by Chuang Tzu
The King said to his friend Yen Pu I, ‘This monkey showed off, relied on its skills and was rude to me, and this resulted in its death! Be warned by this! Ah, do not let yourself seem arrogant to others!’ So Yen Pu I went home and began to study with Tung Wu, to eliminate this look of arrogance from his face, to give up happiness and to leave reasoning. Within three years he was praised by everyone.
Tzu Chi of the Southern Suburb was sitting, leaning on the arm of his chair, gazing into Heaven and singing. Yen Cheng Tzu came in and, seeing him, said, ‘Master, you surpass all others. Is it true that your body can be made to look like a pile of dried bones and your heart be made like cold, dead ashes?’
Tzu Chi replied, ‘I used to live in a cave in a mountain. At that time Tien Ho89 came to see me for a visit, and the citizens of the kingdom of Chi congratulated him three times. I must have shown him who I am, since he obviously knew me. I must have been selling something and that is why he came to buy. If I had not displayed something, then how could he have known who or what I was? If I had not been selling something, then how could he have been able to buy anything? Oh dear! I do so pity those who lose themselves. I also pity those who pity others. However, I also pity those who pity those who pity others, but that was long ago.’
Confucius went to Chu, and the King of Chu offered a toast in wine. Sun Shu Ao stepped forward and raised the wine glass in his hand and I Liao from the Southern Market took some wine and poured it out as a libation, saying, ‘You are like a man of old! They would make speeches.’
Confucius said, ‘I have heard of speech which is without words, but I have never spoken it. I shall do so now. I Liao from the Southern Market played with a set of balls and the problems between the two houses were solved. Sun Shu Ao slept quietly,90 his fan waving gently, and the men of Ying prepared for war. How I wish I had a beak three feet long.’91
People like these follow the Tao that is not the Tao, and this discussion is the Argument Without Words. So it is that, when Virtue is fully integrated into the Tao and words stop where knowledge can know nothing more, there is perfection. The oneness of the Tao is beyond Virtue and what knowledge does not know is beyond what argument can cover. To label things as the Literati and the Mohists do is useless.
The sea does not reject the rivers that flow into it from the east; this is great perfection.
The sage holds both Heaven and Earth and his benign influence reaches out to all below Heaven, yet we know nothing of his background.
So it is that he has no official title while he is alive and no eulogies when he is dead. His reality is not known and labels do not stick to him: this is known as the great man.
A dog is not thought special just because it can bark, and no man is thought wise just because he can speak. Even less is he thought to be great. Anyone who thinks he is great is not to be counted as such, nor seen as virtuous. Nothing is greater than Heaven and Earth, but they do not seek greatness. One who knows what it is to be great does not go looking for it, does not lose it nor reject it and does not change his opinions in order to be great. He turns inward and finds what is without end. He follows the ancient ways and finds what never dies. This is the sincerity of the great man.
Tzu Chi had eight sons, and he called them before him, and summoned Chiu Fang Yin and said, ‘Study the physiognomy of my sons and tell me which one is to be the greatest.’
‘Kun is the most fortunate,’ said Chiu Fang Yin.
Tzu Chi was stunned and yet also delighted. ‘How is this?’ he said.
‘Kun will dine with the ruler of a kingdom and this will last all his life.’
Tears poured from Tzu Chi’s eyes and he said unhappily, ‘What has my son done to deserve this?’
‘One who shares the table of a ruler of a kingdom brings blessings to all three sections of his family, and especially to his father and mother!’ said Chiu Fang Yin. ‘Now, Master, when I said this to you, you wept. This will disturb the fortune. The son is fortunate indeed, but his father is not so fortunate.’
Tzu Chi said, ‘Yin, how do you know that this will be fortune for Kun? What you describe, the food and drink, only touches on the nose and the mouth, so how can you claim to know where such things come from? I have never been a shepherd, but a ewe gave birth to a lamb in the south-west corner of my fields. I have never been a hunter, but a flock of quail have arrived in the south-east corner of my fields.92 If this isn’t strange, then what is? When I go out wandering and travelling with my son, we journey through Heaven and Earth. We look for pleasure in Heaven and we look for nourishment from Earth. He and I don’t get caught up in the affairs of the world, or in plots or in any strange practices. He and I ride upon the reality of Heaven and Earth and let nothing come between us. He and I are one in undisturbed unity and we not interested in doing what others think would be useful. Now you come and tell us that he has this crude and common “success”! In my experience, when something untoward happens, this is the result of something untoward having been done. This comes not from any action of mine nor of my son, but it must come from Heaven! Yes, this is what makes me weep.’
A little while after this he sent Kun to do some work in the kingdom of Yen. While on the road, bandits captured him. They decided that it would be difficult to sell him as he was, but if they cut off his foot, then they could sell him easily.93 They did this, and sold him in the kingdom of Chi, where, as fortune would have it, he became a palace official in the palace of Duke Kang and so had food to sustain him until the end of his days.
Nieh Chueh bumped into Hsu Yu and said, ‘Master, where are you heading?’
‘I am escaping Yao.’
‘What do you mean?’
Hsu Yu said, ‘Yao has become obsessed with benevolence and I am worried that he will be mocked throughout the world. Future generations might even resort to eating each other because of this! The people come together without difficulty. Give them love, and they will care for you, assist them, and they will rally round you, praise them, and they will be excited, upset them, and they will desert you. Love and assistance arise from benevolence and righteousness, and while some people will deny benevolence and righteousness, the majority look to them for assistance. Benevolence and righteousness conducted under these circumstances become insincere, and possibly may be evil, like lending traps to others. Allowing one man to determine what the world needs through his own powers is like trying to comprehend everything in one moment. Yao knows that the worthy man can assist the whole world, but he does not know that such a person can ruin the whole world, for it is only those outside this sphere of influence who can really understand.’
You have the gullible and the weak, you have the quick and vain and you have the greedy and bent.
Those who are known as the gullible and the weak study under just one master, they say yes to him and then feel privately smug, believing that they have understood all that is necessary, when in fact they have not grasped a single thing. These are known as the gullible and the weak.
The quick and the vain are like lice on a pig. The lice find a place where the bristles are long and well-spaced and they view this as a great palace or vast park. They might choose the groove between the hoof or the area of the nipples and the thigh and in such a safe place they consider this to be their quiet retreat. They do not know that one morning the butcher will make a sweep with his arm, lay out the grass, light the fire and that then they will be burnt up along with the pig. Their progress is limited and their retreat is limited. These are known as the quick and the vain.
The greedy and bent are similar to Shun. Mutton doesn’t want ants, but ants want mutton, especially when it is off. Shun was also off: this was why the hundred tribes were so delighted with him and followed after him. Even though he changed his place of residence three times, each one was counted as a capital city. When he arrived at the wilderness of Teng, he had a hundred thousand families with him. Yao heard of Shun and gave him control over the new and untamed country and said
he hoped Shun would bring benefits to all. When Shun was given this command, he was already quite elderly and his hearing and eyesight were poor, but he was unable to retire to his home. These are known as the greedy and the bent.
So it is that the spiritual man dislikes people crowding around him. If they insist on coming, he argues with them, and from this argument comes nothing of any benefit to anyone. Therefore, he ensures he has no attachment to anything, and nothing from which he is separated. Holding fast to Virtue and dwelling in harmony, he follows the world. This is what is known as the true man. He leaves knowledge for the ants, follows the style of fish and abandons the ideas of sheep.
See using the eyes, hear using the ears, have vision using the heart. If you do this the course is straight as if measured using a line, the changes are congenial. The true man of the past waited upon Heaven when dealing with people and did not wait upon people when dealing with Heaven. The true man of the past obtained it and was born, lost it and died, obtained it and died, and lost it and was born.
Medicines are like this. There is monkshood, ballflower, cockscomb and chinaroot. They each have their time when they are best suited, though to list all their uses would be impossible.
Kou Chien94 retreated to Mount Kuai Chi with three thousand soldiers in armoured jackets and carrying shields, and Minister Chung alone understood how to save the disaster-ridden state, but he didn’t know how to save himself from a tragic fate.
It is said that the eye of the owl is specially adapted and the leg of the crane has its right proportion. To try and cut out anything from these would be disaster to these creatures.
It is said that the wind blows over the river and the river is diminished. When the sun passes over the river, it loses something. If the sun and wind remain watching over the river, then the river will not be alarmed that they are doing anything to it, for it would continue to draw from the streams and go on its way. Water stays close to the earth and the shadow stays close to its source, for things stick together.
There is danger for the eye in seeing too clearly, danger for the ear in hearing too sharply and danger to the heart from caring too greatly. Indeed, it is dangerous to use any of our faculties. If these dangers are not dealt with, then disaster after disaster will ensue. To turn back from this to the original state takes much effort and time, but people consider these faculties as their greatest treasure, isn’t that sad! As a result there is constant destruction of states and endless massacre of the people, while no one knows how to look into how this happened.
The foot only touches a small part of the earth, yet people can travel great distances into the unknown.
The knowledge of people is minor, and though minor it has to trust in that which they do not know, to know what is meant by Heaven. It is known as the great One, the great mystery, the great yin, the great eye, the great equal, the great skill, the great truth, the great judge. All this is perfection.
The great One knows,
the great mystery reveals,
the great yin observes,
the great eye sees,
the great equal is the origin,
the great skill creates it,
the great trust touches it,
the great judge holds fast to it.
Heaven is in everything: follow the light, hide in the cloudiness and begin in what is. Do this and your understanding will be like not understanding and your wisdom will be like not being wise. By not being wise you will become wise later. When you ask questions, set no limits, even though they cannot be limitless. Although things seem to be sometimes going up and sometimes descending, sometimes slipping away, nevertheless there is a reality, the same today as in the past. It does not change, for nothing can affect it. Could we not say it is one great harmony? So why shouldn’t we ask about it and why are you so confused? If we use that which does not confuse to understand that which does confuse, then we can come back to that which does not confuse. This will be the great unconfusing.
CHAPTER 25
Travelling to Chu
Peng Yang was once travelling to Chu and hoped that Yi Chieh would mention him to the King. But before the King would see him, Yi Chieh left to go home. So Peng Yang went instead to Wang Kuo and said, ‘Sir, would you be kind enough to mention me to the King?’
Wang Kuo said, ‘I’m not as useful a contact as Kung Yueh Hsiu.’
Peng Yang said, ‘What sort of a person is this Kung Yueh Hsiu?’
‘In winter he spears turtles beside the river, in summer he holidays in the mountains. Those passing ask him what he is doing and he answers, “This is where I live.”
‘As Yi Chieh could not persuade the King to see you, what use will I be? I am not equal to Yi Chieh. He is the sort of man who has no virtue but who does have understanding, who is not lax with himself but devotes all his energy to furthering those around him. He’s attracted to fame and fortune, so if he helps you, it is not because of any virtue but out of contrariness. It is like trying to pretend spring has come by putting on extra clothes, or wanting winter’s cold winds to come and cool you in the summer. The King of Chu is also like this, overbearing and stern, and if he is upset by someone, he is as merciless as a tiger. No one except a toadying minister or one of true Virtue is able to discuss anything with him!
‘The sage living humbly makes even his family forget their poverty; when he is powerful, he makes kings and dukes forget their status and properties and become humble. With life he just tags along and enjoys himself. With the people he delights in the successes of others and holds true to himself. Sometimes, without a word, he brings harmony to people. Simply by being with them, he transforms people until they feel towards him as do father and son who are on good terms with each other, in unity. All this happens without any effort, for he is guided by his heart. This is why I say wait for Kung Yueh Hsiu.’
The sage goes beyond confusion and diversity and makes everything into one body. Even though he does not know for certain how, he is true to his innate nature. He comes back to destiny and reacts appropriately, with Heaven as his guide, so that people follow him and accord him titles. If he was concerned with what he knew and what he did was inconsistent, then how could he be stopped?
If someone is born with a beautiful appearance, you can give them a mirror, but they will never know that they have a beautiful appearance if you never tell them so. Whether they know it or not, whether they are told or not, their fine appearance will never be changed. Other people admire their good fortune, for it comes from their innate nature. The sage loves the people and the people bestow titles on him, yet if they do not tell him, he won’t know that he loves the people. Whether he knows it or he doesn’t, whether he is told this or not, his love for the people is unchanged and their tranquillity in him is endless, for this is his innate nature.
Someone who sees his native kingdom or his old city is bound to be excited. Even if it has become nothing but mounds, trees and bushes, and when he enters it, he finds nine-tenths of those whom he knew gone, nevertheless he is most definitely glad to see the place. Imagine his joy when he sees what he used to see and hears what he used to hear, for it is like a mighty eighty-foot tower of which he has heard talk.
Lord Jin Hsiang grasped that core principle around which everything revolves and followed it to its end. He went with all other things, with no end and no beginning, no desire, no time. Every day he saw change, but he himself was one with what never changes, so there was never any need for him to stop! Anyone who seeks Heaven as his teacher will never obtain Heaven as his teacher. He will end up just following things, and no matter what he does, he cannot help it.
The sage has no thoughts of Heaven,
no thoughts of humanity,
no thoughts of beginning,
no thoughts of others.
He goes with his generation and does not stop.
He does everything and is never blocked.
Others want to unite with him, but then, what else could they do?<
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Tang obtained the services of the rider Teng Heng and made him his instructor. He followed this teacher but was not restricted by him, so he was able to pursue his interests to their conclusion. This resulted in various honours. These honours were superfluous and revealed for all to see the twin aspects of what he had obtained. Confucius commands, ‘Work at what is at hand, that can be your teacher.’ Yung Cheng said, ‘Remove the days and there are no more years, no internal, no external.’
Ying of Wei made a treaty with the Marquis Tien Mou, but Marquis Tien Mou broke it. Ying of Wei was furious and was planning to send an assassin. The duke responsible for war heard of this and said, ‘Sire, you are the lord of ten thousand chariots and yet you, as ruler, would use a common man to exact revenge! Let me have two hundred thousand soldiers so that I can attack him, capture his people and seize his cattle and horses, stoking up a fire within him that will burn into his back. I shall then attack his capital. When his commander Chi attempts to escape, I will strike from behind and break his spine.’
Chi Tzu was ashamed when he heard this and said, ‘We have been building our walls up to eighty feet high and now, when they are almost complete, we’re about to make a breach in them. This will be an immense waste of the convict labour we have used. Now, we have not had to use our troops for seven years and this is what Your Lordship’s power rests upon. Yen is a trouble-maker and you should take no notice of him.’
Hua Tzu heard this and did not agree. ‘Those who say attack the state of Chi are trouble-makers,’ he said. ‘Those who say don’t attack are also trouble-makers. The one who says those who urge you to attack and those who don’t are both trouble-makers, is himself a trouble-maker.’
‘So, what should I do?’ said the ruler.