Calming the mind (Taoism)

The "five periods and seven time spans" - [wu-shih ch'i-hou]

- refer to the stages of the follower of the meditative path of Taoism. Calming the mind - [wu-shih]

- is the first group of five states arising during the preparatory stage: (i) the stage of the restless mind which is seldom calm or still; (ii) the stage of the less restless mind which is more often calm or still; (iii) the stage of the mind in which calmness and movement are balanced; (iv) the stage of the calm mind which is seldom restless - it concentrates on an object of meditation; (iv) the stage of the totally calm mind whose stillness is unmoved by impressions from outside.