Translations of the T’ai Shang Ch’ing-ching Ching for comparison

Livia Kohn, from “The Taoist Experience” (verse separations vary according to translator):

“Observe your mind by introspection —
And see there is no mind.

Then observe the body,
Look at yourself from without —
And see there is no body.

Then observe others by glancing out afar —
And see there are no beings.

Once you have realised these three,
You observe emptiness!

Use emptiness to observe emptiness,
And see there is no emptiness.
When even emptiness is no more,
There is no more nonbeing either.

Without even the existence of nonbeing
There is only serenity,
Profound and everlasting.

When serenity dissolves in nothingness —
How could there be desires?
When no desires arise
You have found true tranquillity.

Eva Wong from “Cultivating Stillness”:

“Look in to your mind, and there is no mind.
Look at appearances and appearances have no forms,
Gaze at distant objects and objects do not exist.
Understand these three modes of cognition and you will see emptiness.

Regard the Void and it is empty.
In emptiness there is no emptiness.
In emptiness there is nothing.
In nothingness there is nothing.
Since there is nothing in nothingness, there is always stillness.
In absolute stillness how can desire arise?
When craving does not arise this is true stillness.”

A (very rough) partial translation by me using literal terms and word order:

“Inner observation of Heart/consciousness,
The (absence – immaterial) Heart/consciousness is heart.
Outer observation of form,
The (absence – immaterial) form is form.
Distant observation of objects,
The (absence – immaterial) objects are objects.
Understand this quality of (unreal immateriality – complete absence of emptiness) Xu-Wu.

Outer aspects are moreover vacant space form.
Emptiness (kong) is absent space.
Inner aspects are moreover vacant space consciousness.
Immateriality (wu) is absent immateriality.
Distance is a vacant object,
there is always stillness.
Silent aloneness (stillness?) is the immaterial stillness?
Quality of unreal empty space.”