by Chuang Tzu
Not Enough asked Knowing Harmony, ‘There is no one who doesn’t seek fame and fortune. When someone is rich, everyone wants to know him. They are willing to abase themselves, hoping to impress. To have others fall down before you is one way of ensuring long life and comfort for the bodily needs as well as peace for the mind. Do you alone have no idea of this, Sir? Do you have no understanding or simply lack the will power? Or have you decided what is right and resolved never to deviate from this?’
Knowing Harmony said, ‘Now there is this man who lives around here and who was born at the same time as us: we who see ourselves as scholars, who have cast aside the common lot of this generation and risen above it. He has given up trying to define the principle of right. He studies the ancient past and this present time, the different views on what is right and what is wrong. He follows this degenerate generation in changing as the world changes, ignoring what has been deemed important, casting aside what is worthy, just doing whatever he wants. Yet is he not wrong in thinking this will prolong life, give the body all it needs for pleasure and joy to his will? He swings from grief and distress to happiness and joy, yet doesn’t understand how these affect the body. He suffers fear and fright and excitement and delight, yet this does nothing to help him understand why. He knows what is to be done, but not why it should be done. Indeed, you might have all the status of being a Son of Heaven and all the wealth of the whole world, yet still not escape disaster and distress.’
Not Enough said, ‘There is nothing that riches cannot give you. They bring the best in beauty and the summits of power, which neither the perfect man nor the sage can ever achieve. They buy strength and bravery from others which then make the owner feared and powerful. They can buy up the wisdom and the skills of others which then make the owner seem wise and knowledgeable. They can entice the virtues of others so that the owner can seem a man of consequence and principle. Even though he has no kingdom of his own, the wealthy man is as much respected as a ruler or even a father. Furthermore, music, beauty, good food and power can be enjoyed even by those who have never studied them before. The body can enjoy these without ever having had to learn from others.
‘Desire, dislikes, what to pursue and what to avoid: no one needs to be taught about these, for they are part of our innate nature. Nor am I the only person under Heaven to think like this. Who could ever give them up?’
Knowing Harmony said, ‘The wise man does things because of his concern for the well-being of everyone, and he does not do anything against convention. So if he has enough, he doesn’t seek for more, for as there is no need, he needn’t seek for anything. However, if there is too little, then he will seek for more. To do this he goes in all directions but would never see himself as being self-indulgent. If there is too much, he gives it away. He can give away all under Heaven and still not see himself as open-minded.
‘Open-minded or greedy are not caused by any external influence, they arise from the inborn state of being of each of us. Someone might be as powerful as the Son of Heaven, but never use this to dominate others. He could own the whole world, but never use his wealth to degrade others. He sizes up the situation and bears in mind the harm that could be inflicted upon his innate nature. This might lead him to withdraw from something he is offered – but not in order to win false praise and honour. Yao and Shun were Emperors and there was harmony, but not because they strove to be benevolent, for they would not permit what was good to harm them. Shan Chuan and Hsu Yu could have become Emperors, but they refused, not because they sought to impress by this but because they did not wish to inflict harm upon themselves through this. All of these followed what was to their advantage and refused what was harmful, and so the whole world celebrates them. Though they gained praise, they did not act as they did in order to have such praise.’
Not Enough replied, ‘But in order to do this they distressed their bodies and renounced what was pleasurable, restricting themselves to a meagre existence in order to survive. They were like those who exist for years in sickness and distress, waiting to die.’
‘Peaceful contentment is happiness,’ said Knowing Harmony, ‘while excess is dangerous. This is true for all things, but most especially in the case of wealth. Rich men hear the sounds of the bell and drum, flute and pipe, and their mouths are stuffed full of the most tasty meats and fine wines, until they are satiated and have forgotten what they are supposed to be doing. This is a disorderly state. Sinking into the depths of their desires, they are like someone carrying a heavy burden up a hill. This is bitter suffering. They desire riches and hope to find some comfort there. They desire power and try to hold on to it all. In the quiet of their private moments they sink into indulgence. Even if their bodies are fit and tanned, they become inflated with pride. This is a state of sickness. Desiring wealth, lusting after profit, they fill their rooms to overflowing and cannot desist. They are unable to escape this lust, they want even more and they ignore all those who advise against this. This is a state of disgrace. They heap up their wealth beyond anything they could ever use, but cling to it frantically. Even when they know the distress it causes, they want yet more and more. This state is called pathetic. Behind doors, they fear robbers and thieves. Out of doors, they are afraid of being mugged. They fortify themselves at home with towers and moats, and when travelling they dare not walk alone. This is the state of terror. These six states are the worst possible. But they forget them all and seem to have lost the faculty of reason. Once disaster comes, even if they wish to draw on all their innate nature or use up all their wealth, they can’t regain a single day of peacefulness. So it is that those who look for fame will not find it and those who look for fortune will not be able to find it. To wear out their minds and destroy their bodies in searching for these – surely this is simply terrible delusion!’
CHAPTER 30
The Lover of Swords
In the past King Wen of Chao loved swords. Specialists came to his gate, over three thousand of them, all experts in swordsmanship. They were his guests. Day and night they fought before him until the dead or wounded each year were more than a hundred. But the King never ceased to be delighted at watching them. This went on for three years, then the country began to fall apart and the other princes began to plot its overthrow.
Crown Prince Kuei was distressed by this, and he presented the situation to his followers:
‘If there is anyone here who can persuade the King to put away these swordsmen, I will give him a thousand pieces of gold,’ he said. His followers replied,
‘Chuang Tzu can do this.’
The Crown Prince sent an ambassador with a thousand pieces of gold to Chuang Tzu. Chuang Tzu refused the gold but returned with the ambassador. He came in to see the Crown Prince and said, ‘Oh Prince, what is it you wish to tell me that you send me a thousand pieces of gold?’
‘I have heard, Sir, that you are an illustrious sage,’ said the Crown Prince. ‘The gift of a thousand pieces of gold was a gift for your attendants. However, you have refused to accept this, so what more dare I say?’
Chuang Tzu said, ‘I have heard that the Crown Prince wants to use me to help the King give up his abiding passion. If in trying to do so I upset the King and fail to achieve what you hope for, then I might be executed. So what use would the gold be to me then? Or, if I could get the King to give up, and fulfil your hopes, what is there in this whole kingdom of Chao that I could not ask for and be given?’
‘You’re right,’ said the Crown Prince. ‘However the King will only see swordsmen.’
‘That’s all right. I’m quite good with a sword,’ replied Chuang Tzu.
‘Fair enough,’ said the Crown Prince, ‘but the swordsmen the King sees are all tousle-headed with spiky beards, wearing loose caps held on with simple, rough straps and robes that are cut short behind. They look about them fiercely and talk only of their sport. The King loves all this. Now, if you go in wearing your scholar’s garb you will start off on completely the wrong foot.’
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‘With your permission I will get a full swordsman’s outfit,’ said Chuang Tzu.
Within three days he had got this and returned to see the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince took him to see the King, who drew his sword and sat waiting for him. Chuang Tzu walked slowly into the hall through the main door. When he saw the King, he did not bow.
‘What instruction have you for me, that you have persuaded the Crown Prince about beforehand?’ demanded the King.
‘I have heard that the King likes swords and so I have brought my sword for the King to see.’
‘What use is your sword in combat?’
‘My sword can kill one person every ten paces, and after a thousand miles it is not faltering.’
The King was pleased and said, ‘There can be no one else like you under Heaven!’
‘A fine swordsman opens with a feint then gives ground, following up with a cut, stalling his opponent before he can react,’ replied Chuang Tzu. ‘I would like to show you my skills.’
‘Rest awhile in your rooms, Master, and await my commands,’ said the King. ‘I shall make arrangements for the contest and I will call you.’
The King spent the next seven days testing his swordsmen. More than sixty died or were severely wounded, leaving five or six who were selected and commanded to present themselves in the hall. Then he called in Chuang Tzu and said, ‘Now, this very day I shall pit you against these men to show your skills.’
‘I have longed for such an opportunity,’ said Chuang Tzu.
‘Sir, what sort of sword will you choose, long or short?’ asked the King.
‘Any kind will do,’ said Chuang Tzu, ‘but I have three swords, any of which I could use if the King agrees. But first I would like to say something about them and then use them.’
‘I would like to hear about these three swords,’ said the King.
‘I have the sword of the Son of Heaven, the sword of the noble Prince and the sword of the commoner,’ said Chuang Tzu.
‘What is this sword of the Son of Heaven?’
‘The Son of Heaven’s sword has as its point the Valley of Yen, and the Great Wall and Chi and Tai mountains as its blade edge. Chin and Wey are its ridge, Chou and Sung are its hilt and Han and Wei its sheath. On all four sides it is surrounded by barbarians and it is wrapped in die four seasons. The Sea of Po encompasses it and the eternal mountains of Chang are its belt. The five elements control it and it enacts what punishment and compassion dictate. It comes out in obedience to yin and yang, stands alert in spring and summer and goes into action in autumn and winter. Thrust forward, there is nothing in front of it; lift it high, and there is nothing above it; swing it low, and there is nothing below it; spin it around, there is nothing encompassing it. Raised high, it cleaves the firmaments; swung low, it severs the very veins of the Earth. Use this sword but once and all the rulers revert to obedience; all below Heaven submit. This is the sword of the Son of Heaven.’
King Wen was astonished and seemed to have forgotten everything else.
‘What of the sword of the noble Prince?’ he asked.
Chuang Tzu said, ‘The sword of the noble Prince, its point is sagacious and courageous people; its blade is those of integrity and sincerity; its ridge is those of worth and goodness; its hilt is those who are trustworthy and wise; its sheath is of the brave and outstanding. When this sword is thrust forward, it encounters nothing; when wielded high, it has nothing above it; when swung low, it has nothing below it; when swirled about, it finds nothing near it. Above, its guidance comes from Heaven and it proceeds with the three great lights.118 Below, it is inspired by the square, stable nature of the earth, proceeding with the flow of the four seasons. In the middle lands it restores harmony to the people and is in balance with the four directions. Use this sword but once and it is like hearing the crash of thunder. Within the four borders everyone obeys the laws and everyone attends to the orders of the ruler. This is the sword of the noble Prince.’
‘What of the sword of the commoner?’
‘The sword of the commoner is used by those who are tousle-haired with spiky beards, wearing loose caps held on by ordinary coarse cords, with their robes cut short behind. They stare about them fiercely and will only talk about their swordsmanship while fighting before the King. Raised high, it cuts through the neck; swung low, it slices into the liver and lungs. The people who use the sword of the commoner are no better than fighting cocks who at any time can have their lives curtailed. They are useless to the state. Now you, O King, have the position of the Son of Heaven but you make yourself unworthy by associating with the sword of the commoner. This is what I dare to say.’
The King brought him up into his hall where the butler presented a tray of food, while the King strode three times round the room.
‘Sire, sit down and calm yourself,’ said Chuang Tzu. ‘Whatever there was to say about swords has been said.’
Following this, King Wen did not go out for three months and all his swordsmen killed themselves in their own rooms.
CHAPTER 31
The Old Fisherman
Confucius wandered through the Black Curtain Forest and sat down beside the Apricot Tree Altar. His followers started reading their books while Confucius played his lute and sang. He was not even halfway through the song when a fisherman stepped out of his boat and came towards him. His beard and eyebrows were white and his hair was wild, while his sleeves hung down beside him. He walked up the slopes until he reached the drier ground and then stopped, resting his left hand on his knee and his chin in his right hand, and listened until the song was over. Then he called over Tzu Kung and Tzu Lu and the two of them went to him.
‘Who is that?’ he said, pointing at Confucius.
‘He is a nobleman from Lu,’ replied Tzu Lu.
The fisherman then enquired as to Confucius’ family. Tzu Lu replied, ‘The family of Kung.’
‘What does this man of Kung do for a living?’
Tzu Lu was working out what to say when Tzu Kung replied, saying, ‘This man of the Kung family in his innate nature holds fast to loyalty and faithfulness; in his behaviour he shows benevolence and righteousness; he makes the rituals and music beautiful, and balances human relationships. He pays respect above him to the ruler of his generation and in his dealings with those below him he tries to transform the ordinary people, as he wants to bless the whole world. This is what this man of the Kung family does.’
The fisherman enquired further, ‘Does he have any land over which he rules?’
‘No,’ said Tzu Kung.
‘Is he an adviser to a king?’
‘No.’
The stranger laughed and backed away, saying, ‘So benevolence is benevolence, yet he won’t escape without harm to himself. Exhausting the heart and wearing out the body puts his true nature in jeopardy. Sadly, I believe he is far removed from the Tao.’
Tzu Kung went up and told Confucius about this. Confucius laid aside his flute and stood up, saying, ‘Maybe he is a sage!’ and he went down the slope to find him. He reached the water’s edge as the fisherman was about to pole away. Seeing Confucius, he poled back again and confronted him. Confucius stepped back somewhat hastily, bowed twice and went forward.
‘What do you want, Sir?’ said the stranger.
‘Just now, Master, you said a few words but didn’t finish,’ said Confucius. ‘Being unworthy, I do not understand them. So I would like to be with you and to hear even just the sounds of your words in the hope that they might enlighten me!’
‘Oh-ho, you have a good love of study, Sir!’
Confucius bowed twice and stood up. ‘Ever since I was little I have pursued study, and now here I am sixty-nine years old, yet I have never heard the perfect teaching, so what can I do but keep my heart open?’
The stranger said, ‘Like seeks like and each note responds to its own. This is the boundary established by Heaven. I will not discuss that which concerns me, but will concentrate on what you need to know about. You
, Sir, are wrapped up in the affairs of the people. The Son of Heaven, the noble princes, the great ministers and the common folk, when these four groups do what is right, there is the beauty of unity. If these four groups break apart, then there is terrible great disorder. If ministers do what they should and the ordinary people are concerned with what they do, then no one infringes upon another.
‘Fields in ruin, leaking roofs, lack of food and clothing, unjust taxes, disputes between wives and concubines, disorder between the young and the old, these are what trouble the common folk.
‘Inability to do the job, being bored by their work, bad behaviour, carelessness and laziness in those below, failure to succeed, insecurity in employment, these are what trouble the great ministers.
‘Lack of loyal ministers, civil war in the kingdom, workmen with no skills, tributes that are worthless, poor positioning at the spring and autumn gatherings, the disquiet of the ruler, these are what trouble the noble princes.
‘Yin and yang out of harmony, fluctuations in heat and cold which damage all, oppression and rebellion by nobles, all leading to uprisings, ravage and abuse of the people, the rituals badly performed, the treasury empty, social relationships in turmoil and the people debauched, these are what trouble the Son of Heaven and his people.
‘Now, Sir, at the higher end of the scale, you are not a ruler, nor a noble nor even a minister in a court, while at the other end you are not in the office of a great minister with all his portfolios. Nevertheless, you have decided to bring beauty to the rituals and the music and to balance human relationships and thus to reform the ordinary people. Isn’t this rather overdoing it?
‘Furthermore, there are eight defects that people are liable to, as well as four evils that affect their affairs, which must not be ignored: