A Mortal Life, Born of One Thought · Above and Below, All Connected · 95 / 102
Zhe Gu Tian · The Primal Beginning
I am one unfettered wanderer under heaven; at leisure I step out of the world and ferry across the red dust. I live by grass and trees, rich in wind and water; the ten thousand things all have spirit, and the morning dew is kin.
The mirror of rebirth overturns the common order. Rustling bamboo leaves tell out their low chant; I have never looked back at the shoreless sea—the earth is wide, the mountains high, and I take them for my neighbors.
Glosses—
Taichu, the Primal Beginning: it stands for what is without form or substance, holding only the prior-heaven single breath of qi, a state of the cosmos more original than chaos itself;
Morning dew [zhaolu]: dew at daybreak, a figure for what is clear and pure;
Neighbors [bilin]: to dwell side by side.
*This is an original work. If you reprint it, please credit the original author Guang Zhi Shiyi; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued for legal liability. In addition, the accompanying image comes from the internet and belongs to the original illustrator Yichui Wuyue.