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Abiding by the suggestions of others occurs nine out of ten times. Abiding by quotations from others occurs seven out of ten times. And yet free flowing words are spoken every day which join in singing to the limits of the heavens. Abiding by the suggestions of others occurs nine out of ten times because it's an opportunity to take advantage of other people's theories. A father doesn't become a matchmaker for his son, since a father would give him the highest praise, and it would be better to have someone else to do that. Instead of having to bear the blame ourselves, we can put the blame on someone else. We comfortably agree with those who feel the same way we do, but reject those who feel differently. Those who agree with us are considered to be right, but those who disagree with us are considered to be wrong. Abiding by quotations from others occurs seven out of ten times because they are phrases that have already been voiced and accepted throughout history. To get stuck on what was put forth by others in the past without checking out how it applies in real time is merely wishing to be clones of those in the past, but actually opposes the lessons offered from history. If a person doesn't create their own history then they won't have a personal Dao. If a person doesn't have a personal Dao then they can be called as stale as old bread. Free flowing words are spoken every day which join in singing to the limits of the heavens because they erupt naturally, and spread out in all directions for the extent of one's life. You can't use words to even things out. You can't even things out by making your words even, and you can't even things out by using words to express how things could be even. Therefore it's said: "Let go of what you say." Say it then let go of what was said, then if you speak for your whole life you haven't really said anything, just as if you hadn't spoken for your whole life you wouldn't have said anything either. There's a part of yourself you consider acceptable and a part of yourself you consider unacceptable. There's a part of yourself you consider natural and a part of yourself you consider unnatural. What is it that's natural? What you consider to be natural is natural. What is it that's unnatural? What you consider to be unnatural is unnatural. What is it that's acceptable? What you consider to be acceptable is acceptable. What is it that's unacceptable? What you consider to be unacceptable is unacceptable. All things have something we consider to be natural just as all things have something we consider to be acceptable. If you try to go against the free flowing words that you could say every day which join in singing to the limits of the heavens, who could ever accomplish that for very long? What all living things have in common is that they sprout from a seed, and even though their shapes and forms differ as they each mature, their beginnings and endings seem to be linked to one another. Nothing can gain precedence over something else. This is what's meant by the equality of the heavens. One who is equal to the heavens joins in singing to the limits of the heavens. Zhuangzi said to Hui Zi: "By the time Kong Zi (Confucius) turned sixty years old he had gone through sixty transformations. What he started out considering to be right in the beginning, he ended up considering to be wrong. He doesn't know even today if what he calls right and wrong might be like all the other fifty-nine times he was wrong." Hui Zi said: "Kong Zi devoted himself diligently to the pursuit of knowledge." Zhuangzi said: "Kong Zi eventually rejected that notion. Hasn't he explained that with these words of his: 'People receive natural abilities from their roots (genetic pool) and recover them to be effective in their lives.' When making grunts and noises you obey your vocal chords, but when phrasing words you obey protocol. When the benefits of righteousness were put on display, the only things that came out of people's mouths were terms describing their likes and dislikes, and what they deemed to be right and wrong in order to convince others. As though by truly convincing others and making them not dare to take an unconventional stand you could put the whole world in order. Like that would be order. Stop it! Stop it! There's no way we could achieve that kind of ideal!" Zeng Zi (Zeng Shen) was promoted twice in his governmental position, and his attitude changed after his second promotion. He said: "I was with my parents when I got my first appointment, and even though I only received eighteen bushels of grain for my pay, my heart was happy. Now that I've been promoted I receive eighteen thousand bushels of grain in pay but I have no one to share it with, so my heart is sad." Zhong Ni's (Confucius) disciples asked Zhong Ni: "Doesn't it seem that Shen (Zeng Shen) can be called someone who's without a reason to hang his head in shame?" "He's still hanging his head. Could someone who had no reason to hang their head still have so much sorrow? He could have looked at eighteen bushels and eighteen thousand bushels as though he was observing so many sparrows, mosquitoes and horse flies passing in front of him." Yan Cheng Zi You (Mr. Image of a Successful Traveler) told Dong Guo Zi Qi (Mr. Guard of the Eastern Wall): "This is what's happened to me since I heard what you had to say: The first year I was wild and uncultivated. The second year I followed you. The third year I mastered it. The fourth year I became just another thing. The fifth year I had arrived. The sixth year strange spirits entered me. The seventh year I connected with the heavens. The eighth year I had no comprehension of death or life. The ninth year I realized the great mystery. "What possesses life will eventually die. People are urged to contemplate their death because they fix their attention on themselves, but life is the brightest when there's no sense of self. Isn't that the way it is? Where is there to go to? Where is there not to go to? The heavens provide a method for counting out the days, and on the earth people rely on that. What more do I need to ask about? We don't know how anything will end up, so how can we claim there's no such thing as destiny? We don't know how anything began, so how can we claim there is such a thing as destiny? While we have responses to what's around us, how can we claim that we're not influenced by spirits? If we no longer respond to what's around us, how can we claim that we're influenced by spirits?" The surrounding penumbra asked the shadow: "It seems like you were bending down, and now you're rising up; your hair was tied up, and now it's hanging down loosely; you were sitting and now you're standing; you were moving, and now you're still. Why all the commotion?" The shadow said: "Why are you searching for an answer to these trivial questions? I am what I am but I don't know why I'm this way. I'm like a cicada who sheds its dead discarded shell, and like a snake who sloughs off its skin. I'm similar to those things in some respects but not in others. When the blazing sun is shining in the sky I grow larger. When the darkness of night settles I'm replaced by other things. Don't I have to wait for each of these things to occur before becoming something? It would then seem like there are so many things I'd always be waiting on! When things arise then I arise along with them. When things pass then I pass along with them. When things burst forth in brightness then I burst forth in brightness with them. Things just burst forth in brightness, so why would I need to ask why that happens?" (Note: Penumbra - A space of partial illumination [as in an eclipse] between the perfect shadow on all sides and the full light.) When Yang Zi Ju was on his way east to the city of Pei, Lao Dan (Laozi) was traveling west on his way to Qin, so he invited Laozi to meet with him in the outskirts of the city of Liang. In the middle of their journey Laozi looked up to the sky and sighed, saying to him: "At first I thought you could be taught, but now I don't think you can." Yang Zi Ju didn't respond. When they reached an inn, he went and fetched a bowl of water, a towel and a comb in order for Laozi to freshen up. He removed his sandals outside the door and crawled forward on his knees to where Laozi was sitting and said: "When we met I wanted to ask you something, but you were moving so quickly with other things on your mind that I didn't think it was appropriate. Now that you're sitting comfortably, I'd like to request you tell me where I've gone wrong." Laozi said: "You're such a boastful know-it-all, who could ever get close to you? The greatest clarity reveals humiliation. The greatest virtue reveals insufficiency." Yang Zi Ju immediately changed his manner and said: "I will respectfully obey your advice." When he first arrived at the inn everyone came out to greet him like a dignitary. The innkeeper saw to it that he had a comfortable place on the mat, and the innkeeper's wife brought him a towel and comb to freshen up. Everyone moved away so he'd have lots of space on his mat and gave him a warm place near the fire. When he returned later, everyone at the inn jostled with him for a place on the mat. | 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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