Chuang Tzu Translated by Nina Correa (2)

Zhuangzi Translated by Nina Correa

Zhuangzi Chapter 19: Realizing a Full Life

Translated by Nina Correa

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Someone who’s realized the essence of a full life doesn’t try to make more of life than it is. Someone who’s realized the essence of fate doesn’t try to understand what’s beyond comprehension.

In order for a person’s body to thrive it has to consume things, but sometimes even though there’s a surplus of things around, the body doesn’t thrive on what it has. In order to stay alive a person has first and foremost not to neglect their body, but sometimes even though they don’t neglect their body they still lose their life. When life comes about it can’t be resisted, and when life is snuffed out it can’t be prevented. It’s so sad that most people today think that by simply nourishing their bodies they can live longer, but then they discover that nourishing their body isn’t enough to make them live longer. Would there be anything anyone could do that would be enough? Although it’s not enough simply to do those things, they still have to be done. What’s unavoidable has to be done. If someone wants to avoid doing anything more than that with their bodies, then they might as well abandon everything around them. By abandoning everything around them, they wouldn’t try to accumulate extra stuff. By not trying to accumulate extra stuff then they’d reach an even keel. By reaching an even keel then they’d join with everything that could add to their life. Having their life added to they’d become more aware of everything around them.

Would it be enough to simply abandon affairs and to take it easy in life? By abandoning affairs, then the body wouldn’t be overtaxed. By taking it easy in life then essence wouldn’t be deficient. When the body is whole essence returns and becomes united with the heavens. The heavens and earth are father and mother to all living things. Combine them and there will be substance. Divide them and everything then has to start over. When body and essence aren’t deficient, this can be called being able to adapt and transform. When essence is compounded by more essence, it facilitates a connection with the heavens.

Master Lie Zi asked Guan Yin:
“A perfected person can move under water without suffocating, skip across fire without being burned, and soar above all living things without fear. May I ask how he gets to that point?”

Guan Yin said:
“He merely guards the pure vital energy within him, but it has nothing to do with any sort of knowledge, skill, resolution or daring. Sit down and I’ll explain it to you. What all things have in common is that they have their own features, contours, sounds and colors. Things aren’t really so different from each other in that respect, are they? What would be sufficient enough to rate one over the other? They’re all just various spectrums on the color wheel and that’s about it. Since things were shapeless before they were created, and they stop when nothing further needs to be changed, they know when they’ve reached their limit and when they’d be exhausting themselves to go further. Things reach a certain point and then stop! Each of them reaches a point where they don’t exceed beyond their own limits and give up on trying to come up with a reason to put themselves in order. Drifting where all things begin and end, unifying one’s nature, nourishing one’s vital energy, conforming with one’s virtue in order to share in an understanding of the creation of things. If someone could be like that, they would be completely guarded by the heavens and their spirit would be without cracks. How would anything enter?

“If a drunk falls from a cart, he might be injured but he wouldn’t die. His bones and joints are the same as other people’s, but the amount of harm he receives is different than other people since his spirit is undivided. He wasn’t aware of riding in the cart, and wasn’t aware of falling out. Being startled or fearful of losing his life didn’t even enter his mind, so when he tumbled he didn’t try to resist by bracing himself. If simply drinking wine can have this effect, how much more so would it be if one was undivided from the heavens?

“A sage only finds refuge in the heavens, and therefore nothing has the ability to harm him. When responding to an enemy, he doesn’t break the handle of his sword. Although feeling resentful for a situation, he doesn’t blame the falling brick. He finds a way to react to everything in the world uniformly. One who’s able to get rid of the chaos of fighting and warfare, and eliminate the punishments resulting from killing and slaughtering, cultivates with Dao.

“Don’t open up to what appears to be heavenly in others, but open up to what’s heavenly in the heavens. In one who opens up to the heavens, virtue will grow. In one who opens up to others, jealousy will grow. Don’t be smug about what’s gotten from the heavens nor disregard what comes from others. How many people could really get this concept clearly?”

When Zhong Ni (Confucius) was on his way to the state of Chu he passed through the middle of a forest and saw a hunchback who was bent over collecting cicadas on the tip of a stick as easily as if he’d scooped them up with his two hands.

Zhong Ni said:
“You’re so skillful! Is there a special way to do this?”

“I have a special way. I practiced steadily for five or six months. When I could balance two pellets on the stick without dropping them, then I’d only lose a small portion of the cicadas. After I could balance three pellets without dropping them, then I’d only lose one out of ten cicadas. Once I could balance five without dropping them, I could pick up cicadas with a stick as easily as if I was scooping them up with two hands. I position my body like a rooted tree stump, extend my arms like the branches of a withered tree, and although the immensity of the heavens and earth and the multitude of the thousands of living things are all around me, I’m only aware of the wings of the cicadas. I don’t shift my position or lean to one side, and wouldn’t trade the wings of the cicadas for any of the thousands of other things. By doing this, how could I not succeed?”

Kong Zi turned around to peer at his disciples and said:
“Use willpower to not be distracted, and only then can attention be concentrated on the spirit. This hunchbacked gentleman explained it well!”

Yan Yuan (Yan Hui) asked Zhong Ni (Confucius):
“I was once crossing the Shang Shen Pool, and the captain piloted that boat as if it was part of his own spirit. I asked him: ‘Can anyone learn to pilot a boat like that?’ He said: ‘They can. One who’s a good swimmer could quickly pick it up. As for divers, even if they’d never seen a boat before they could take right to it.’ I got an answer to my question, but I don’t understand it. Would you explain it to me?”

Zhong Ni said:
“A good swimmer could quickly pick it up because he forgets he’s in water. As for a diver who’d never even seen a boat to be able to take right to it, that’s because he sees the cavernous depths of an abyss as though it’s a hill and a capsized boat as though it’s an overturned cart. There are thousands of ways things can be capsized or overturned right in front of you, but they don’t result in shaking you to the core. How could you go anywhere if you were stressed out about what might happen? One who gambles using plastic chips has no trouble being skillful. If he gambles using paper money he gets more apprehensive. If he gambles with large stakes he breaks out in a sweat. The player’s skill level is the same in each instance, but as the stakes rise so does his sense of self importance, and then the only thing that’s truly important seems to be what’s on the outside. If everything outside holds so much importance, then what’s on the inside becomes clumsy and awkward.”

Tian Kai Zhi (Of the Open Cultivated Fields) went to visit Duke Wei of Zhou.

Duke Wei said:
“I’ve heard that Zhu Shen (Officer in charge of Kidneys) is a medical student. Since you’ve traveled about with him, what can you tell me about all that?”

Tian Kai Zhi said:
“All I’ve done is to pull and push a broom around his front courtyard. What could I have possibly heard from that Master?”

Duke Wei said:
“Don’t be so humble, Tian Zi. I’d sincerely like to hear something about it.”

Kai Zhi said:
“I’ve heard the Master say: ‘Someone who is good at staying healthy acts like someone tending sheep. If he sees some of them lagging behind, he prods them with his whip.’ “

Duke Wei said:
“What does that mean?”

Tian Kai Zhi said:
“In the state of Lu there was a man named Dan Bao (Solitary Leopard) who lived high up on the cliffs and only drank water. He didn’t share in what other people thought was beneficial. By the time he was seventy years old he still had the complexion of a newborn infant. One day he had the misfortune of meeting up with a hungry tiger who killed and ate him. There was another man named Zhang Yi (Stubborn Wild Boar) who’d go visiting all the rich families in the neighborhood, constantly going from one place to another. By the time he was forty years old he got a terrible fever from some contagious disease and died. Bao cultivated what was inside of him, and a tiger ate his outer form. Yi cultivated his outer behavior and a disease attacked his insides. What happened to both of them was due to the fact they neglected whipping what was lagging behind.”

Zhong Ni (Confucius) said:
“Without withdrawing and hiding away;
“Without going forth and flaunting;
“Stand steadily in the middle of the extremes.
“If one practices these three things with earnestness, they must certainly be described as having reached the ultimate.

“When setting out on a dangerous journey where one man in ten is killed on the road, fathers will prohibit sons and older brothers will prohibit younger brothers from going unless they travel with armed escorts. That seems sensible, doesn’t it? On the other hand, people don’t have much sense of danger when they’re sitting comfortably on their soft mats and feasting on food and wine. However, that no one knows enough to try to prohibit them from that behavior is a grave mistake.”

The officer in charge of ancient ritualistic sacrifices was looking over the animals in their pens. He said to the pigs:
“Why would you dislike the idea of being sacrificed? For three months I’ll feed you lots of grain and sweet foods to fatten you up. For ten days I’ll force you to not move around. For the last three days I’ll pamper you with baths and manicures, then place you on a bed of clean white cogongrass (a weed with plumes like feather dusters). After the sacrifice, I’ll place your shoulders and rumps on top of an elegantly carved altar. And I’ll do all that for you!”

(Note: It was believed that the fatter a pig was at the time of sacrifice, the more blessings would be bestowed by the gods. The pigs were fattened with many meals a day, and prevented from moving too much. Then they had to be cleaned up for the ceremony.)

If he would have consulted with the pigs they would have said they’d rather feed on chaff and rotten tubers and never been put into the middle of a pen. Since his plans for the pigs revolved around his own self interest, he preferred the idea of living a lazy life while being respected for his fancy hat and carriage, and when he died to be raised high on a parapet covered with luxurious furs while a bunch of people gathered around him bowing. That’s what he’d prefer. If his plans were for the benefit of the pigs, he’d leave them alone. Since his plans revolved around himself, then he corralled them. Does he consider himself any different than a pig?

Duke Huan was hunting in the lowlands with Guan Zhong (his prime minister) as his attendant when he saw a ghost. The Duke reached unsteadily for Guan Zhong’s hand and said:
“My highest adviser Zhong, did you see anything over there?”

He replied:
“Your humble servant didn’t notice anything.”

When the Duke returned home he couldn’t form a sensible sentence and fell quite ill, refusing to go out for several days. Huang Zi Gao Ao (Brilliant Master of Speaking Right Out), a

scholar in the state of Qi, said:
“You’re the one who’s hurting yourself. How would a ghost be able to harm you? If your heart gets as unsettled as a herd of wild animals and your vital energy disperses and doesn’t return, then you won’t be good for anything. If the energy flies up and doesn’t come back down, that would make anyone irritable. If it sinks down but doesn’t come back up again, that would make anyone depressed. If it neither goes up nor down, but settles in the middle of the body and is clutched by the heart, then it can create great illness.”

Duke Huan said:
“Is it true that there are ghosts?”

“There are. In deep pits there is Lu. In the hearth (stove) there is Ji. In the patch of dust inside the door sill there is Lei Ting. Under the northeastern eaves Bei A and Gui Long leap about. Under the northwestern eaves, that’s where Yi Yang hangs out. In the water there’s Wang Xiang. In the hills there’s Xin. In the mountains there’s Kui. On the plains there’s Pang Huang. In the lowlands there’s Wei Yi.”

The Duke said:
“Excuse me, but may I ask what Wei Yi looks like?”

Huang Zi said:
“Wei Yi? It’s as wide as the hub of a chariot wheel and as tall as a wheel shaft. It wears purple clothing and a red hat. This creature hates to hear the thundering roar of passing chariots, and if it does it stands up and covers its head with its hands. One who sees it is on the verge of becoming overlord of the empire.”

Duke Huan brightened right up and laughed saying:
“So that’s what I saw out there!”

At that point he straightened his clothes and hat, sat up alongside him (Huang Zi) and it didn’t take one day for his illness to be gone without him realizing it.

Ji Xing Zi (Master Careful Inspection) was raising a fighting cock for the king. After ten days he was asked:
“Is the cock ready yet?”

“Not yet. He’s still pretentiously arrogant and relies solely on his physical prowess.”

In ten days he was asked again and said:
“Not yet. He still overly reacts to everything happening around him.”

In ten days he was asked again and said:
“Not yet. He still gives contemptuous glares and retains animosity.”

In ten days he was asked again and said:
“He’s about ready. Although another cock may crow at him, he doesn’t change his demeanor, but gazes at him as if he were made of wood. His virtue is complete. Other cocks wouldn’t be confident enough to respond to him, but would turn and walk away.”

Kong Zi (Confucius) was observing the view from the Lu Liang Mountains where there was a waterfall three hundred feet high. The foam and froth created by the water as it hit bottom extended for thirteen miles. Neither turtles, alligators, fish nor any other water creatures were able to swim in those rapids. He saw one man swimming in the current and figured he must be very troubled and was trying to commit suicide so he told his disciples to line up at the banks of the river and rescue him. After the man had gone a few hundred feet he popped up in the water with his hair trailing behind him like a blanket, singing as he floated, and swam up to the edge of the embankment and climbed out.

Kong Zi went up to him and asked:
“I thought you must have been some sort of ghost, but now I can see you’re a man. Please excuse me for asking, but do you have a special way to flit through water like that?”
“No, I don’t have a special way. I started with what was inborn in me, grew up following my own nature, and accomplished what I have because of my fate. When I enter, I merge with the flow and let it carry me. When I exit, I allow myself to be floated up gently by the current. I follow the way of the water and don’t try to force against it. That’s how I flit through the water.”

Kong Zi said:
“What do you mean by starting with what is inborn, growing up following your own nature, and accomplishing due to fate?”
“I was born from a pile of dirt so I’m comfortable in the hills – that’s what’s inborn. I grew from the water, so I’m comfortable in water – that’s my nature. I don’t know why I am the way I am, but I’m comfortable being what I am – that’s fate.”

Woodworker Qing made elaborately carved wooden bell stands. When others saw the completed bell stands, they were startled and thought they must have been created by supernatural beings. The Marquis of Lu saw one of them and asked:
“What special art do have to be able to do this?”

He replied:
“Your humble servant is merely an artisan. What special artistic ability could I have? However, I do use one system. When I’m about to create a bell stand, I’m careful not to expend too much of my vital energy, so I have to first settle my mind and heart in calmness. For three days I prepare myself by giving up on any ideas of praise or rewards for my work. The next five days I prepare by not being concerned whether my work will be criticized or considered to be not perfect enough. Then for seven days I prepare myself by forgetting about the prescribed shapes of things including the shape of my own body. By that time I’ve lost all consideration as to what the royal court would demand of me, concentrate completely on my task, and outside influences just disappear. Then I enter the mountain forests and observe the naturalness of the heavens. By seeing that all the shapes around me are complete of themselves, I can envision a completed bell stand. At that point I can actually start working with my hands, but not until then. It’s because I use the heavens to fit perfectly with the heavens that some suspect my tools were used by spirits. That’s all there is to it!”

Dong Ye Ji (Reckless Driver from the East) was showing Duke Zhuang his abilities at driving a chariot. He steered the chariot forwards and backward using the middle rope to guide the horses. He turned in concentric circles to the left and right by using the middle guide line. Duke Zhuang thought no one could surpass these elaborate moves. As a further test, he told him to make one hundred circuits of the arena and then return.

Yan He, who had been watching what was going on, went in to see the Duke and said:
“Ji’s horses are going to jade.”

The Duke stiffened up and didn’t respond. A short time later the horses did jade and had to return.

The Duke said:
“How did you know that was going to happen?”

He responded:
“The strength of the horses was exhausted, yet he kept demanding more of them. That’s how I knew they were going to jade.”

Carpenter Chui could draw a more accurate circle with his finger than those who used a compass or ruler and he didn’t have to double check his marks. That’s because he kept his Ling Tai (a place within where the spirit can be elevated and congealed) unified and unfettered. The feet are forgotten when the shoes are comfortable. The waist is forgotten when the belt is comfortable. The knowledge of right and wrong is forgotten when the heart and mind are comfortable. What’s inside doesn’t change and what’s outside doesn’t sense a need to conform when situations are dealt with comfortably. When you start out being comfortable and never become uncomfortable, then you forget about trying to be comfortable.

A man by the name of Sun Xiu (Last Descendant of the Family) walked heavily up to a gate and startled the Master of the house, Bian Qing Zi (Master Expression of Good Tidings), when he spoke:
“I live in the countryside, but I’ve never had someone call me uncultured because of that. I’ve lived through turbulent times, but I’ve never had someone call me a coward for not doing more. But even so, none of the fields I’ve cultivated from scratch have ever produced a good harvest, and none of the rulers I’ve served have ever recognized me. I’m treated as a foreigner in my own village and have been thrown out of the big city offices. What crime have I committed against the heavens that I should meet with such a sorry fate?”

Bian Zi said:
“Haven’t you heard about the behavior of a perfected person? He forgets about his liver and gall, and doesn’t overvalue his ears and eyes. In a ridiculous manner he goes to and fro in the dust and dirt outside. Free and unfettered he doesn’t get involved with the affairs of business. This is called taking actions without being dependent on results and being efficient without needing to control. Now you pretend to be intelligent so as to stupefy the ignorant, keep your body fit so as to amaze the spoiled, and consider your behavior to be so brilliant and stunning that it would eclipse both the sun and the moon. Thus far you’ve kept your bodily form in tact, your nine apertures are working properly, and you haven’t been struck in the middle of your life with blindness, deafness, lameness or a deformity, and compared to most other people you’ve been very lucky. So why would you spend your leisure time complaining about the heavens? Go away!”

When Sun Zi had gone, Bian Zi went into the house. He sat there staring into space then looked upward and heaved a big sigh.

One of his disciples asked:
“Master, why did you sigh like that?”

Bian Zi said:
“When Xui came for directions, I told him about the virtue of a perfected person. I’m afraid I startled him and left him in utter confusion.”

The disciple said:
“Not necessarily. Was what Sun Zi said correct and what you said incorrect? If so, then what’s incorrect would never be able to cause uncertainty about what was correct. Was what Sun Zi said incorrect and what you said correct? If so, then he was already completely uncertain when he arrived. Both of you could be to blame.”

Bian Zi said:
“Not necessarily. In ancient times, a bird landed in the countryside of the state of Lu. The Prince of Lu was delighted with it, so he arranged for a great sacrificial ceremony in order to provide it with a banquet of delicious food, and had the ‘Nine Shao’ music played to entertain it. The bird got a very worried and concerned look on it’s face and refused to eat or drink anything. This is called using what nourishes yourself to try to nourish a bird. If instead one uses what nourishes a bird to nourish a bird, it would be allowed to perch deep in the forest, float on the rivers and lakes, hunt and peck for food then comfortably settle on a piece of land – and that’s all. Now Xui is slow on the uptake and is much less well informed than other people. When I told him about the virtue of a perfected person, that was like transporting a mouse in a horse-drawn carriage, or entertaining a dove with bells and drums. How would he not be startled?”

Zhuangzi Chapter 20: The Mountain Tree

Translated by Nina Correa

Zhuangzi was walking in the mountains when he saw a huge tree with branches full of luxuriant foliage. A lumberjack had stopped next to it, but wasn’t attempting to cut it down. When Zhuangzi asked the lumberjack the reason, he responded:
“There’s nothing useful about that tree.”

Zhuangzi said:
“This tree is so worthless it’s been able to live out its natural lifespan.”

After coming out of the mountains, Zhuangzi stayed overnight in the home of an old friend. His friend was so delighted that he ordered his young servant to slaughter a goose so they could have it for dinner. The young servant politely asked:
“One of them can cackle, and one of them can’t cackle. Please tell me which one I should slaughter?”

The host responded:
“Kill the one that can’t cackle.”

The next day one of his disciples asked Zhuangzi:
“Yesterday when we were in the mountains and came across that tree, it was able to live out its natural lifespan because it was worthless. Now our host has ordered the goose to be killed because it’s worthless. Master, which is the better position?”

Zhuangzi laughed and said:
“All around, I’d say the better position would be somewhere between being of worth and being worthless. Being somewhere between being of worth and being worthless might seem like the best place to be, but it’s actually not. That’s because one hasn’t yet gotten rid of being tied to some idea. But that wouldn’t be true if you could mount on the chariot of Dao and virtue and float about on it:
“Without praise, without disapproval;
“In one moment a dragon, in one moment a snake.
“Changing in unison with the times;
“And never consenting to act in one specified way.
“In one moment above, in one moment below;
“Using harmony as a measuring stick.
“Floating about with the ancestor of all living things;
“Allowing things to be things, but not making things out of things.
“Then how would one be tied to anything?
“This was the method used by Shen Nong and Huang Di. But that’s not truly the sentiments of most creatures who pass concepts of human ethics on to humanity:
“Joining together, then separating;
“Constructing, then destroying;
“Appearing to be honest, then back stabbing;
“Glorifying, then criticizing;
“Making promises, then backing down;
“Acting virtuous, then scheming;
“Deeming unworthy, then deceiving.
“Is there anything to be certain of?
“Yes, it’s sad. But remember, my disciples, the only place to find a comfortable home is in Dao and virtue.”

Yi Liao of Shi Nan went to see the Marquis of Lu. The Marquis of Lu had a sad look on his face.

Master Yi Liao said:
“You look worried. Why is that?”

The Marquis of Lu said:
“I’ve studied the Dao of the earliest kings and worked through the methods used by the rulers who preceded me. I show respect to the ghosts of those who have died, honor those of great worth, behave properly to my family and don’t take a break from that for a minute. Even so, I can’t seem to avoid disasters. That’s why I look so worried.”

The Master from Shi Nan said:
“The techniques you’re using to avert disasters are superficial. The richly furred fox and the elaborately patterned leopard make their homes deep in mountain forests in caves and alcoves – to be left alone. They prowl in the night and rest in the daytime – to protect themselves. Although hungry and thirsty they carefully hide themselves away, only venturing forth to peer from above the rivers and lakes searching for food – to keep a keen eye out. Even so, they can’t completely avoid snares, nets and traps or prevent disaster from coming to them. How can they possibly be blamed for what happens to them? It’s because of their pelts that they meet with such misfortune. Now, isn’t the state of Lu like your own pelt? I wish you could strip away your form and discard your pelt, dispense with your mind and discard your desires, and float in the wilderness without concern for other people.

“In southern Yue there’s a city named Jian De Zhi Guo (Nation of Established Virtue). The people who live there are stupid and simple, rarely think of themselves and have few desires. They know how to make what they need but don’t have any concept of hiding things from each other since they share everything and don’t ask for repayment for what they’ve done. They don’t have ideas about what would be considered righteous behavior, nor do they know anything about taking part in rituals. Their behavior appears to be savage, crazy and reckless, but that’s the only way their dance can be unhindered. Their birth is considered a time of happiness, and their death is considered a time for burial. I wish you could leave this country, give up on its customs and engage in a true connection with Dao – actually go there.”

The monarch (Marquis of Lu) said:
“The Dao you’re speaking about is distant and hard to reach, and there are rivers and mountains along the way. I don’t have a boat or a vehicle, so how could I ever get there?”

The Master from Shi Nan said:
“If you’re without a form that needs to be transported and without a place that needs to be departed from, then you use that as your vehicle.”

The monarch said:
“The Dao you’re speaking about is so remote, secluded and without any people. Would there be anyone I could take as a traveling companion? I’m without provisions or food. How could I safely arrive there?”

The Master from Shi Nan said:
“Diminish your expenditures, lessen your desires, and even though you’re without provisions you’ll find you have enough. When you come upon them wade across the rivers and swim across the oceans, gazing at them but not seeing their rough spots, going relentlessly forward yet not having any sense of exhaustion. All those who’ve traveled with you so far will reach the rough spots and turn back, and you’ll find that you’ve traveled very far.

“You see, those who possess others are inextricably involved, and those who are possessed by others worry all the time. That’s why Yao never possessed anyone, nor was he possessed by anyone else. I wish you’d let go of being so involved, get rid of all your worrying, and by only connecting with Dao swim in the land of great nothingness.

“If someone was maneuvering a large clumsy boat across a river and an empty abandoned boat bumped into it, even if the person was already a bit aggravated he wouldn’t get angry about it. But if there was a person at the helm, he’d shout at him to get out of the way. If his first shout wasn’t heeded, and his second shout wasn’t heeded, then his third shout would be more aggressive. After that he’d break into a series of heated curses at the person. In the first instance there was no anger, but in the second instance there was. In the first instance the boat was empty, but in the second instance it was filled. If a person can empty themselves and float through the world around them, what would there be that could harm them?”

Bei Gong She (Curator of the Northern Palace) was commissioned by Duke Ling of Wei to create an elaborate bell stand made from the contributions of the citizens. He built a large stand at the outer gate of the city, and within three months had succeeded in filling all the tiers with bells from around the area. When Prince Qing Ji saw it, he asked:
“What special skills do you have to be able to create such a thing?”

She said:
“When the pieces were all being assembled, I wouldn’t dare to interfere in its construction. I’ve heard this: ‘What has already been carved and engraved will eventually return to its natural state.’ To the ignorant I appear to have no sensibility. To the reckless I appear not to be slow and lazy. As a crowd gathers around or disperses, I escort them away when they leave and warmly greet them when they arrive. No one is prohibited from coming and no one is stopped from leaving. If they are forcefully adamant I allow them to vent. If they’re bent on lecturing about their point of view I yield to them. If they plead poverty I empathize with them. That’s how I’m able to keep collecting contributions day and night without ruffling anyone’s feathers. How much more so would that apply to someone who had a great journey ahead of them!”

When Kong Zi (Confucius) was detained between the small states of Chen and Cai, he went for seven days without any cooked food.

(Note: Confucius wasn’t welcome in either Chen or Cai so he had to wait in the wilderness until someone from the state of Chu eventually got him out of the mess.)

Da Gong Ren (Impartial Observer) went to console him and said:
“You’re almost dead!”
“That’s true.”
“Do you dislike the idea of dying?”
“Yes.”

Ren said:
“Let me try to tell you about a way to not die. In the Eastern Sea there’s a bird called the Yi Dai (Intentionally Lazy). It soars up then falls back down repeatedly as though it didn’t have the ability to do otherwise. If it’s jostled off its perch and forced to fly it’ll flutter in the air, but if it’s snuggling and allowed to stay it’ll remain on its perch. When it goes forward it doesn’t dare to be in the lead, and when it follows behind it doesn’t dare to be last. When there’s food around it doesn’t take the first bite but goes for the leftovers. Because of its place in the pecking order it doesn’t get rejected by those around it, and is at no risk of being harmed by strangers. That’s how it’s able to avoid worrying about anything.

“A straight tree is the first to be cut down. A well with sweet water is the first to be used up. You pretend to be intelligent so as to stupefy the ignorant, keep your body fit so as to amaze the spoiled, and consider your behavior to be so brilliant and stunning that it would eclipse both the sun and the moon. That’s why you can’t escape.

“Long ago I heard a greatly accomplished person say: ‘One who attacks others doesn’t accomplish anything. One who achieves success will eventually fall back down. One who achieves fame will eventually lose it.’ Who can give up on ideas of achievement and fame and instead go back to connecting with the masses of ordinary people? He flows with Dao but doesn’t sit and wallow in his clarity. His behavior achieves goals, but he doesn’t become famous for it. He’s so plain and ordinary that he could be compared to a crazy person. He leaves behind no trace of himself, relinquishes any sense of being influential and doesn’t act with an eye for fame. Therefore he doesn’t make demands on others, nor does he give in to others’ demands. A perfected person isn’t well known. Why would you take so much delight in it?”

Kong Zi said:
“Excellent!”

He said goodbye to his friends and associates, dismissed his disciples, fled to a great marsh, wore hair cloth and coarse clothing, and ate acorns and chestnuts. He went among the animals without disturbing their herds, and went among birds without them taking notice of him. Since birds and animals weren’t bothered by him, even less were people!

Kong Zi (Confucius) asked Zi Sang Yu (Sir Mulberry Rainbow):
“For the second time I’ve been kicked out of the state of Lu. I’ve had a drum tree chopped down on me in the state of Song, had all traces of me removed from the state of Wei, was thrown into poverty in the states of Shang and Zhou, and was detained between the states of Chen and Cai. I’ve been persecuted by a number of disasters. My relationships and friendships have become increasingly few and far between, and my close friends and associates are keeping their distance from me. Why is all this happening?”

Zi Sang Yu said:
“Haven’t you heard about the man who escaped from Jia? Lin Hui (Returned to the Forest) left behind a jade disk of office worth a thousand pieces of gold but snatched up an infant and hurried away carrying him on his back. Someone asked him: ‘Did you do that for monetary value? A newborn can’t be worth much. Did you do it because it was less exerting? A newborn requires much more exertion. Why did you leave behind a jade disk worth a thousand pieces of gold and rush off with a newborn?’ Lin Hui said: ‘That (the jade disk) would be used to bring me profit, but this (the infant) is like a natural extension of myself.’ Those who use each other to bring themselves profit, when faced with poverty, misfortune, disasters or distress will abandon each other. Those who are united as though they were natural extensions of each other, when faced with poverty, misfortune, disasters or distress will gather more closely together. By sticking together they form a united front, but if they abandon each other they drift farther apart. Also, the relationships between people who are concerned for each other is as thin and tasteless as water, whereas the relationships between petty people is as thick and sticky as sweet wine. The thinness of those who are concerned about each other leads them to get closer, while the thickness of petty people leads them to become distasteful. Those who’ve found no reason to join together in the first place wouldn’t be able to find any reason to remain together.”

Kong Zi said:
“Thank you so much for the advice.”

Walking slowly and letting his arms drift playfully as though he was pretending to fly, he returned home. He abandoned his studies and put away his books. His disciples no longer bowed down in front of him, but their love and affection for him increased.

At a later time Sang had something else to tell him:
“When Shun was dying, he gave Yu these instructions: ‘You must be warned about this! When it comes to your physical form, nothing is better than heeding its needs. When it comes to your emotions, nothing is better than facing them head on.’ By paying attention to your body’s necessities, it won’t fail you. By dealing with your emotions, they won’t cause you more trouble. When your body doesn’t fail you and your emotions don’t cause you more trouble, then you won’t have to look for ways to embellish what you naturally are. When you don’t have to look for ways to embellish what you naturally are, you definitely won’t have to be waiting around for other things.”

Zhuangzi was wearing old threadbare patched clothing and shoes that were tied to his feet with crudely cut twine when he came upon the King of Wei.

The King of Wei said:
“What has caused you, Sir, to be so needy?”

Zhuangzi said:
“I may be poor, but I’m not needy. If a scholar has Dao and virtue but isn’t able to put them into practice – that’s being needy. Having worn out clothes and shoes with holes in them is due to poverty, but it doesn’t mean the person’s needy. He’s just a little out of sync with present times. Has Your Majesty never watched a primate jumping through trees? When it takes hold of a cedar, catalpa, oak or camphor tree it swings on long vines from branch to branch and is in complete control of how long it takes to reach from one to the other. Even Yi and Peng Meng (famous archers) wouldn’t be able to take aim at them. On the other hand, if they take hold of the branch of a cudrania, jujube, trifoliate orange or Chinese holly tree (trees whose bark or leaves have sharp thorns) it moves about cautiously always looking around while shaking and quivering with apprehension. That isn’t because its muscles and bones have lost strength and quickness nor have become stiff. It’s because it’s found itself in a situation that doesn’t allow it to use it’s abilities properly. Now if I find myself situated in the midst of muddled superiors acting chaotically with each other and want to not become needy, how could that be done? Bi Gan found out about that when he had his heart cut out – there’s the proof!”

While Kong Zi (Confucius) was isolated without supplies in the wilderness between the small states of Chen and Cai and hadn’t eaten any cooked food for seven days, he leaned his left hand on a withered tree and with his right hand beat time using one of the tree’s withered branches while singing a song from the Yao clan included in the “Book of Songs”. He used the branch as a drumstick but couldn’t find the right tempo. His voice rang out but he couldn’t find the right notes. The combination of the sound of the wood and a person’s voice in the wilderness bore straight into the hearts of those who heard it.

Yan Hui stood with his hands clasped over his chest and kept making furtive glances at him. Zhong Ni was afraid Yan Hui might think too highly of him and because of this love for him cause himself needless grief over their situation, so he said:
“Hui, it’s easy not to be affected by the limitations of the heavens, but it’s difficult not to be affected by the relationships of mankind. What never began wouldn’t have a reason to oppose coming to an end. Humankind and the heavens are connected as one. Now, as for the song, who was singing it?”

Hui said:
“I’d like to ask what you mean by ‘It’s easy not to be affected by the limitations of the heavens’.”

Zhong Ni said:
“Hunger and thirst, hot and cold, poverty and physical restrictions – these are the natural occurrences of the heavens and earth as they transport things through evolution. What I’m saying can also be likened to simply flowing along with everything that happens. One who pledges their devotion to another person wouldn’t dare to desert them. If it’s possible for someone to hold on to that type of devotion, how much more so could they get from waiting to see what the heavens would bring?”
“What do you mean by ‘It’s difficult not to be affected by the relationships of mankind’?”
Zhong Ni said:
“If at the beginning of your employment everything runs smoothly and you receive promotions and rank, thus avoiding poverty, it’s because things have settled into a phase of profitability, but not because of anything you did. My own fate is something quite outside of myself. A considerate person doesn’t take advantage of others, and a virtuous person doesn’t steal from others. Why would I be seen as someone who had taken anything from anyone else? Therefore it’s said that of birds none is smarter than the pigeon. If it spots a place that’s unsuitable for building a nest it doesn’t give it a second glance. Even if it’s dropped a seed, it’ll just leave it there and move on. It may be afraid of people, but it manages to carry on amidst them the way it did before the people arrived. It can continue to exist in the turrets and eaves of the temples and palaces.”

“What do you mean by ‘What never began wouldn’t have a reason to oppose coming to an end’?’

Zhong Ni said:
“All living things evolve, but we don’t know what it is that causes them to change the way they do. So, how could we know when anything has reached an end? How can we know when anything new will begin? All we can do is carry on and wait to see what happens – that’s all.”
“What do you mean by ‘Humankind and the heavens are connected as one’?”

Zhong Ni said:
“That there are people is due to the heavens. That there is the heavens is also due to the heavens. That the heavens isn’t due to people is because it’s not in their natures to do so. The sage calmly drifts with the realization that when the essentials for his life fade away, the ending will come.”

Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi) was wandering inside the fenced area of Diao Ling when he spotted a lone unusual looking magpie approaching from the south side of the hill. Its wing span was about seven feet and its eyes were about one inch in diameter. It brushed Zhou’s forehead then descended into a group of chestnut trees.

Zhuang Zhou said:
“What kind of bird is this! It beats its huge wings but doesn’t fly very high. It has enormous eyes but doesn’t seem to have good vision.”

Obstructed by his long skirt he stumbled over to get as close as he could to it and waited with his crossbow at the ready. He noticed a lone cicada that had just found a nice spot in the shade and had forgotten about its vulnerability. A praying mantis raised its front legs and grabbed it, apparently forgetting about the vulnerability of its own form as well. The unusual looking magpie was so engaged in the scene and trying to figure out how it could best take advantage of the situation that by concentrating so intently on how it could gain benefits it lost sense of its own well being. Zhuang Zhou got a cold chill from watching all this and said:
“Phew! Things certainly can affect each other when two different species come into contact with each other.”

As he discarded his crossbow and headed for home, a game warden chased him yelling curses at him. When Zhuang Zhou returned home, he didn’t venture further than his own courtyard for three days.

His attendant, Lin Qie (Temporary Houseboy), asked:
“Master, what happened that’s made you not want to go further than your own yard?”

Zhuang Zhou said:
“I’ve been guarding my outer appearance, but forgot about what can happen to me. That’s like concentrating on the turbid water above but losing sight of the clear depths below. Furthermore, I’ve heard the masters say: ‘When you enter a place where specific customs prevail, follow their rules.’ Then when I was wandering through Diao Ling and I forgot about what could happen to me there, an unusual looking magpie brushed across my forehead. I wandered into the chestnut grove and lost sense of my own well being. The game warden in the chestnut grove thought I was a poacher. That’s why I haven’t ventured beyond my own courtyard.”

When Yang Zi was on his way to the state of Song, he spent a night in a local inn. The inn keeper had two concubines, one beautiful and one ugly. The ugly one was highly valued while the beautiful one was treated like dirt. When Yang Zi asked him why this was so, the young male servant at the inn replied:
“The beautiful one sees herself as beautiful but we don’t pay attention to her beauty. The ugly one sees herself as ugly but we don’t pay attention to her ugliness.”

Yang Zi said:
“Remember this, my disciples: Behave in a virtuous manner, but get rid of any idea that you’re behaving virtuously – then where could you go that you wouldn’t be loved?”

Zhuangzi Chapter 21: Tian Zi Fang

Translated by Nina Correa

While Tian Zi Fang (Master at plowing straight fields) was sitting in attendance to Marquis Wen of Wei, he mentioned a person named Xi Gong (Irrigation Worker) several times.

Marquis Wen said:
“Is Xi Gong your teacher?”

Zi Fang said:
“No. He’s one of my friends from the village. When he speaks about Dao I find that I usually agree with him, so I don’t have a problem mentioning what he says.”

Marquis Wen said:
“I see. So, are you without a teacher?”

Zi Fang said:
“I have one.”

“Who is your teacher?”

Zi Fang said:
“Dong Guo Shun Zi (Mr. Guard of the Eastern Wall).”

Marquis Wen said:
“If he’s your Master, why haven’t you spoken about him?”

Zi Fang said:
“He may be a person, but even though he has the appearance of a person he’s as empty as the heavens. By following along with situations he nurtures what’s genuine. With an unbiased attitude he tolerates all things. If something is without their own Dao, he rectifies their ability to be tolerant so as to awaken them. He leaves people to do their own thinking and takes off. A common person like me wouldn’t be able to communicate much about him.”

After Zi Fang left Marquis Wen became so dumbfounded he couldn’t say a word for the rest of the day.

When he summoned his ministers to come stand in front of him, he said to them:
“It’s so far away – the perfected virtue of a truly considerate person. At first I thought I understood the words of the sages and thought I’d reached true benevolence and righteousness in my behavior. Once I heard about Zi Fang’s teacher, my whole appearance seemed to fall apart and I didn’t want to move. My mouth seemed to be clamped shut and I didn’t want to speak. What I was studying before turns out to be like I was actually just stuffing clods of soil in my ears. And my involvement in the state of Wei keeps adding more junk into my ears.”

When Wen Bo Zue Zi (Master at Warming Up a Frigid Authority Figure) was on his way to the state of Qi, he stayed over for a while in the state of Lu.

A citizen of Lu requested an audience with him, but Wen Bo Zue Zi said:
“I can’t do that. I’ve heard that the gentlemen of the Middle Kingdom are clear about rituals and righteousness but are very narrow minded when it comes to matters of the heart. I don’t want to meet with someone like that.”

After he had been to Qi, he stopped off in Lu on the way back and the same person requested an audience with him again.

Wen Bo Zue Zi said:
“The last time I was here he begged to see me, and now he’s begging to see me again. There must be something startling he wants to tell me.”

After he went out and saw the guest, he came back in and sighed. He saw the guest the next day as well, and again sighed when he came back in.

His servant said:
“Every time you see this guy you come back in and sigh. Why is that?”

“As I told you before, the people in the Middle Kingdom are clear about rituals and righteousness but are very narrow minded when it comes to matters of the heart. The first time he came to see me he advanced and retreated as though he was following a specific set of rules – almost like he was measuring each step and movement. He seemed calm and unhurried like a dragon, or maybe his movements were more like a tiger. He ended up criticizing me like a son would, then trying to guide me like a father. That’s why I sighed.”
Zhong Ni (Confucius) came to pay a visit on him as well, but didn’t say a word to him.

Zi Lu (a disciple of Confucius) said:
“I know you’ve been wanting to see Wen Bo Zue Zi for a long time. When you saw him you didn’t say a word. Why is that?”

Zhong Ni said:
“Whatever I had thought about this person, when I saw him with my own eyes and realized he exists with Dao, I couldn’t allow myself to utter a sound.”

Yan Yuan asked Zhong Ni (Confucius):
“When you take a step, I also take a step. When you speed up a bit, I also speed up a bit. When you start trotting, I also trot. But when you run like a rabbit kicking up the dust behind you, I just seem to be stuck behind staring after you.”

His Master said:
“Hui, what do you mean by that?”

“By ‘When you take a step, I also take a step’ I mean what you speak about I also speak about. By ‘When you speed up a bit, I also speed up a bit’ I mean what you debate about I also debate about. By ‘When you start trotting, I also trot’ I mean what you say about Dao I also say about Dao. And by ‘When you run like a rabbit kicking up the dust behind you, I just seem to be stuck behind staring after you’ I mean you don’t need to say a word but you’re trusted; you don’t try to be like others but they gather around you; without even lifting a finger people come up and gush all over you. All I’m saying is that I don’t have a clue why this is so.”

Zhong Ni said:
“Why don’t we take a closer look at this together? The saddest thing is the death of the heart, and the sadness over the death of a person can only take second place to that. When the sun rises in the east and starts moving to the west, there’s not a living thing that doesn’t respond to it. Anything that has eyes and feet waits for that to happen and then proceeds with their workday. When the sun comes out that’s the time for reaping and gathering. When the sun goes away things vanish with it. All living things are the same way – there is waiting for death and there is waiting for birth. I received this particular form and it won’t change much until it finally gets used up. I move about rendering service to all sorts of things day and night without pause, but I don’t know where I’ll end up. What’s smoldering in me as my shape keeps evolving, not even one who could predict the future would be able to spy that out in advance. All I can do is move with what happens on this day.

“For our whole lives you and I have linked our arms together, yet something has been lost along the way. Can’t we share in this sorrow together? You’ve made the mistake of adopting for yourself that which I found worked for me. Each of us tried our best, but you keep asking for more than what you already have, which is like looking to find a horse in an empty stall. I can be of the most help to you by forgetting about my affection for you, and you can be of the most help to me by forgetting about your affection for me. Although this is true, you might wonder how that wouldn’t cause more anxiety. Although we might take part in this type of forgetfulness, the thing we’ll never forget is to live our own lives.”

Kong Zi (Confucius) went to visit Lao Dan (Laozi). Lao Dan had just finished washing his hair and had spread it out across his shoulders to dry. He was so removed from what was happening around him that he appeared to be non-human.

Kong Zi waited for an appropriate time to approach, and after a short time he made his presence known and said:
“Am I in a daze? Or is this truly so? As I approached just now, your physical form appeared to be like a hollowed out old withered tree trunk. You seemed to have left everything behind, separated yourself from the rest of humanity and had established yourself in solitude.”

Lao Dan said:
“I was letting my heart wander where all things began.”

Kong Zi said:
“What do you mean by that?”

“My heart is so bound up with it that I can’t put my thoughts together. My mouth is so restricted that I can’t find the words. But since you asked, I’ll try to explain the experience to you. The ultimate Yin is deeply solemn. The ultimate Yang is expansively brilliant. What’s deeply solemn rises up to the heavens, and what’s expansively brilliant shines down on the earth. They both join together in supreme harmony and all things are born. Perhaps there’s something that regulates all this, but no one has ever seen such a thing. Reducing and multiplying, filling and emptying, at once dark and at once bright, the sun transforming throughout the day and the moon changing during a month – each day progresses into the next, but no one sees that as a result of anything specific. In birth there is sprouting, and in death there is returning. From beginning to end everything is in the process of reversing itself but there seems to be no reason for it, and no one knows where it will all end. What else but this could be the ancestor from which we all come into being!”

Kong Zi said:
“May I ask what your wandering in this is like?”

Lao Dan said:
“To be able to grasp this is ultimate beauty and ultimate joy. Grasping ultimate beauty and wandering in ultimate joy, one could be called an ultimate person.”

Kong Zi said:
“I’d like to hear your method for doing this.”

“Beasts who eat grass don’t suffer if you change where they graze. Insects who live in water don’t suffer if you change their water. That’s because a small alteration is made, but they haven’t lost their greater aspects. So happiness, anger, sorrow and joy at what’s happened to them don’t arise or cause them anguish. As for what’s in this world, all living things have some way in which they’re united. Grasp what it is that unites them and see that they’re all the same, then your four limbs and the hundred parts of your body will become like dust and dirt. Death and birth, beginnings and endings will become like days and nights, and nothing will be able to distract you from your path. Even less so would the idea of gain or loss and misfortune or blessings! Someone who can abandon the idea that they’re enslaved as though they were knocking off a piece of caked mud from their shoe knows that their body is much more valuable than merely being a slave. Our true value lies in who we are and not in what was lost due to some changes we went through. We could go through ten thousand transformations and not even begin to reach the end, so what could possibly be sufficient to cause grief to our hearts? One who’s already connected to Dao is relieved of all that.”

Kong Zi said:
“Master, your virtue is on a par with the heavens and the earth, but you still borrow concepts so as to cultivate your mind. Of all the well rounded people in the past, I doubt if any of them could avoid doing that.”

Lao Dan said:
“That’s not so. The gurgling of water isn’t because it’s actually doing anything, but simply because that’s what naturally arises from it. The virtue of a perfected person isn’t due to cultivation, but things aren’t able to resist it. It’s like the heavens being high of itself; the earth being low of itself; the sun and moon being bright of themselves. What would they cultivate!”

When Kong Zi left, he went and told Yan Hui:
“My relationship with Dao is like a chicken still marinating in vinegar. The Master subtly fermented me and turned me out of my pot, as I hadn’t been aware of the great perfection of the heavens and earth.”

Zhuangzi was visiting Duke Ai of Lu.

Duke Ai said:
“There are a lot of Ru scholars in Lu, but few of them can become helpful to me.”

Zhuangzi said:
“There are few Ru in Lu.”

Duke Ai said:
“All over the state of Lu there are those wearing the garb of Ru, so how can you say there are few of them?”

Zhuangzi said:
“Talk has been going around that those who are Ru wear round hats to show they know the seasons of the heavens, wear square shoes to show they know the configuration of the earth, and hang round jade discs from their sashes to show they can make decisive decisions about affairs. A cultured person who’s found the Way doesn’t necessarily wear a specific garb, and someone who wears a specific garb hasn’t necessarily found the Way. Since you don’t seem to think this is so, why don’t you make this proclamation throughout the state: ‘Those who haven’t found the Way, but wear the garb insinuating they have, will be found guilty and put to death.’ “

Thereupon Duke Ai made the proclamation, and within five days a person couldn’t be found in Lu wearing the garb of a Ru. There was only one elderly man who continued to wear a Ru’s garb and came to stand at the Duke’s gate. The Duke promptly invited him in and asked him about the affairs of state, and though they dealt with a thousand issues and tens of thousands of possibilities, he didn’t falter.

Zhuangzi said:
“In the whole state of Lu there’s only one person who’s actually a Ru. Can that be called a lot?”

High rank and a hefty salary didn’t enter into the mind of Bai Li Xi. When he fed grain to the cattle, the cattle got fat, so Duke Mu of Qin paid no attention to his lowly status and assigned him to a governmental position. The clansman of Yu (Shun) didn’t let the ideas of death or life enter his mind, and that in itself was enough to influence others.

Lord Yuan of Song (Duke Yuan) ordered that a scroll be painted. A large crowd of scribes arrived, received the instructions, and immediately started wetting their brushes with saliva and preparing their ink blocks. Half of them were excluded pretty quickly. One scribe arrived late and sauntered up in a very relaxed manner without hurrying at all. He received his instructions and immediately turned around and returned to his quarters. The Duke sent someone to go see what he was up to, and by the time they found him he’d taken off his clothing and was sitting there naked drawing on his tablet.

Lord Yuan said:
“He’ll do. This one is truly an artist.”

While King Wen was in the state of Zang he spotted an elderly man fishing. Even though he appeared to be fishing, he didn’t seem to be intent on catching anything. One who doesn’t hold on to the idea of catching anything but keeps on fishing will constantly be fishing. King Wen wanted to raise his status and award him the government, but he was afraid his ministers and family members would raise a ruckus about that. He figured it would be best to give up on the idea and leave the man alone, but he couldn’t bear the thought that the common people would be deprived of this glimpse of the heavens.

So the next morning he summoned his highest advisers and said to them:
“Last night I dreamed about a kindly person with a dark complexion and the stubble of a beard. He was riding a piebald horse with red symbols on its hooves. He yelled at me: ‘Retire to your home and turn over the government to the old man from Zang so that the people will be cured of their ills!’ “

All the advisers replied at once:
“That was your deceased father.”

King Wen said:
“Maybe so. Why don’t we consult the oracle on the matter.”

The advisers all said:
“Since you received an order from your deceased father, you can’t possibly ignore it. What would be the point in consulting the oracle?”

Satisfied, they welcomed the elderly man from Zang and turned over the government to him. The old laws were upheld, but no new ones were added. Three years later King Wen made an inspection tour of the state. He found that the established ranks of soldiers were in disarray and the hierarchal groups had disbanded, the commanding officers didn’t pursue power, and that the surrounding states didn’t dare bring their own weights and measures into the state. Since the established ranks of soldiers were in disarray and the hierarchal groups had disbanded, they were all given the same status. Since the commanding officers didn’t pursue power, they showed the same devotion to every task. Since the surrounding states didn’t dare bring their own weights and measures into the state, the various officials weren’t confused about to whom they had to show preference.

King Wen at that point considered the man to be the greatest of teachers, and facing north (the position of subservience) asked him:
“Can this type of government be extended to the whole world?”

The elderly man from Zang got a confused look on his face and didn’t respond. He simply gave a blank stare and left. In the morning he paid his respects to the court, and at nightfall he went out for a walk. He was never heard from again for the rest of his life.

Yan Yuan asked Zhong Ni (Confucius):
“What was wrong with King Wen? And why did he come up with that dream?”

Zhong Ni said:
“Shush! Watch your words! King Wen did his best, and who are you to criticize him? It was right for him to follow that course and do what he had to do.”

Lie Yu Kou (Lie Zi) was showing Bo Hun Wu Ren (Professor Confused Nonentity) his skill at archery. He drew the bow to its full extent, had a cup of water placed on his elbow, and released the string. As soon as the arrow had reached its mark, he was releasing a second arrow and then a third, and all of them lodged in the same place. The whole time he stood as still as a statue.

Bo Hun Wu Ren said:
“What you’ve displayed is the shooting skill of archery, but not the shooting skill of non-archery. Do you think you could climb to the top of a high mountain, hiking over rocky cliffs to a place eight hundred feet above a deep valley, and be able to shoot as well from there?”

Wu Ren then led him up to the top of a high mountain, hiking over rocky cliffs to a place eight hundred feet above a deep valley. Wu Ren turned his back to the edge of the cliff, slowly moving his feet until he was standing with his heels extending over the edge, and motioned for Yu Kou to join him. Yu Kou dropped to the ground, sweat streaming, and dug in his heels.

Bo Hun Wu Ren said:
“As for the perfected person, he can rise straight up to the clear blue sky, descend and submerge himself in the deepest core of the earth, freely roam to the ends of the world, and his expression wouldn’t change a bit. Now you’re experiencing so much fear that your eyes are a dead give away, and it appears that the very core of yourself is in great danger!”

Jian Wu asked of Sun Shu Ao:
“Three times you were appointed chief minister but you didn’t act like that was any big deal. Three times you were removed from office but you didn’t show any signs of regret. At first I thought you were just pretending, but now that I’m looking at you face to face I can see you’re filled with a true zest for life. How can you be so acceptingly adaptable to what comes your way?”

Sun Shu Ao said:
“Am I really more exceptional than others? I simply accept what comes since I can’t refuse it. And if it goes I can’t stop it. I consider any gains or losses that come my way aren’t due to anything I’ve done, so there’s nothing to worry about, and that’s about it. Is my being this way something that makes me more exceptional than others? I don’t know if I’m this way due to outside influences or if it’s due to just being myself. If it’s due to outside influences, then I’ve lost myself. If it’s due to being myself, then I’ve lost outside influences. I’m about to go loitering while watching everything happening around me. What leisure time do I have to wonder about whether people hold me in high regard or think of me as a loser!”

Zhong Ni (Confucius) heard about this conversation and said:
“The perfected ones of the past didn’t allow those with knowledge to criticize them, didn’t allow those who were beautiful to lead them astray, didn’t allow robbers to bring them misfortune, nor would they allow Fu Xi or Huang Di to entice them with friendship. Departure from life is an extreme, but since even that wasn’t able to change who they really were, neither would positions of honor and rank! For one who’s like that, their spirit could pass through a huge mountain without coming upon an obstacle, could enter into a deep pit of water without getting wet, and could face all sorts of material hardships without seeing it as a difficulty. Being so filled up with the heavens and the earth, what they’d already given to others brought them more than what they previously had.”

The King of Chu was sitting with the Marquis of Fan.
(Note: Fan was a small state eventually taken over by the larger state of Chu.)
In a short while, one by one, three of the King’s ministers came and announced:
“The state of Fan has been destroyed.”

The Marquis of Fan said:
“The state of Fan has been destroyed, but that’s not sufficient enough to have made me cease to exist. If Fan’s destruction isn’t enough to have made me cease to exist, then the existence of Chu isn’t enough to ensure anyone’s survival. From this point of view, then Fan hasn’t necessarily been destroyed, and Chu hasn’t necessarily survived.”

(Note: At that time it was customary for the ruler of a conquering state to put to death the officials of the state which had been taken over, since there was a fear of retribution by the ousted officials.)