington. 

A valley recreation or vacation retreat, in a small town, in a beautiful place, a welcoming place, a resort and refuge, a safe and peaceful valley place.  Packwood, Washington.  Bishop, California.  Tillamook, Oregon.  Borrego Springs, California.  Red Bluff, California.  Beautiful valleys from around the earth capture our enthusiasm, fascination, and imaginations.  Similar experiences are transformed in books or films into valley fantasy realms and valley kingdoms like Shangri La, Shambhala, Shaolin, a remote Alpine or Tibetan village, Sleepy Hollow.    

The desired valley is verdant land, fertile, receptive to agricultural cultivation, broad and open, empty and vacant, and we are willing and accepting of the work ahead needed to survive. 

The valley is the source of our food, our essential life-line, our basic way to earn our 'daily bread', our means of creating bodily energy.  The valley is in many ways acknowledged, studied, respected, revered, worshipped, sacred, divine.  

The valley is Female.  The valley is the Vulva, the Origin, the Womb, receptive and expansive, empty of self-concern and generous, the Creative Source of the birthing of the ten thousand things necessary for our continued existence. 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 
     

   

 

       

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Empty - Full     Empty-Filling/Emptying-Full     Empty/Filled

Open - Closed     On - Off     Future - Past    

Open Minded - Fixed Thinking (Ungrounded Beliefs, Routine Views) 

Vacant - Occupied     Vacant/Occupied

Potential - Existent     Future - Past   

Wide - Narrow

Hollow - Filled    Hole - Peg     Female - Male        

Expansive - Limited

Receptive - Hostile     Accepting - Rejecting

Light - Heavy

Flowing - Damned (Blocked) 

Open - Closed     Future - Past    

On - Off     Off - On

 

 


 

 


 

See also:    Chapter 6  Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Circa 200 BCE

See also:    The Concept of the Valley Spirit: Gu Shen

 

  

 

Links and References

 

Chan Buddhist and Taoist Poetry 


Cloud Hands Blog


Chapter Index to the Dao De Jing


Concordance to the Tao Te Ching


Dao De Jing by Laozi, Chapter 6   Compiled by Mike Garofalo 


Daoism   Compiled by Mike Garofalo


The Doctrine of the Mysterious Female in Taoism: A Transpersonalist View.  By Evgueni A. Tortchinov.  Department of Philosophy, Ste. Petersburg State University, Russia.  54Kb. 


Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching 


Gushen Grove Sacred Circle in Red Bluff, California


One Old Druid's Final Journey


Months of the Year: Quotes, Sayings, Poetry, Lore 


The One Cavity of the Mysterious Gate 


Qigong, Dao Yin


Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices   By Mike Garofalo


Taoism   Compiled by Mike Garofalo


Trigrams of the I Ching


Taijiquan 


Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 6   Compiled by Mike Garofalo


Tao Te Ching Index 


Tao Te Ching Chapter 6


The Spirit of Gardening


Valley Spirit Center in Red Bluff, California


Valley Spirit (Gu Shen) Concept of the Tao Te Ching     Old Link 


Valley Spirit (Gu Shen) Concept of the Tao Te Ching     Old Link


Valley Spirit Versions   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Laozi, Dao De Jing

 

 

Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching

Research by
Michael P. Garofalo

© 2002- 2018, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Red Bluff, California (1998-2017) and Vancouver, Washington (2017-)

This webpage was last changed, modified, edited or updated on February 4, 2018.     

Some of the information on this webpage was first distributed online in March of 2002. 
 

 

Michael P. Garofalo's E-mail

Brief Biography of Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

Valley Spirit Center, Red Bluff, California

Study Tai Chi or Chi Kung with Mike Garofalo

 

 


Ripening Peaches: Daoist Studies and Practices

Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan - Cloud Hands


Cloud Hands Blog


Valley Spirit Qigong (Chi Kung, Dao Yin, Neidan, Yangsheng)

Ways of Walking

The Spirit of Gardening

Months: Cycles of the Seasons

Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu, Zhuang Zhou, Master Chuang)  369—286 BCE

Chan (Zen) and Taoist Poetry

Yang Style Taijiquan

Chen Style Taijiquan

Taoist Perspectives: My Reading List

Lifestyle Advice from Wise Persons

The Good Life

Meditation

Bodymind Theory and Practices, Somaesthetics

The Five Senses

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

One Old Taoist's Final Journey: Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove

Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Martial Arts

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Index to Cloud Hands and Valley Spirit Websites

 

Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching 

Introduction

Bibliography  

Index to Translators of the Tao Te Ching

Thematic Index 1-81  

Chapter Index 1-81    

Concordance to the Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500 BCE

 

 

 

Cloud Hands Blog

 

Return to the Top of this Webpage

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching
 Chapter Number Index


Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Daodejing
Chapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE
Chart by Mike Garofalo
Index
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81