 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home |
Dao De Jing |
Dao De Jing |
(Chuang Tzu) |
(Tao) is Open Forum |
List |
Stuff |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home |
Dao De Jing |
Dao De Jing |
(Chuang Tzu) |
(Tao) is Open Forum |
List |
Stuff |
|
|
|
Although the universe is huge, it keeps changing by itself while remaining on an even keel. Although there are many different types of creatures in the world, they follow a unified order. Although people put out individual effort in their lives, they're all still directed by a ruler. The virtue of the ruler originated in the heavens and developed along with the heavens. Therefore, it's been said that the rulers in the remote past directed the world by not interfering, and left virtue up to the heavens. View spoken words through the lens of Dao, and it can be seen that the ruler has made everything right in the world. View the differences between things through the lens of Dao, and it can be seen clearly that the ruler is righteous to everyone. View the abilities of things through the lens of Dao, and officials would be appointed to their proper positions. View the natural flow of everything through the lens of Dao, and every creature would be prepared to respond to anything. Therefore, what connects the heavens and earth is virtue, and what moves along with all living things is Dao. What has the most control over people is their own personal affairs. What provides them with certain abilities is their inborn skill. Skill is commingled with one's affairs; one's affairs are commingled with righteousness; righteousness is commingled with virtue; virtue is commingled with Dao; Dao is commingled with the heavens. Therefore, it's been said: "Those in ancient times who nourished and cultivated the world were without personal desires, and the world had everything it needed. They didn't interfere, and all living things transformed on their own They were as silent as a deep abyss, and the rest of the people became tranquil." It's been written: "Deeply connect with the source of all beings and every task will fulfill itself. Without using one's mind to attain anything, one's spiritual guides will be at one's beck and call." A Master said: "Dao is what covers all things from above and supports them from below. It's as large and vast as a huge ocean! An aware person can't avoid cutting through the arrogance of their mind. "To act without interfering with things is called heavenly. "To speak without interfering with things is called virtuous. "A loving person who benefits things is called benevolent. "To not differentiate but seek similarities is called great. "To behave in a way that doesn't demand respect or reciprocation is called generosity. "To have many things despite their unconventionality is called wealth. "To capture and hold on to what's in one's heart is called putting oneself in proper order. "Succeeding in acting from the heart is called standing firmly on the ground. "Abiding by Dao is called being prepared. "Not trying to cause the defeat of another's will is called the final touch that completes. "If an aware person has received insights from these ten things, then their heart becomes like a great sheath to all events that might beset them, and their sense of abundance will remain even if all the other things leave them. And so, gold is left stored in the mountains and pearls are left stored in the deep ponds. He doesn't profit from selling or bartering, nor from holding on to precious treasures. He doesn't find pleasure in the idea of a long life nor does he become sad at the idea of an early death. He doesn't honor those in high places, nor does he look down on those who are poor. He doesn't try to limit the benefits others gain in order to get more for himself by cheating, nor does he seek to be the ruler of the world for the sake of his own appearance. He appears then as luminous. All living things become united in their own sense of self-importance in this world, and live and die on the same level." A Master said: "Dao seems to dwell in a deep pond with water as clear as the sky. Metal and stone of themselves can't produce a sound like the cry of small birds. Therefore, metal and stone are made into musical instruments whose sound can't be distinguished from the cry of small birds. Who could tell the difference between them! "A person of kingly virtue can pass by unnoticed due to her plainness, and would be ashamed to think she understood what was actually going on. Her roots are established in an ever-flowing pond and she takes on the appearance of a spirit. Her virtue spreads out like a vast meadow, emitting from her heart, and allowing other things to select what they will from her. Therefore, anything that goes against Dao is lifeless. A life that goes against virtue is meaningless. Could someone who preserves their form throughout their life while being well-established in virtue and insightful about Dao be going against their prescribed virtue? When fired by inspiration, it suddenly exudes from her, and she excitedly moves about, and all living things join with her! This is called being a person with their own prescribed virtue. Looking deeply at the shadowy darkness, she listens attentively to sounds that can't be heard. She may be completely surrounded by pitch dark, yet she only sees the dawn breaking. She may be completely surrounded by silence, yet she only hears harmonious notes. Therefore, reaching deeply and deeper still she's able to perceive things. Reaching into her spirit and going beyond spirit she's able to touch on essence. In that way she can be intimate with all living things. From what's vanished she's able to freely find what's been looked for. The hours pass quickly even though an entire night has passed. To her, what's large is the same as what's tiny; what's long is the same as what's short; what's near is the same as what's far." Huang Di had reached the northern end of the Red River when he climbed to the top of one of the hills in the Kun Lun mountains and looked southward. He realized that somewhere on his return trip he'd lost his precious dark pearl. He sent Knowledge to search for it, but he couldn't find it. He sent Li Zhu (a legendary person with such acute eyesight that he could see the tip of a feather and spot a needle in a haystack) to search for it, but he couldn't find it. He sent Chi Gou (Inquisitive Speaker) to search for it, but he couldn't find it. It was only when he sent Xiang Wang (Non-seeker) that Xiang Wang found it. Huang Di said: "Isn't it strange that Xiang Wang was the only one who was able to find it?" Yao's teacher was Xu You. Xu You's teacher was Nie Que. Nie Que's teacher was Wang Ni. Wang Ni's teacher was Bei Yi. Yao asked Xu You: "Could Nie Que be used to gain a better bond with the heavens? I'm sure I could persuade Wang Ni that I really needed to rely on him (Nie Que) right now." Xu You said: "That would be a dangerous thing to do! It could turn the whole world upside down. As a person, Nie Que is intelligent, clever and knowledgeable. He's talented at being perceptive and sharp-witted, and he naturally outshines others in those areas, so he's able to help people to be satisfied with what they get from the heavens. Those talents allow him to look into how he can prevent people from being excessive, but he doesn't know much more than recognizing excesses. And you think he could assist you in bonding with the heavens? He can offer up his own talents to help, but that would have nothing to do with the heavens. His viewpoint comes from his own explorations into himself and others around him. His deep respect for this type of knowledge would run amok like a forest fire, causing all sorts of things to begin to take place. It would cause creatures to act like tormented animals, which would cause them to try to comply to whatever was being thrown at them. Trying to comply with what the rest of the people considered to be suitable, everything would start transforming at random without having come from a place of stability first. That guy would be of no use in assisting you to bond with the heavens! There's someone who's looked up to as a guide in every group of people. The actions of the group can be a reaction to the mandates handed down by this father figure, but the actions of the group can't possibly react to both the mandates of the father figure and the mandates of the father figure's father figure. That kind of governing would be like leading everyone into chaotic disorder - bringing disaster to those who enact the mandates and destruction to the ruler." Yao was making an inspection of Mount Hua when the person who was given charge over the fief of Hua said: "Wow! A Sage! Please let me express my good wishes to you, Sage. May the Sage live a long life." Yao said: "No, thanks." "May the Sage become rich." Yao said: "No, thanks." "May the Sage have many male sons." Yao said: "No, thanks." The feudal lord said: "A long life, riches, and many male sons is what people wish for. Are you the only one who doesn't want those things?" Yao said: "Having many male sons would make a person worry about how they were going to act. Becoming rich would make a person have to get involved in lots of business affairs. Attaining a long life would make a person feel a sense of shame. Those three things can hinder a person from cultivating virtue, so I'd rather decline them all." The feudal lord said: "At first I mistakenly thought you were a Sage. Now it's obvious you're actually a person who's been entrusted with a role of leadership. When all the different types of people were born, they were each given certain things to do. If someone is given many sons, they've each already been set on a course, so what's there to worry about? If someone is given wealth all they have to do is divide it up between others, so what other affairs would be necessary? "The Sage dwells like a quail (staying close to the ground) and eats like a hatchling (feeding on what's given to it). When he takes to flight like a bird, he doesn't make a spectacle with his wings. When the world has Dao, then he prospers along with all things. When the world is without Dao, then he cultivates his virtue to break through the barriers. After ten thousand years, when he gets tired of dealing with the world, he can take off to the mountains and become an Immortal. Riding along beside the white clouds, he'd be like the emperor of all the land he passed over. "The three things that worry you so much mean nothing to him, so he never brings disaster upon himself. Then how could he ever feel a sense of shame for anything?" The feudal lord started to walk away, and Yao went after him saying: "Can you wait a minute, as I have something to ask you." The feudal lord said: "Go away and stop bothering me." When Yao was in power over the world, he appointed Bo Cheng Zi Gao (Mr. Successfully Promoted) to the position of Duke. Yao then gave over the throne to Shun. Shun then gave over the throne to Yu. At that point, Bo Cheng Zi Gao retired as Duke and went into the fields to become a farmer. Yu went to visit him and found him plowing in an open field. Yu rushed up to him, placing himself in an inferior position (facing north) and asked: "Long ago when Yao was the ruler of the world, he appointed you to the position of Duke. Yao gave over the throne to Shun, and Shun gave over the throne to me, whereupon you retired your position and became a farmer. I'd really like to know why you did that?" Zi Gao said: "Back in the days when Yao ruled the world, he offered no rewards to the people, but they kept on with their work. He threatened no punishments, but the people were respectful. Nowadays you've instigated both rewards and punishments, and the people are heartless. Their own virtue has declined as the threat of punishment has overcome them. Future generations will become even more unsettled because of what you've started! Why don't you just go away? Leave me to my work." With that he went back to plowing the rows in his field and completely ignored Yu's presence. In the peaceful time before anything was created, there was nothing and namelessness. Out of that arose a One, but this One had no form. Then things sprouted up and each of them was given what is called a virtue. What had no shape divided and congealed into what is called destiny. Through stillness and motion things eventually came to life, and as their textures evolved they came to be called forms. The physical structure of each thing is built to protect it's spirit, and each one has their own characteristics which are called their inborn natures. Their inborn natures allow them to cultivate ways to return to their own virtue, and their virtue allows them to fit in with the time before anything was created. Fitting in this way allows them to become empty, and that emptiness allows them to become great. Join what comes out of one's mouth with the chirping of birds. If what comes out of one's mouth has joined with the chirping of birds, then one has become joined with the heavens and earth. Once this union is made, it's the connecting thread of all things, and although one might seem to be foolish and confused, to become this way is called connecting with one's deepest virtue. Fitting things together in this way is the great concordance. A Master (Confucius) asked Lao Dan (Laozi): "There are people who study Dao as though it were a means to criticize each other, discussing what can and cannot be done, what is so and what isn't so. The philosophical debaters have a saying: 'The "hard" and the "white" can be distinguished from each other as clearly as if they were hanging individually in space.' Do you suppose they could be called sages?" Lao Dan said: "A person like that would wear himself out by always trying to force his mind to keep up with the different theories that came up. A dog is held still with a leash because he has the instinct to chase after small animals in the fields. Apes and monkeys confine themselves to the mountain forests because that's where they can best use their innate abilities (climbing trees, etc.). Qiu (Confucius), let me try to tell you something that you don't really have the ability to hear, as well as something you don't have the ability to speak about. It's quite ordinary to have a head and toes, but there are many without minds and ears. Of those who have a specific form, they can't imagine what it would be like not to have a form, yet everything that exists seems bent on trying to be what they're not. They move and stop, live and die, rise up and fall down - and they end up constantly being in either one extreme or the other. Those are the things that govern people's existence. Being able to forget about those things and forget about the heavens - that would be called self-forgetting. A person who forgets themselves - they would be referred to as someone who has entered the heavens." Jiang Lu Mian (Striving for a Backbone) went to visit Ji Che (Supportive Younger Brother) and said: "The ruler of the state of Lu requested my presence and said to me: 'Please share with me some of your teachings.' I politely refused because it wasn't an official order from him. Even though I refused, he wouldn't take no for an answer. So, I went ahead and told him some things, but I don't know whether I hit the mark or not. Please let me give you a sampling of my recommendations to him. I told the ruler of Lu: 'You must present yourself respectfully and modestly and raise in rank those who show loyalty and faithfulness, but not those who are owed favors. Then who among the people wouldn't curry your favors!' " Ji Che broke out laughing and said: "Even though those are some pretty masterful words, to think they could reach into the nature of a king or emperor would be like an angry mantis thinking he could stop a car by waving his arms around. He could never succeed at that task! And if they did what you suggested, people would surely put themselves into a dangerous position. He'd sit on his terrace observing everything, while those who wanted to deceive him would rush around pretending to be something they weren't." Jiang Lu Mian got an expression of shock and amazement on his face and said: "I'm bewildered that you wouldn't agree with those masterful words! Even so, I wish you'd tell me in your own words what you would have said." Ji Che said: "When a great sage governs the world, he sways the people's hearts, making it easy to teach them new methods to follow which would extinguish the meanness in their hearts and move on as though it was of their own volition. They would be following their own nature, and they wouldn't know how it happened. Once they'd become that way, what need would he have to look for guidance from the teachings of Yao and Shun or go to the murky depths that beleaguer those who are trying to guide anyone? Their desire would merely be to dwell in their minds and conform to virtue!" Zi Gong had wandered south of the state of Chu and was returning through the state of Jin. As he passed along the sunny side of the Han River, he spotted an elderly man who was working in his vegetable garden. He'd dug a well, and was in the process of carrying the water back to irrigate his garden in a small jar, and was working himself to the bone. He was really exerting himself, but had little to show for his efforts. Zi Gong said: "A machine has been invented which would allow you to completely soak a hundred vegetable gardens in one day. It requires very little effort, but provides great results. Wouldn't you want one of them, sir?" The man looked up from his garden, saw the stranger, and said: "How does it work?" He replied: "The machine is made from a long piece of wood that's been chiseled so it's heavier in the back and lighter in the front. The water can then be lifted out of the well quite easily and quickly, like a dog lapping water from a bowl, then sprayed out over a large area. It's called a Gao." The gardener gave him a dirty look then laughed and said: "I've heard from my master that those who possess machines must end up becoming mechanical in their affairs. Those who are mechanical in their affairs must end up becoming mechanical in their hearts and minds. If a mechanical heart is situated in one's chest, then one can't prepare oneself to receive pure simplicity. If one can't be prepared to receive pure simplicity then the spirit becomes unsettled, and Dao has no place to enter. It's not that I wasn't aware of such machines, but that it would be disgraceful to end up that way." Zi Gong lowered his eyes in embarrassment and couldn't find any words for a response. After a few moments the gardener asked: "And what do you do, sir?" "I'm a disciple of Kong Qiu (Confucius)." The gardener asked: "Aren't you the people who are trying to learn how to emulate sages, thus placing yourselves on a higher level than other people, while crying a mournful song about how alone you are simply in order to gain a reputation in the world? You guys forget about your spiritual essence, cause degeneration to your physical body, and for what? You don't even have the ability to set yourselves straight, let alone set anything straight in the world! Please go away. I'm not lacking anything in my work." Zi Gong hunched his shoulders down and turned pale. He became completely disoriented and lost any sense of self-contentment. It wasn't until he had walked for ten miles that he regained his composure. One of his disciples asked him: "What kind of man was that? Why was it that after you met him your whole attitude changed, you turned pale, and for the rest of the day you weren't yourself at all?" "I used to think there was only one person in the world who could really reach me, but that was before I'd come across this man. I'd heard from my Master that in order to deal with affairs and be successful at them, one must use as little effort as possible while achieving many things. That's the Dao of a sage. Now I've found that's not so. In order to grasp Dao one has to make their virtue whole. One who makes their virtue whole has to make their form whole. One who makes their form whole has to make their spirit whole. One who's made their spirit whole - that's the Dao of the sage. By trusting life to take him along with different people without knowing what's really going on, his capacity for purity is boundless! The rewards and benefits obtained by clever machines must be forgotten in the mind of such a person. A person like that would oppose what wasn't coming from their own will as well as opposing actions that weren't coming from their own heart. Even if the whole world were to praise him and accept what he had to say, he'd consider it to be frivolous talk and ignore it. If the whole world opposed him and rejected what he had to say, he'd figure he didn't fit in with their group mentality and not let it bother him. The world's praise or opposition wouldn't harm him, and that's what's called being a person whose virtue is whole! I'm someone who still gets disturbed by other people." When he returned to the state of Lu, he went and told Kong Zi about it. Kong Zi said: "He's one of those guys who puts on a disguise, as though they actually had the skill of those who were descendants of Hun Dun (Chaos [the primordial blob out of which heaven and earth divided] ). He perceives the primordial unity of everything, but doesn't perceive their evolution. He can control what's inside of himself, but can't control what's on the outside. Wouldn't you really be blown away if you met someone who could always enter a state of pure clarity, not have to do anything to remain in a state of simplicity, have their whole body naturally exude their spirit, and at the same time travel comfortably among everything this current age has to offer? As for the skill level of Hun Dun, how could you or I possibly have any basis for perceiving that!" Zhun Mang (Diligent Explorer) decided to go east in search of the great ravine when he happened to meet up with Yuan Feng (Contained Wind) at the seashore of the East China Sea. Yuan Feng asked: "Where are you heading off to?" "I'm heading to the great ravine." "Why are you doing that?" "The great ravine is something that no matter how much you pour in, it won't get filled up, and no matter how much is drained out, it won't get used up. I'm going to wander there." Yuan Feng said: "Master, don't you care at all about the turbulence people are dealing with? I'd sincerely like to hear about the rule of a sage." Zhun Mang said: "The rule of a sage? He'd appoint officials to carry out his orders by observing their suitability for the job, make promotions by observing their abilities, and determine their competence and their passion for their work by watching how they act. If his words were competently expressed by his actions, then the whole world would be transformed. Simply by waving his hand or pointing his finger, he'd be listened to by all the people in the land, and not one of them wouldn't join together in unity. That would be a description of the rule of a sage." "I'd sincerely like to hear about the virtuous person." "A person with virtue resides wherever his heart takes him, moves about without being stealthy, and doesn't shelter himself in ideas of right/wrong or good/evil. He shares in the benefits of what's provided by everything within the four seas (the world as it was known at the time) and he calls that joyfulness. Giving back what he has to offer, he calls that comforting. Open-eyed with wonder! Like an infant who's lost his mother. Open to others! Like a traveler who's lost his way. He has enough wealth to spare, but doesn't know how he got it in the first place. He always has enough to eat and drink, but doesn't know where it came from. This is a description of the appearance of a virtuous person." "I'd sincerely like to hear about the spiritual person." "A spiritual person rides high above on beams of light while his form seems to be extinguished and vanishes. This is called mirroring space. Relinquishing his fate and extending his situation, he finds pleasure in what is of both the heavens and the earth and his involvement in worldly affairs melts away and vanishes. All living things return to their own natures. That is called blending with the unexplored shadows." Men Wu Gui (Funeral Director) and Chi Zhang Man Ji (Keeper of a list of the names of the dead) were observing the army of King Wu. Chi Zhang Man Ji said: "This army is inferior to that of the clansman Yu (Shun)! That's why we're left with so much anxiety!" Men Wu Gui asked: "Was the world already being equitably ruled when the clansman Yu took over the government? Or was it in chaos before that happened?" Chi Zhang Man Ji replied: "Keeping the world equitably ruled is what anyone would try to do, but why count on the clansman Yu to have done that! When the clansmen of Yu treated a sore with medicine, it was like trying to style the hair of a person who was already bald. They wouldn't seek a doctor until they were already on their death bed. They were like a dutiful son clutching desperately to the medicine to be used on his kindly father after his face looks like charred wood. A sage would be embarrassed by them. "In an age when virtue was whole, there was no need to praise the virtuous, nor to train people how to use their talents. The superiors were like sheltering branches of a tree, and the people were like wild deer who frolicked below. They were upright, but didn't consider themselves to be righteous. They loved each other but didn't consider themselves to be benevolent. They were solid to each other but didn't consider themselves to be loyal. They valued each other but didn't consider themselves to be faithful. They assisted each other through hardships but didn't consider themselves to be generous. Due to that, they left no traces of their movements, nor did they leave a record of their affairs." A dutiful son who doesn't flatter his parents and a loyal minister who doesn't curry favor with his overlord are magnificent children and ministers. If a child considers everything his parents say to be correct and considers everything they do to be good, then he's commonly referred to as an unworthy child. If a minister considers everything his overlord says to be correct and considers everything his overlord does to be good, then he's commonly referred to as an unworthy minister. However, haven't we yet realized the extent to which this must be so? If a person considers something to be so because the common opinion states it's so, and considers something to be good because the common opinion states it's good, he isn't called a servile self-seeking flatterer! That being so, then isn't common opinion more strict than a parent and more respected than an overlord? If someone is called a boot-licker, they'll suddenly fly into a rage. If someone is called a flatterer, they'll angrily try to defend themselves. Nevertheless, they'll remain boot-lickers and flatterers for the rest of their lives. Using fancy words and pretentious airs they aim to gather many people around them, from start to finish and bottom to top, without ever taking a break. Draping himself in ornate clothing made of the appropriate colors, giving off the appearance of one who is respectable, and using that to impress those around him, he still doesn't consider himself to be a servile self-seeking flatterer. He goes along with what's been done by those before him, sharing their opinions of what's right and wrong, but he thinks of himself as different from the rest of the people. He's the personification of "Monkey see, monkey do." One who's aware of the fact they're acting like a silly monkey isn't the most foolish. One who's aware of their own confusion isn't the most confused. One who's the most confused will go through their whole lives without being liberated. One who's the most foolish will go through their whole lives being a dolt. If three people are traveling to a specific destination and one of them is confused, they'll still reach their destination because the one who's confused is in the minority. If two of the people are confused, then their journey will be laborious and they won't ever arrive because those who are confused are in the majority. These days the whole world is confused, and even though I have some guidance to offer no one wants it. Isn't anyone else sad about this? Lofty music isn't received well by the ears of those who live in villages, but upon hearing "Breaking the Willows" and "The Bright Flowers" (simple ditties or bubble-gum music) they all crack a smile and laugh. By the same token, lofty words don't sit well in the hearts of those who listen to their own small group, and words that hit right to the core of things aren't spoken. Common opinions are the words that win out. Confuse the sounds of earthenware jars with metal bells, and one would never get to the source of the sound. Nowadays the world is confusing like that, and even though I have some guidance to offer, how can it be used daily? Knowing it can't be done, yet still trying to force it on them just adds to my confusion. It seems like the only thing left for me to do is cull through them rather than trying to push anything on them. By not pushing anything, then who among them would have to share in my grief! When a diseased person gives birth to a child during the night, they'll rush to get a lantern to look at the child for fear that it might resemble them. A hundred year old tree is cut down and carved in order to make a sacrificial vessel, which is then decorated with green and yellow paint, while the leftover scraps are thrown into the middle of a ditch. Comparing the sacrificial vessel with the scraps in the ditch, one is considered to be beautiful and the other is considered to be ugly, but the one thing they have in common is that they've both lost their original nature. Comparing Robber Zhi with Zeng Shen and Shi Qiu, there are differences in the ways they approached righteousness, although the loss of their original natures is the same. There are five things that can lead to the loss of one's original nature: The five colors bewilder the eyes and make vision blurred. The five sounds bewilder the ears and make listening inattentive. The five odors poison the nose and plug up the sinuses. The five flavors muddy the mouth and make the taste buds diseased and insensitive. Preferences and aversions distract the mind and causes one's nature to swiftly scatter. These five are all harmful to one's life. Yang Chu and Mo Zi are just now starting to leave behind older ways of thinking and stand on their own two feet, and they think they've actually achieved something. That's not what I'd call achieving anything. By thinking they've achieved something, they're just boxing themselves in. Can that be called achieving anything? If so, then the pigeon and owl who find themselves enclosed in a cage have also achieved something. Furthermore, preferences, aversions, sounds and colors are like huge boards that block them up on the inside. Leather caps decorated with bird feathers on the crown and jingling tablets hanging from their belts constrain them like ropes on the outside. (Note: Scholars at the time wore a uniform as described above to distinguish them from the common people.) Inside they're caged within the barricades of their own making, and outside they're weighed down with all sorts of ropes and cords. With large eyes they look out from the middle of their confinement and consider themselves to have achieved something. If that were true, then a prisoner with his arms and legs in shackles, and a tiger or leopard that's been thrown into a bag or cage would also be considered to have achieved something. | Zhuangzi Translation | Glossary/Index A to N | Glossary/Index P to Z | ZZ Links | ZZ Books | | Return Home | Laozi's Dao De Jing | Your Dao De Jing | Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) | Links | Meditation | Dao (Tao) is Open Forum | Book List | Other Stuff | |
||
