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.

Buddhist wisdom says, “From stillness comes peace; from peace comes gain.” That is the way true practice works. But there is more to it than that. One more line could be added: “Only when the gain is deep—when understanding is complete—will it be clear there is nothing to gain.”

What Stillness Really Means

So, what does stillness truly mean? It is more than being quiet on the outside—it is a calm and steady heart within. Real stillness happens when the mind stops chasing thoughts, when the true nature no longer clings to passing ideas, and when the heart no longer runs after the things of the world.

It’s like a pond. When the water has no ripples, it becomes calm and clear. That is the feeling of real stillness.

When the heart stays steady and isn’t pulled around by what happens outside, the mind becomes clear, and thoughts are easier to understand. In that state, peace settles in and worry fades. The spirit feels light and bright, and wisdom begins to rise on its own. Even in hard times, a quiet heart can hold peace. Once peace returns, clear thinking and good choices follow.

People often say, “When the heart is clear, the mind is bright.” This is true. The first step is to quiet the heart. When the heart is calm, wisdom comes. With wisdom, the right path becomes clear, and it can be walked with confidence. But first, the right way must be learned, for only then can the true Tao be followed and the door to truth be opened.

How Stillness Brings Out the True Nature

And from this stillness, something deeper begins to shine through. When the mind is still, the true nature appears—steady, pure, and always present. Yet it becomes hidden when the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and thoughts are drawn outward. If false thoughts no longer arise, both the senses and the world they meet grow calm and clear, and the true nature shines through again.

From here, the meaning of “gain” can be understood more deeply. It is not about taking or holding something in the outer world—it is about seeing clearly within. Take money, for example. Holding it may feel like gain, but can it be kept forever? Can it be taken beyond death? Thinking deeply shows it is never truly ours. In the end, nothing has been gained at all.

That is why it is said, “Having nothing is true gain.” When it is understood that having and not having are not far apart—when having something can feel like having nothing, and having nothing can feel like enough—the question naturally comes: what does it mean to gain at all?

The next step is to see “no gain.” This means emptying the heart of everything—letting go of wanting, of holding on, and even of the wish to gain. To be “empty” is for the heart to stop chasing things. Why should the mind be empty? Because if it is not, it will cling. When attachments and leftover thoughts fill the heart, it cannot rest. Only when the heart is free can it be naturally calm and at peace.

Even emptiness must be seen clearly. If the idea of emptiness is held onto, that itself is a grasping. True wisdom means not even holding to the thought of being empty. The mind becomes free, open, and without grasping. This is true awakening.

靜、安、得、無得

雨花集

濟公活佛

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。

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。

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。）

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。

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？

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。

何以要空？因為不空，則心內有住。有無宿物，才能自然而安。

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.