Stillness → Peace → Gain → No-Gain: The Path to True Wisdom (Collection of Rain Blossoms) 靜、安、得、無得

Most spiritual practices begin with quieting the mind. Image: Shutterstock.

靜、安、得、無得

雨花集

濟公活佛

Buddhist wisdom teaches: “From stillness comes peace; from peace comes gain.” These words match the path of true practice. But even this isn’t the whole truth. One more line should be added: “True gain is having nothing to gain.”

佛家哲理，靜而後能安，安而後能得，此二句甚合修持道理。然猶未足，應加一句，深得而後知無得。

“Stillness” means a calm and quiet mind—not just silence on the outside. Real stillness is when the mind stops chasing thoughts, when the self is no longer tied to thinking, and the heart no longer runs after the things of the world. It’s like a still pond—when the water has no ripples, it becomes calm and clear. That’s what true stillness looks like.

靜是指心性而言，心不起念，性不住心，又即心不外向，當然謂之靜。又心如止水，止水亦當然靜。

If a person can keep their heart steady and not be pulled by the outside world, their mind will become clear, and their thoughts easier to understand. Once they reach this state, they can live in peace, free from worry and trouble. When restless thoughts fade, the spirit becomes light and bright. A calm heart brings wisdom. Even in hardship, a quiet heart can bring peace. And once peace returns, clear thinking and wise choices follow. People often say, “When the heart is clear, the mind is bright.” This is true. The key is learning to quiet the heart. When the heart is calm, wisdom comes. And with wisdom, one can see clearly and walk the right path. (But first, one must learn the right method. Only then can they follow the true Tao and open the door to truth.)

人能心靜不動，自然心清理明，既達此境，便可安而無慮。無慮則神清，心定則智躍，縱有萬般愁緒，一靜可安。既安則理智奔騰。俗語之「心緒清」，無他，靜耳！心緒一清，智慧便來，既有智慧之助，便有得之見。（得其法，得其門。）

When the mind becomes still, the true nature shines through. This true nature has always been pure and steady. But because our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and thoughts are drawn to the outside world, this nature becomes hidden and cannot appear. If the mind stops giving rise to false thoughts, the true nature will return on its own.

心靜，性就自然顯，自性根本是定的，不過為六根所掩蔽，故自性不露。假使心不起念，根塵自澄，則性當顯。

So what does it mean to truly gain something? It means to deeply understand what “gain” really is. It’s not just about getting things on the outside—it’s about seeing clearly on the inside. That is true gain.

Take money as an example. If you hold money in your hands, it seems like you’ve gained something. But ask yourself—can money stay with you forever? Can you take it with you when you die? How long can you truly keep it? If you think about it deeply, you’ll see that money isn’t really yours. In the end, you haven’t truly gained anything at all.

That’s why people say, “Having nothing is true gain.” When you understand that having and not having are not so different—when you see that having something can feel like having nothing, and having nothing can feel like enough—you begin to ask: what does it really mean to gain anything at all?

何謂深得？就是深明得字之義，進一步而知得之骨髓，謂之深得，例如說﹕得錢。錢在你手，不是已經得嗎？但是錢是否永遠為你所有，深一層研究，始終都是未得。所以「無所得」謂之真得。有等於無，無亦等於有，你說到底是否得呢？

Let’s explain “no gain” in a simple way. If someone thinks they understand what gain means but still wants to get something, then they haven’t truly understood. Wanting means the heart is still holding on. It still makes choices—it still prefers this and avoids that. A heart like that cannot be truly empty.

To have “no gain” means to let go of wanting and holding on. So what does “empty” really mean? It means the heart has stopped chasing things. That is the true meaning of “no gain.”

現在略解「無得」之義，得不能認為深知得之道理，就因為凡有得之心，已經是有著有執，而且有了分別心，故不能「空」。無所得就是要空一切。怎叫空？就是無所得。

Why should the mind be free of thoughts? Because when it’s not, it clings to things—false thoughts, desires, and fears. When the heart is full of these, it cannot rest. But when nothing sticks to the heart, it becomes calm and free.

何以要空？因為不空，則心內有住。有無宿物，才能自然而安。

If someone believes they have gained something through practice, the next step is to understand “no gain.” This is called emptiness—letting go of success and failure, and even letting go of the wish to gain anything at all.

But even the idea of “emptiness” can become something we hold on to. If we cling to the thought of letting go, we are still clinging. Real wisdom means not even holding on to the idea of being empty. The mind must be free—open and without grasping. That is the true path to awakening.

因此，修持得，便要進一步知無得。等於「空」。不過空字又深一層研究，有空之執，叫執空。要 連空字都不縈於心，才是正覺。

This translated text is a chapter from Collection of Rain Blossoms, a scripture written by JiGong Living Buddha in the 1900s through spirit writing. Here the link to the original Chinese source.

If you are interested in other chapters of this book, here is the link to the table of contents.