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Someone who's realized the essence of a full life doesn't try to make more of life than it is. Someone who's realized the essence of fate doesn't try to understand what's beyond comprehension. In order for a person's body to thrive it has to consume things, but sometimes even though there's a surplus of things around, the body doesn't thrive on what it has. In order to stay alive a person has first and foremost not to neglect their body, but sometimes even though they don't neglect their body they still lose their life. When life comes about it can't be resisted, and when life is snuffed out it can't be prevented. It's so sad that most people today think that by simply nourishing their bodies they can live longer, but then they discover that nourishing their body isn't enough to make them live longer. Would there be anything anyone could do that would be enough? Although it's not enough simply to do those things, they still have to be done. What's unavoidable has to be done. If someone wants to avoid doing anything more than that with their bodies, then they might as well abandon everything around them. By abandoning everything around them, they wouldn't try to accumulate extra stuff. By not trying to accumulate extra stuff then they'd reach an even keel. By reaching an even keel then they'd join with everything that could add to their life. Having their life added to they'd become more aware of everything around them. Would it be enough to simply abandon affairs and to take it easy in life? By abandoning affairs, then the body wouldn't be overtaxed. By taking it easy in life then essence wouldn't be deficient. When the body is whole essence returns and becomes united with the heavens. The heavens and earth are father and mother to all living things. Combine them and there will be substance. Divide them and everything then has to start over. When body and essence aren't deficient, this can be called being able to adapt and transform. When essence is compounded by more essence, it facilitates a connection with the heavens. Master Lie Zi asked Guan Yin: "A perfected person can move under water without suffocating, skip across fire without being burned, and soar above all living things without fear. May I ask how he gets to that point?" Guan Yin said: "He merely guards the pure vital energy within him, but it has nothing to do with any sort of knowledge, skill, resolution or daring. Sit down and I'll explain it to you. What all things have in common is that they have their own features, contours, sounds and colors. Things aren't really so different from each other in that respect, are they? What would be sufficient enough to rate one over the other? They're all just various spectrums on the color wheel and that's about it. Since things were shapeless before they were created, and they stop when nothing further needs to be changed, they know when they've reached their limit and when they'd be exhausting themselves to go further. Things reach a certain point and then stop! Each of them reaches a point where they don't exceed beyond their own limits and give up on trying to come up with a reason to put themselves in order. Drifting where all things begin and end, unifying one's nature, nourishing one's vital energy, conforming with one's virtue in order to share in an understanding of the creation of things. If someone could be like that, they would be completely guarded by the heavens and their spirit would be without cracks. How would anything enter? "If a drunk falls from a cart, he might be injured but he wouldn't die. His bones and joints are the same as other people's, but the amount of harm he receives is different than other people since his spirit is undivided. He wasn't aware of riding in the cart, and wasn't aware of falling out. Being startled or fearful of losing his life didn't even enter his mind, so when he tumbled he didn't try to resist by bracing himself. If simply drinking wine can have this effect, how much more so would it be if one was undivided from the heavens? "A sage only finds refuge in the heavens, and therefore nothing has the ability to harm him. When responding to an enemy, he doesn't break the handle of his sword. Although feeling resentful for a situation, he doesn't blame the falling brick. He finds a way to react to everything in the world uniformly. One who's able to get rid of the chaos of fighting and warfare, and eliminate the punishments resulting from killing and slaughtering, cultivates with Dao. "Don't open up to what appears to be heavenly in others, but open up to what's heavenly in the heavens. In one who opens up to the heavens, virtue will grow. In one who opens up to others, jealousy will grow. Don't be smug about what's gotten from the heavens nor disregard what comes from others. How many people could really get this concept clearly?" When Zhong Ni (Confucius) was on his way to the state of Chu he passed through the middle of a forest and saw a hunchback who was bent over collecting cicadas on the tip of a stick as easily as if he'd scooped them up with his two hands. Zhong Ni said: "You're so skillful! Is there a special way to do this?" "I have a special way. I practiced steadily for five or six months. When I could balance two pellets on the stick without dropping them, then I'd only lose a small portion of the cicadas. After I could balance three pellets without dropping them, then I'd only lose one out of ten cicadas. Once I could balance five without dropping them, I could pick up cicadas with a stick as easily as if I was scooping them up with two hands. I position my body like a rooted tree stump, extend my arms like the branches of a withered tree, and although the immensity of the heavens and earth and the multitude of the thousands of living things are all around me, I'm only aware of the wings of the cicadas. I don't shift my position or lean to one side, and wouldn't trade the wings of the cicadas for any of the thousands of other things. By doing this, how could I not succeed?" Kong Zi turned around to peer at his disciples and said: "Use willpower to not be distracted, and only then can attention be concentrated on the spirit. This hunchbacked gentleman explained it well!" Yan Yuan (Yan Hui) asked Zhong Ni (Confucius): "I was once crossing the Shang Shen Pool, and the captain piloted that boat as if it was part of his own spirit. I asked him: 'Can anyone learn to pilot a boat like that?' He said: 'They can. One who's a good swimmer could quickly pick it up. As for divers, even if they'd never seen a boat before they could take right to it.' I got an answer to my question, but I don't understand it. Would you explain it to me?" Zhong Ni said: "A good swimmer could quickly pick it up because he forgets he's in water. As for a diver who'd never even seen a boat to be able to take right to it, that's because he sees the cavernous depths of an abyss as though it's a hill and a capsized boat as though it's an overturned cart. There are thousands of ways things can be capsized or overturned right in front of you, but they don't result in shaking you to the core. How could you go anywhere if you were stressed out about what might happen? One who gambles using plastic chips has no trouble being skillful. If he gambles using paper money he gets more apprehensive. If he gambles with large stakes he breaks out in a sweat. The player's skill level is the same in each instance, but as the stakes rise so does his sense of self importance, and then the only thing that's truly important seems to be what's on the outside. If everything outside holds so much importance, then what's on the inside becomes clumsy and awkward." Tian Kai Zhi (Of the Open Cultivated Fields) went to visit Duke Wei of Zhou. Duke Wei said: "I've heard that Zhu Shen (Officer in charge of Kidneys) is a medical student. Since you've traveled about with him, what can you tell me about all that?" Tian Kai Zhi said: "All I've done is to pull and push a broom around his front courtyard. What could I have possibly heard from that Master?" Duke Wei said: "Don't be so humble, Tian Zi. I'd sincerely like to hear something about it." Kai Zhi said: "I've heard the Master say: 'Someone who is good at staying healthy acts like someone tending sheep. If he sees some of them lagging behind, he prods them with his whip.' " Duke Wei said: "What does that mean?" Tian Kai Zhi said: "In the state of Lu there was a man named Dan Bao (Solitary Leopard) who lived high up on the cliffs and only drank water. He didn't share in what other people thought was beneficial. By the time he was seventy years old he still had the complexion of a newborn infant. One day he had the misfortune of meeting up with a hungry tiger who killed and ate him. There was another man named Zhang Yi (Stubborn Wild Boar) who'd go visiting all the rich families in the neighborhood, constantly going from one place to another. By the time he was forty years old he got a terrible fever from some contagious disease and died. Bao cultivated what was inside of him, and a tiger ate his outer form. Yi cultivated his outer behavior and a disease attacked his insides. What happened to both of them was due to the fact they neglected whipping what was lagging behind." Zhong Ni (Confucius) said: "Without withdrawing and hiding away; "Without going forth and flaunting; "Stand steadily in the middle of the extremes. "If one practices these three things with earnestness, they must certainly be described as having reached the ultimate. "When setting out on a dangerous journey where one man in ten is killed on the road, fathers will prohibit sons and older brothers will prohibit younger brothers from going unless they travel with armed escorts. That seems sensible, doesn't it? On the other hand, people don't have much sense of danger when they're sitting comfortably on their soft mats and feasting on food and wine. However, that no one knows enough to try to prohibit them from that behavior is a grave mistake." The officer in charge of ancient ritualistic sacrifices was looking over the animals in their pens. He said to the pigs: "Why would you dislike the idea of being sacrificed? For three months I'll feed you lots of grain and sweet foods to fatten you up. For ten days I'll force you to not move around. For the last three days I'll pamper you with baths and manicures, then place you on a bed of clean white cogongrass (a weed with plumes like feather dusters). After the sacrifice, I'll place your shoulders and rumps on top of an elegantly carved altar. And I'll do all that for you!" (Note: It was believed that the fatter a pig was at the time of sacrifice, the more blessings would be bestowed by the gods. The pigs were fattened with many meals a day, and prevented from moving too much. Then they had to be cleaned up for the ceremony.) If he would have consulted with the pigs they would have said they'd rather feed on chaff and rotten tubers and never been put into the middle of a pen. Since his plans for the pigs revolved around his own self interest, he preferred the idea of living a lazy life while being respected for his fancy hat and carriage, and when he died to be raised high on a parapet covered with luxurious furs while a bunch of people gathered around him bowing. That's what he'd prefer. If his plans were for the benefit of the pigs, he'd leave them alone. Since his plans revolved around himself, then he corralled them. Does he consider himself any different than a pig? Duke Huan was hunting in the lowlands with Guan Zhong (his prime minister) as his attendant when he saw a ghost. The Duke reached unsteadily for Guan Zhong's hand and said: "My highest adviser Zhong, did you see anything over there?" He replied: "Your humble servant didn't notice anything." When the Duke returned home he couldn't form a sensible sentence and fell quite ill, refusing to go out for several days. Huang Zi Gao Ao (Brilliant Master of Speaking Right Out), a scholar in the state of Qi, said: "You're the one who's hurting yourself. How would a ghost be able to harm you? If your heart gets as unsettled as a herd of wild animals and your vital energy disperses and doesn't return, then you won't be good for anything. If the energy flies up and doesn't come back down, that would make anyone irritable. If it sinks down but doesn't come back up again, that would make anyone depressed. If it neither goes up nor down, but settles in the middle of the body and is clutched by the heart, then it can create great illness." Duke Huan said: "Is it true that there are ghosts?" "There are. In deep pits there is Lu. In the hearth (stove) there is Ji. In the patch of dust inside the door sill there is Lei Ting. Under the northeastern eaves Bei A and Gui Long leap about. Under the northwestern eaves, that's where Yi Yang hangs out. In the water there's Wang Xiang. In the hills there's Xin. In the mountains there's Kui. On the plains there's Pang Huang. In the lowlands there's Wei Yi." The Duke said: "Excuse me, but may I ask what Wei Yi looks like?" Huang Zi said: "Wei Yi? It's as wide as the hub of a chariot wheel and as tall as a wheel shaft. It wears purple clothing and a red hat. This creature hates to hear the thundering roar of passing chariots, and if it does it stands up and covers its head with its hands. One who sees it is on the verge of becoming overlord of the empire." Duke Huan brightened right up and laughed saying: "So that's what I saw out there!" At that point he straightened his clothes and hat, sat up alongside him (Huang Zi) and it didn't take one day for his illness to be gone without him realizing it. Ji Xing Zi (Master Careful Inspection) was raising a fighting cock for the king. After ten days he was asked: "Is the cock ready yet?" "Not yet. He's still pretentiously arrogant and relies solely on his physical prowess." In ten days he was asked again and said: "Not yet. He still overly reacts to everything happening around him." In ten days he was asked again and said: "Not yet. He still gives contemptuous glares and retains animosity." In ten days he was asked again and said: "He's about ready. Although another cock may crow at him, he doesn't change his demeanor, but gazes at him as if he were made of wood. His virtue is complete. Other cocks wouldn't be confident enough to respond to him, but would turn and walk away." Kong Zi (Confucius) was observing the view from the Lu Liang Mountains where there was a waterfall three hundred feet high. The foam and froth created by the water as it hit bottom extended for thirteen miles. Neither turtles, alligators, fish nor any other water creatures were able to swim in those rapids. He saw one man swimming in the current and figured he must be very troubled and was trying to commit suicide so he told his disciples to line up at the banks of the river and rescue him. After the man had gone a few hundred feet he popped up in the water with his hair trailing behind him like a blanket, singing as he floated, and swam up to the edge of the embankment and climbed out. Kong Zi went up to him and asked: "I thought you must have been some sort of ghost, but now I can see you're a man. Please excuse me for asking, but do you have a special way to flit through water like that?" "No, I don't have a special way. I started with what was inborn in me, grew up following my own nature, and accomplished what I have because of my fate. When I enter, I merge with the flow and let it carry me. When I exit, I allow myself to be floated up gently by the current. I follow the way of the water and don't try to force against it. That's how I flit through the water." Kong Zi said: "What do you mean by starting with what is inborn, growing up following your own nature, and accomplishing due to fate?" "I was born from a pile of dirt so I'm comfortable in the hills - that's what's inborn. I grew from the water, so I'm comfortable in water - that's my nature. I don't know why I am the way I am, but I'm comfortable being what I am - that's fate." Woodworker Qing made elaborately carved wooden bell stands. When others saw the completed bell stands, they were startled and thought they must have been created by supernatural beings. The Marquis of Lu saw one of them and asked: "What special art do have to be able to do this?" He replied: "Your humble servant is merely an artisan. What special artistic ability could I have? However, I do use one system. When I'm about to create a bell stand, I'm careful not to expend too much of my vital energy, so I have to first settle my mind and heart in calmness. For three days I prepare myself by giving up on any ideas of praise or rewards for my work. The next five days I prepare by not being concerned whether my work will be criticized or considered to be not perfect enough. Then for seven days I prepare myself by forgetting about the prescribed shapes of things including the shape of my own body. By that time I've lost all consideration as to what the royal court would demand of me, concentrate completely on my task, and outside influences just disappear. Then I enter the mountain forests and observe the naturalness of the heavens. By seeing that all the shapes around me are complete of themselves, I can envision a completed bell stand. At that point I can actually start working with my hands, but not until then. It's because I use the heavens to fit perfectly with the heavens that some suspect my tools were used by spirits. That's all there is to it!" Dong Ye Ji (Reckless Driver from the East) was showing Duke Zhuang his abilities at driving a chariot. He steered the chariot forwards and backward using the middle rope to guide the horses. He turned in concentric circles to the left and right by using the middle guide line. Duke Zhuang thought no one could surpass these elaborate moves. As a further test, he told him to make one hundred circuits of the arena and then return. Yan He, who had been watching what was going on, went in to see the Duke and said: "Ji's horses are going to jade." The Duke stiffened up and didn't respond. A short time later the horses did jade and had to return. The Duke said: "How did you know that was going to happen?" He responded: "The strength of the horses was exhausted, yet he kept demanding more of them. That's how I knew they were going to jade." Carpenter Chui could draw a more accurate circle with his finger than those who used a compass or ruler and he didn't have to double check his marks. That's because he kept his Ling Tai (a place within where the spirit can be elevated and congealed) unified and unfettered. The feet are forgotten when the shoes are comfortable. The waist is forgotten when the belt is comfortable. The knowledge of right and wrong is forgotten when the heart and mind are comfortable. What's inside doesn't change and what's outside doesn't sense a need to conform when situations are dealt with comfortably. When you start out being comfortable and never become uncomfortable, then you forget about trying to be comfortable. A man by the name of Sun Xiu (Last Descendant of the Family) walked heavily up to a gate and startled the Master of the house, Bian Qing Zi (Master Expression of Good Tidings), when he spoke: "I live in the countryside, but I've never had someone call me uncultured because of that. I've lived through turbulent times, but I've never had someone call me a coward for not doing more. But even so, none of the fields I've cultivated from scratch have ever produced a good harvest, and none of the rulers I've served have ever recognized me. I'm treated as a foreigner in my own village and have been thrown out of the big city offices. What crime have I committed against the heavens that I should meet with such a sorry fate?" Bian Zi said: "Haven't you heard about the behavior of a perfected person? He forgets about his liver and gall, and doesn't overvalue his ears and eyes. In a ridiculous manner he goes to and fro in the dust and dirt outside. Free and unfettered he doesn't get involved with the affairs of business. This is called taking actions without being dependent on results and being efficient without needing to control. Now you pretend to be intelligent so as to stupefy the ignorant, keep your body fit so as to amaze the spoiled, and consider your behavior to be so brilliant and stunning that it would eclipse both the sun and the moon. Thus far you've kept your bodily form in tact, your nine apertures are working properly, and you haven't been struck in the middle of your life with blindness, deafness, lameness or a deformity, and compared to most other people you've been very lucky. So why would you spend your leisure time complaining about the heavens? Go away!" When Sun Zi had gone, Bian Zi went into the house. He sat there staring into space then looked upward and heaved a big sigh. One of his disciples asked: "Master, why did you sigh like that?" Bian Zi said: "When Xui came for directions, I told him about the virtue of a perfected person. I'm afraid I startled him and left him in utter confusion." The disciple said: "Not necessarily. Was what Sun Zi said correct and what you said incorrect? If so, then what's incorrect would never be able to cause uncertainty about what was correct. Was what Sun Zi said incorrect and what you said correct? If so, then he was already completely uncertain when he arrived. Both of you could be to blame." Bian Zi said: "Not necessarily. In ancient times, a bird landed in the countryside of the state of Lu. The Prince of Lu was delighted with it, so he arranged for a great sacrificial ceremony in order to provide it with a banquet of delicious food, and had the 'Nine Shao' music played to entertain it. The bird got a very worried and concerned look on it's face and refused to eat or drink anything. This is called using what nourishes yourself to try to nourish a bird. If instead one uses what nourishes a bird to nourish a bird, it would be allowed to perch deep in the forest, float on the rivers and lakes, hunt and peck for food then comfortably settle on a piece of land - and that's all. Now Xui is slow on the uptake and is much less well informed than other people. When I told him about the virtue of a perfected person, that was like transporting a mouse in a horse-drawn carriage, or entertaining a dove with bells and drums. How would he not be startled?" | 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 | |
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