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Zhuangzi Chapter 5 ~ Calculations on Fulfilling Virtue |
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In the state of Lu there's a person named Wang Tai (Great Lame Horse) who lost one of his feet. He has throngs of followers, about the same number as Zhong Ni (Confucius). Chang Ji (Ordinary Younger Brother) asked Zhong Ni: "Wang Tai, who has lost a foot (by amputation as punishment for a crime), has as many followers as you do, Master, throughout the state of Lu. When he stands up he doesn't preach, and when he sits down he doesn't carry on discussions. Those who go to him empty return fulfilled. How can someone who's unconcerned with teaching with words and has a mutilated body still have a completed heart? What kind of person is he?" Zhong Ni said: "This Master is a Sage. I'm always so behind the times that I haven't had a chance yet to go and listen to him. I'll go learn from him, and surely those who aren't the least bit like me would do the same. Why should it be limited to the state of Lu? I'll attract the whole world to follow him." Chang Ji said: "That guy's missing a foot, yet he's a respected teacher, which makes him quite extraordinary. How can a person like that remain so single-hearted?" Zhong Ni said: "Much is made of death and life, but they don't affect him. Even if heaven and earth were to crumble and fall, not even that would shake him up. He can examine carefully what's flawless, yet not be persuaded to follow what others do. His fate is different from other things, yet he guards what they put stock in." Chang Ji asked: "What do you mean by that?" Zhong Ni said: "If you look at things from the point of view of their differences, then the liver and gall bladder are as far apart as the states of Chu and Yue. If you look at things from the point of view of their similarities, then all living things share a unity. At that point, such a person not only doesn't evaluate things with his ears and eyes, but lets his heart and mind float with the harmony of his own nature. He looks at the unity of things, and doesn't look for what they're lacking. He regards losing his foot as though he was shaking off a clump of mud." Chang Ji said: "By losing his own sense of separateness, he's able to achieve an understanding of his heart, and use his heart to achieve a sense of durability in his heart. Why do others want to be sheltered by him?" Zhong Ni replied: "There's no way for people to see their reflections in running water, but they can see their reflections in still water. Multitudes of people can only be stilled by staying still. Complying with what was fated from the earth, only the pine and cypress could remain on their own course - staying green in both summer and winter. Complying with what was fated by the heavens, only Yao and Shun could remain true to their own course - being able to lead all living things. If one is lucky they can realize their true course has been set from birth, as everyone's true course has been set from birth. Feeling secure from danger at the beginning of his journey, not fearing what will happen to him, one brave soldier would feel powerful enough to penetrate nine armies. The only goal that kind of person has in mind is seeking to make a name for himself. Suppose someone set their mind to being controlled by both the heavens and the earth, to being compensated by all living things, to align all the limbs of their body, to observe clearly using their eyes and ears, to know the unity of their awareness, and to never allow their mind to deteriorate! That kind of person would just get up and leave one day, and if people followed after him, what would he care about what anyone else was doing?" Shen Tu Jia (Admired Straightforward Student), who'd lost a foot (as punishment for having committed a crime), and Zi Chan of Zheng (Prime Minister of Zheng) both had Bo Hun Wu Ren (Professor Confused Nonentity) as their teacher. Zi Chan said to Shen Tu Jia: "If I leave first, then you wait and go later. If you leave first, then I'll wait and go later." The next day both of them were again sitting on the same mat in the hall. Zi Chan said to Shen Tu Jia: "If I leave first, then you wait and go later. If you leave first, then I'll wait and go later. Now I'm about to leave, so can you wait a while? Why would you refuse? When you come across a Prime Minister and don't obey him, is that because you think you're equal to him?" Shen Tu Jia said: "Can there be a Prime Minister as rude as this within my teacher's gates? You think simply because you've been appointed Prime Minister that other people should cater to you? There's a well-known saying: 'If a mirror is bright, then no dust has settled on it. If dust has settled, then it's not bright. Spend a lot of time with someone who's upright, and you'll be faultless.' Now, you've come to seek guidance from our great Master, but you're still able to speak like you did. Who's really the guilty person here?" Zi Chan said: "You've already gotten yourself into this situation (losing a foot), yet you still think you could compete with Yao as to which of you is better. Why don't you take a cold hard look at yourself and see if you can come up with anything virtuous there at all?" Shen Tu Jia said: "There are lots of people who have the appearance of having committed a crime even though they weren't guilty. There are some people who don't have the appearance of committing a crime even though they were guilty. To realize that certain things can't be changed and quietly accept destiny, only a person with a clear heart can do that. One might wander into the middle of a field where Yi is practicing archery. If they're standing there right out in the open and still don't get hit by the arrow, that's destiny. When someone who has both feet laughs at me because I don't have as many feet as they have, I get angry and go into a rage. But when I come to visit my teacher, then I calm down and change my attitude. How can I know if my master's bathed me in goodness, or if I've just settled down peacefully on my own? I've been following my Master for nineteen years, and he still hasn't acknowledged the fact that I've lost a foot. Now you and I are connected by something much deeper than how many appendages we each have, but you keep trying to separate us by excluding me due to my outer appearance. Who's really the guilty person here?" Zi Chan, taken aback, changed his attitude and took on a new demeanor, saying: "You don't have to say another word." In the state of Lu there's a mutilated man named Shu Shan the Toeless. Walking on his heels, he came to see Zhong Ni (Confucius). Zhong Ni said: "You weren't careful in the first place, and by committing crimes you brought this disaster on yourself. What's the point of coming to see me now!" Toeless said: "It was only because I didn't understand what I was supposed to be doing and took my body lightly that I lost part of my feet. Now I come here showing as much respect as someone who has feet, striving to keep what I have remaining of my body whole. There's nothing the heavens doesn't cover with a protective shield. There's nothing the earth doesn't bear the burden of. I thought you were a Master of the heavens and earth. Where's your knowledge, Master, that you could treat me this way!" Kong Zi (Confucius) said: "That was really narrow-minded of me. Sir, why don't you come on in? Please allow me to explain to you what I have to share." Toeless left. Kong Zi said to his attentive disciples: "That man was mutilated by having his toes chopped off, but he still wants to take on the task of looking back and learning from his previous mistakes. How much more so should those who think they have perfect Virtue!" Toeless told this story to Lao Dan (Laozi) and then said: "I thought Kong was a perfected person, but he's not there yet, is he? Why do so many disciples keep treating him as though he were a respected guest? He's seeking to become famous by being considered extraordinary and unusual. Doesn't he know that a perfected person would view being treated that way as being shackled?" Lao Dan said: "Why not straighten him out by showing him how life and death are linked on a single branch, and how approval and disapproval are linked on a single thread? That would release him from his shackles, wouldn't it?" Toeless said: "Since he thinks his punishment is coming from the heavens, how could he possibly be released!" Duke Ai of the state of Lu asked Zhong Ni (Confucius): "There was an ugly man in the state of Wei named Ai Tai Ta (Sad-Looking Horse Face). The adult men who hung out with him thought so highly of him that they couldn't leave his presence. When unmarried women saw him, they'd beg their parents: 'I'd rather be that man's concubine than the wife of a well-to-do gentleman.' That happened dozens of times and keeps happening over and over. He's never been known to speak out for himself, but always blends harmoniously with other people and that's all. He's never been in a position of authority that would allow him to save anyone from death, nor does he earn the kind of money that would allow him to support anyone. Besides that, he's probably the ugliest person in the whole world. He blended with others but didn't speak out for himself, and he didn't know anything other than what went on in his immediate environment, yet males and females both found him compelling. This guy must have some very unusual qualities. I demanded that he come to me so I could have a look at him, and determined that he surely must be the ugliest person in the world. I also demanded that he stay with me for a month so I could get a better idea of what kind of person he was. He's been here for almost a year, and I've come to trust him completely. As my state is without a Prime Minister, I offered him the job. He looked indecisive about how to respond, as though he was looking for a reason to decline. I was so embarrassed that I immediately turned over the position to him. Without even saying goodbye to me, he left. I was really sorry to lose him, as though there was nothing else that could bring me pleasure any more in the whole country. What sort of person was he?" Zhong Ni said: "I was once on a mission to the state of Chu, and along the way I saw some young piglets nursing on their dead mother. In a short time they all withdrew from her and went away. They no longer saw her as resembling themselves, nor did she seem to be similar to them in any way. The love they had for their mother wasn't based merely on loving her physical form, but a love of what her physical form could provide. When a soldier dies in battle, they have no need for a fancy coffin or funeral. When a person has lost their feet, they have no reason to love shoes. In all the instances mentioned above, something they once placed a lot of importance on had vanished. "Those who've passed the requirements to become the Emperor's assistants no longer need to file their nails or pierce their ears (make themselves outwardly attractive in order to gain prominence). A man who's acquired a wife no longer needs to adorn his outer appearance nor seek a higher position (make themselves more attractive in order to get a wife). Their outer form was already sufficient enough to gain them acceptance. How much more so would that be for someone who'd perfected their virtue! Now Ai Tai Ta didn't need to say a word, but you completely trusted him. He didn't show any achievements, but you wanted to keep him close to you. You wanted to give him your entire country, and you were afraid he wouldn't take the offer. He must have a great ability to be complete, even though his virtue wasn't apparent in his outer form." Duke Ai asked: "What do you mean by a great ability to be complete?" Zhong Ni said: "Death and life, accumulation and loss, failure and success, poverty and wealth, worth and worthlessness, praise and blame, hunger and thirst, hot and cold - those simply reflect how situations can change and are ordered by destiny. Day and night follow each other and precede each other, but human knowledge is incapable of regulating them. Since there's no way to base personal harmony on something so unpredictable, it shouldn't have the ability to affect the storehouse of one's spiritual powers. Participate in what really causes harmony - connect with it and don't lose the joyfulness that comes from it. Do this whether it's day or night, and experience eternal springtime with every living thing. Welcome every moment with the fullness of your heart. That's called having a great ability to be complete." "What's meant by having a virtue that isn't apparent by one's outer form?" "When water has reached its full capacity, it becomes level and still. It can be a great example, as it protects what's within and allows evaporation of what's on the surface. When virtue has succeeded in creating harmony, it's displayed like a decoration. When virtue isn't apparent from one's outer form, no living thing would be able to be separated from it." On another day, Duke Ai explained this story to Min Zi (one of Confucius' disciples): "I used to sit on my throne facing South (the direction a ruler's throne faced) and ruled the whole world. I held in my hands the ability to determine the course of people's lives, and grieved at their deaths. I considered myself to be one who had attained expertise in everything. Now that I've heard the words of a true expert, I'm afraid I have no substance whatsoever, have taken too lightly the appearance my body gave off, and thus could lose my country. Kong (Confucius) and I don't relate to each other like ruler and servant - we're merely friends who share virtue." A man with a club foot, a stooped posture, and who had no lips explained his theories to Duke Ling of Wei. Duke Ling was so won over by the guy that he thought anyone who would be considered to have a perfect form would have to have the same neck and shoulders as him. A man with a goiter on his neck as big as a huge jar explained his theories to Duke Huan of Qi. Duke Huan was so won over by the guy that he thought anyone who would be considered to have a perfect form would have to have the same neck and shoulders as him. Therefore, when virtue is predominant, a person's physical form is forgotten. If people remember what was forgotten, and then forget what was remembered - that can be called true forgetting. Therefore, a wise person goes wandering and sees that knowledge promotes misfortune, promises promote bondage, virtue promotes intimacy, work promotes business. A wise person doesn't scheme, so what use is there for knowledge? Doesn't chop things apart, so what use is there for bonding? Is without alienation, so what use is there for virtue? Doesn't barter, so what use is there for business? These four are the gruel (meager provisions) provided by the heavens. One who has the gruel of the heavens is nourished by the heavens. Since she receives this nourishment from the heavens, why would she need to use people? She has a human form but is without human sentimentality. She has a human form, therefore she's classified as a person. She's without human sentimentality, therefore judgments about right and wrong can't affect her. Insignificant and small - that's the way she's classified by humanity. Large and great - her single accomplishment is with the heavens. Hui Zi said to Zhuangzi: "Are there humans without sentimentality?" Zhuangzi replied: "There are." Hui Zi said: "If a person has no sentimentality, how could they be called a person?" Zhuangzi replied: "Dao gives him his demeanor, the heavens give him a physical shape, so how could he not be called a person?" Hui Zi said: "Since it's already been determined he's a person, how could he not have sentimentality?" Zhuangzi said: "Having a sense of right and wrong is what I call sentimentality. Someone I'd refer to as being without sentimentality - that kind of person wouldn't allow his likes and dislikes to cause physical harm to his body. They would constantly follow what naturally occurs without looking to profit from life." Hui Zi said: "If someone doesn't look to profit from life, how would they still be able to have a body?" Zhuangzi said: "Dao gives him his demeanor and the heavens give him a physical shape, but they don't create in him a way for likes and dislikes to harm his body. Now, you're remaining outside of your spirit, yet laboring to refine your spiritual essence. All the while you're leaning against a tree grunting, drifting off into a stupor under this tall shade tree. The heavens chose this physical shape for you, and you use it to chirp about pointless arguments." | Zhuangzi Translation | Glossary/Index A to N | Glossary/Index P to Z | ZZ Links | | 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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