Book Discourse on Chuang Tzu:
No Life Is Their Fate Or Life Is Their Fate?
Excerpt from book Discourse on Chuang Tzu
Yen Ch’eng Tzu Yuo said to Tung Kwo Tzu Ch’i, “When I began to follow your instructions, during the first year, I assumed rustic simplicity; in the second year, I followed along with all; in the third year, I freely penetrated all without encountering anything; in the fourth year, I was an undifferentiated material object; in the fifth year, there came the submission of things; in the sixth year the spirits came to lodge within; in the seventh year there was completion with heaven; in the eighth year I no longer knew anything of birth or death; and in the ninth year I attained the Great Mystery.“
When life is subject to conditioned existence, consequently death is destined. All mankind is therefore admonished to pursue this common goal: regain mastery by conducting one’s self as if conditioned existence is no more. That which enables life is nothing other than the Yang which is independent of any origin. How then does it enable all that we distinguish as being such and such, or so and so? Where does it play a part, where does it play no part? In the heavens, there are the cycles and sequences of the constellations. There are also the numerical cycles and sequences which chart the years. Here on earth, all manner of things preoccupy the minds of the people, yet how might I hope to understand it all? No one knows anything about their own end, then how can we say that no life is their fate? No one knows anything about their own beginning, then how can we say that life is their fate? There seems to be something that responds, so how can we say there are no spirits? There seems to be something that does not respond, so how can we say that there are indeed spirits?
颜成子游谓东郭子綦曰：“自吾闻子之言，一年而野，二年而从，三年而通，四年而物，五年而来，六年而鬼入，七年而天成，八年而不知死不知生，九年而大妙。”
生有为，死也。劝公：以其死也有自也，而生阳也无自也。而果然乎？恶乎其所适，恶乎其所不适？天有历数，地有人据，吾恶乎求之？莫知其所终，若之何其无命也？莫知其所始，若之何其有命也？有以相应也，若之何其无鬼邪？无以相应也，若之何其有鬼邪？
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