HSU

(Chinese: emptiness, or purity), in Chinese Taoism, a state of being that is characterized by total tranquility and transcendence of self, through which individual consciousness is believed to become one with the Tao; the Tao, or Way, constitutes absolute reality and cannot be defined or understood in human terms except through individual experience of hs. Contemplative Taoists attain hs by stilling their thought processes and emotions, which they regard as corruptions of the Tao. Historically, many schools of Taoism have made use of breath-control techniques in order to quiet the mind; the more elaborate systems of breath control, requiring years of practice, were condemned by some Taoists as being contrary to the Tao, which is beyond human striving.