by Chuang Tzu
‘In the final section, I used notes that did not wear you out. I brought them together spontaneously. This seemed like chaos, like a thicket sprung from one root, like natural music produced from no one knows what, moving yet going nowhere, hidden in deep darkness. Some call this death, others life. Some call it fruit, others the flower. The notes moved, flowed, separated and changed, following no clear pattern. Understandably, the world is uncertain about them. The world sought advice from the sages, believing the sage to know true shape and true fate. When Heaven has not wound up the spring of life, but the five vital organs are all there ready, this is what is known as the music of Heaven, which delights the heart without words. So the Lord of Yen praised it saying, “Listening for it, you do not hear it; looking for it, you do not see its shape. It fills all Heaven and Earth, embracing the six directions.” You desire to hear it, but it is beyond you, which is what confused you.
‘I first performed the music which would induce awe, and because of this awe, fear arose like some spectre. Next I came up with weariness and this weariness brought on compliance in you. I ended with confusion and this made you feel stupid. But this stupidity reveals the Tao, the Tao that can be carried with you, wherever you are.’
Confucius was travelling in the west, in Wei State. Yen Yuan asked musician Chin, ‘What do you think of the way my Master proceeds?’
Musician Chin replied, ‘It’s a shame! It seems likely to end in problems!’
‘Why’s that?’ said Yen Yuan.
‘The straw dogs,57 before they are set out for the sacrifice, are kept in a basket which is covered by a beautifully designed embroidery. Meanwhile, the representatives of the dead and the official in charge of the rituals pray and prepare themselves to fetch the straw dogs. However, once they have been presented, they are just trampled on, head and back, by those around. The left-over bits are swept up and burnt by the grass-cutters. That’s all they’re worth by then. If anyone takes them and puts them back in their baskets, covers them again with the embroidery and then hangs around or even lies down beside them to sleep, he will either have fearful dreams or, more likely, constant nightmares.
‘Now your Master seems to have picked up some straw dogs originating from previous kings and has summoned his followers to lie down and sleep beneath them. The result was that the tree was chopped down in Sung; he was forced out of Wei; he got into considerable problems in Shang and Chou. Aren’t these events like bad dreams? He was besieged in Chen and Tsai, and for seven days he had no cooked food, leaving him suspended between death and life. Aren’t these events like nightmares?
‘If you’re travelling by water, using a boat is a good idea: if you’re travelling by land, try using a carriage. The boat is fine for travelling by water, but if you try and drag it across the land, you can try for a whole lifetime but it is unlikely to go very far. Are not the past and the present like water and land? Are not the states of Chou and Lu like the boat and carriage? To try nowadays to behave in Lu as if you were in Chou is like trying to drag the boat across the land: a great deal of effort for no return, and harmful to one’s self as well. Anyone who tries to do so does not understand that the efforts and the works of one age cannot, without great contortions, be made to fit another age.
‘Have you never seen a well-pump in action? Pull it up, down it goes, let go and up it comes. So, people pull it, it is not the pump that is pulling the people. Thus, whether it rises or falls, the well-pump itself cannot be blamed by people. Therefore, it is the same with the rituals and prescriptions of the Three August Ones and the Five Emperors,58 who gained their reputation not from being the same, but through their ability to govern. As a result we can compare the Three August Ones and the Five Emperors to haws, pears, oranges and lemons. Their taste is quite distinct but all can enjoyably be eaten.
‘So it is with rituals and prescriptions – they change according to the age. Now, take a monkey and dress it up to look like the Duke of Chou and the poor monkey will struggle and bite until he has got rid of the clothes. Look carefully and you will see that the past and present are like the monkey and the Duke of Chou. Take the case of Hsi Shih, the famous beauty, whose heart was troubled and so she often frowned on those around her. An ugly woman of the area saw the beauty of Hsi Shih, went home, lamented, and frowned on those around her. As soon as they saw her, the wealthy people in the area slammed their gates shut and refused to venture out! When the poor people saw her, they rushed to gather up their women and children and fled! This poor woman knew that a frown could be beautiful but she did not know why a frown could be beautiful. Poor soul!
‘It’s all up for your Master!’
Confucius had pottered along for fifty-one years and had never heard anyone speak of the Tao until he went south to Pei and went to see Lao Tzu.
Lao Tzu said, ‘So you’ve come then, Sir? I have heard of you, that you are the wise man of the north. Have you, Sir, followed the Tao?’
‘I have not yet followed it,’ replied Confucius.
‘Well, Sir, where have you looked?’
‘I looked for it in what can be measured and regulated, but even after five years I still haven’t been able to find it.’
‘So, Sir, what did you do then?’ asked Lao Tzu.
‘I looked for it in yin and yang, but ten, twelve years went by and I still couldn’t find it.’
‘Obviously!’ said Lao Tzu. ‘If the Tao could be served up, everyone would serve it up to their lords. If the Tao could be offered, there is no one who would not offer it to their parents. If the Tao could be spoken of, there is no one who would not speak of it to their brothers and sisters. If the Tao could be passed on, there is no one who would not pass it on to their heirs. However, it obviously cannot be so and the reason is as follows.
‘If there is no true centre within to receive it,
it cannot remain;
if there is no true direction outside to guide it,
it cannot be received.
If the true centre is not brought out
it cannot receive on the outside.
The sage cannot draw it forth.
If what comes in from the outside is not welcomed by the true centre,
then the sage cannot let it go.
Fame is something sought by all,
but don’t go for too much of it.
Benevolence and righteousness are as the houses of the former kings,
useful for one night’s shelter,
but don’t stay there too long.
To stay long causes considerable adverse comment.
‘The perfect man of old walked the Tao of benevolence, a path which he took on loan; he used righteousness as a place to lodge for a night. So it was that he ambled through the void and uncontrolled places; found food in the open fields and enjoyed the gardens which were not his. To be in such freedom, you must take actionless action. The open fields make living easy. He gives nothing and requires nothing. The ancient ones knew this as the wandering of the Truth Gatherer.
‘Someone who believes wealth is the most important thing cannot give up their income; someone who seeks pre-eminence cannot give up the hunt for fame; those who love power cannot hand it over to others.
‘Those who cling to things like these are usually fearful. Letting them go just once causes such agony that they will not consider even once doing so, although it would show them the folly of their ways. These are people bearing the punishment of Heaven. Hatred and kindness, taking and giving, correction and instruction, life and death, these eight things are tools of reform. However, only the one who abides by the great change and who does not stand in its way can use them. So it is said, to correct is to reform. If the heart cannot accept this, then the gate of Heaven is not opened.’
Confucius went to see Lao Tzu and talked with him about benevolence and righteousness. Lao Tzu said, ‘If you get grit in your eye from winnowing chaff, then Heaven and Earth and the four directions get mixed up. A mosquito or gadfly which stings y
ou can keep you awake all night. And benevolence and righteousness, when forced upon us, disturb your heart and produce great distress. You, Sir, if you want to stop everything below Heaven losing its original simplicity, you must travel with the wind and stand firm in Virtue. Why do you exert yourself so much, banging a big drum and hunting for a lost child? The snow goose doesn’t need a daily bath to stay white, nor does the crow need to be stained every day to stay black. Black and white comes from natural simplicity, not from argument. Fame and fortune, though sought after, do not make people greater than they actually are. When the waters dry up and the fish are stranded on the dry land, they huddle together and try to keep each other moist by spitting and wetting each other. But wouldn’t it be even better if they could just forget each other, safe in their lakes and rivers?’
After seeing Lao Tzu, Confucius went home and for three days he said nothing. His followers asked him, ‘Master, now you have seen Lao Tzu, what do you make of him?’
‘I have now seen a dragon!’ said Confucius. ‘A dragon coils up to show its form, it stretches out to display its power. It rides upon the breath of the clouds and is nourished by yin and yang. My mouth gaped open and I could not shut it. What can I say about Lao Tzu?’
Tzu Kung said, ‘So it is really true that this man can be as still as the dead and see like a dragon, have a voice like thunder and be as still as deep waters? Can he travel through Heaven and Earth? Could I also set off to meet him?’ So, with a note from Confucius, he set off to see Lao Tzu.
Lao Tzu sat himself down and spoke softly: ‘I have seen many years roll by. What do you want, Sir?’
Tzu Kung replied, ‘The Three August Ones and the Five Emperors ruled all under Heaven, but not in the same way, yet their fame is as the same. Sir, why do you not consider them as sages?’
‘Come a little closer, my boy!’ said Lao Tzu. ‘Why do you say they were not the same?’
‘Yao gave the throne to Shun and Shun gave it to Yu. Yu drew upon his strength and Tang resorted to war. King Wen was faithful to Chou and did not rebel. King Wu revolted against Chou and would not be loyal. This is why I say they were different.’59
‘Come a little closer, my boy! I will tell you how the Three August Ones and the Five Emperors ruled the whole world. The Yellow Emperor ruled everything below Heaven in such a way as to make the hearts of all people one. If someone’s parents died, but he did not cry, none of the people blamed him. Yao ruled the whole world in such as way as to make the hearts of the people truly affectionate. So, if someone wished to mourn for a longer or shorter period for other relatives than they did for their parents, none of the people blamed them.
‘Shun ruled all under Heaven in such a way as to make the hearts of all the people divided. The wives gave birth to the children after ten months. By the time they were five months old, these children were talking; they were already calling people by their proper titles when they were still just babies. It was then that premature death first began.
‘Yu ruled all under Heaven in such a way as to make the hearts of the people change. As a result, each person was felt to have their own heart and warfare was seen as legitimate. They killed thieves but not others. Everyone in the world seemed only concerned with his own self. This meant the whole world was full of anxiety, and from this came the Literati and the Mohists. For the first time ever they created the regulation of behaviour, but what would they say today about the customs of marrying wives and daughters?
‘Let me tell you frankly about the Three August Ones and the Five Emperors and their rule – for it can be called ruling, although it was nothing less than terrible chaos. The knowledge of the Three August Ones rose up like a cloud against the clarity of light of the sun and moon; bore down upon the tranquillity of the hills and rivers and levelled the distinctive aspects of the flow of the four seasons. Their knowledge was more deadly than the sting of the scorpion or the bite of a beast. Unable to be true to their innate natures and being, they still saw themselves as sages. Is this not shameful, that they were not ashamed?’
Tzu Kung was deeply shocked and knew not what to say.
Confucius said to Lao Tzu, ‘I have mastered the Poems, the Histories, the Rites, the Music, the I Ching and the Spring and Autumn – all of the Six Classics. I know them inside out. However, I have discussed them with seventy-two rulers, telling them of the Tao of the first kinds and the illumination of the path trodden by Chou and Shao, but not one king has been interested. They’ve done nothing! It is so difficult to preach to such people! How can I make the Tao clear to them?’
Lao Tzu said, ‘It is very lucky, Sir, that you did not discover a ruler who would try to govern this generation in such a way! The Six Classics are the tired footpaths of the first kings, not the actual feet that trod those paths! Now, Sir, what you are going on about is just these worn footpaths. But footpaths are created by the feet that first walked them. They are not the feet themselves! The white herons only have to look into each other’s eyes without blinking for impregnation to happen. A male insect buzzes above and the female replies from below and impregnation takes place, borne upon the air. The creature called Lei contains both male and female and so impregnates itself. Innate nature does not change; fate is unalterable; time cannot be stopped and the Tao cannot be halted. Hold fast to the Tao and there is nothing it cannot do; lose it and there is nothing that can be done.’
Confucius did not go out for three months, then he went to see Lao Tzu and said, ‘I’ve grasped it! The raven hatches its young; the fish spew forth their eggs; the slim-waisted wasp transforms, and when a younger brother comes along the elder brother weeps. For too long I have not been able to work in harmony with these changes. So, given that I did not play my part in harmony with others, how could I expect to change people?’
Lao Tzu replied, ‘Well done. So now you’ve grasped it.’
CHAPTER 15
Rigid and Arrogant
To be rigid and arrogant;
to be above this generation and distant from its ways;
to talk of great principles;
to be critical and disparaging:
these are approved by scholars who dwell in the mountains, by men who are not of this age, who are worn and weary or who cast themselves into the deep.
To preach about benevolence, righteousness, loyalty and faithfulness;
to be humble, moderate, selfless and civil:
these are the marks of self-development and are the signs of the scholars who wish to reform this generation. These are approved by the one who wishes to preach and teach, whether at home or abroad.
To talk of great achievements;
to make a great name;
to arrange the rituals between ruler and minister;
to sort out those above from those below;
to organize the ruling of the state:
this is what is approved by the scholar who values the court and state, who loves his ruler and honours his country, who does what he can and who seizes lands.
To live amongst the wilds and lakes;
to dwell in isolated places;
to fish alone;
actionless action:
this is what is approved by the scholar who retreats to the rivers and seas, who leaves this generation alone, who is in no hurry.
Huffing, puffing;
grunting and groaning;
expelling the old breath and taking in the new;
undertaking physical exercises to preserve the body and soul;
long life his sole concern:
this is what is approved, this is the Tao of the scholar who infuses his self with breath, feeding his body, hoping to live as long as Peng Tsu.
To achieve loftiness without the burden of bias;
to follow the ways of improvement without benevolence or righteousness;
to rule successfully without achievement or fame;
who rest without rivers and oceans;
long life without organization;
to lose everything and yet to have all;
to drift calmly and endlessly, while all good things pay court to them:
this is the Tao of Heaven and Earth, the Virtue of the sages.
The saying goes, ‘Calm, detachment, silence, quiet, emptiness and actionless action, these are what maintain Heaven and Earth, the Tao and Virtue.’ The saying goes, ‘The sage rests, truly rests and is at ease.’ This manifests itself in his calmness and detachment, so that worries and distress cannot affect him, nothing unpleasant can disturb him, his Virtue is complete and his spirit is not stirred up.
The saying goes, that the sage’s life is the outworking of Heaven and his death is the transformation of everything. When he is still, his Virtue is like yin; when he is moving, his pervasiveness is like yang. He brings neither good fortune nor bad. He acts and moves in response to forces beyond. When he finds something, he rises up. He ignores knowledge and nostalgia, following only the pattern of Heaven. So he risks no disaster from Heaven, nor complications from things, no accusation from anyone, no charges from the spirits of the dead. In life he floats; at death he rests. He does not consider and plot, nor design for the future. He shines but is not seen; his good faith has no record; his sleep is dreamless and he wakes without fear. His spirit is pure and without blemish; his soul never tires. Empty, selfless, calm and detached, he is in harmony with Heaven’s Virtue.
It is said that sadness and happiness are corruptions of Virtue; joy and anger are errors of the Tao; goodness and evil are contrary to Virtue. So, for the heart to be without sadness and happiness, is to have perfected Virtue. To be one and changeless, this is to have perfected stillness; to encounter no opposition is to have perfected emptiness; to have no dealings with anything is to have perfected indifference; to have no feelings of dissent is to have perfected purity. So it is said that, if the body is overworked and is allowed no rest, it will collapse, and if the spirit is employed without stopping, it becomes tired and eventually reaches exhaustion.