Zhuangzi Translated by Nina Correa
Zhuangzi Chapter 1: Carefree Roaming
Translated by Nina Correa
http://www.daoisopen.com/ZhuangziChuangTzu.html
In an unexplored area in the far north, there was a fish whose name was Kun. The Kun was so big that no one could figure out how many feet across it was. It transformed into a bird whose name was Peng. No one could figure out how many feet across its back was. When it burst into flight, its wings seemed to hang in the sky like clouds. This bird had the capacity to make its move to an unexplored area in the far south where the sky was like a large lake.
From Qi Xie’s “Tales of the Supernatural” (a book of legends and myths):
Xie wrote:
“On the Peng’s migration to the unexplored south, it beat against the water for a thousand miles. It spiraled upward like a cyclone for thirty thousand miles. It traveled for six months before it stopped to rest. Horses went wild. Dust and dirt flew everywhere. The creatures on the earth had their breath taken away by all that wind blowing everywhere.”
The sky is one shade of blue. Is that its original color? No matter how far it extends, is it without an end? Might the sky appear the same when looking down from above?
If water doesn’t accumulate to create enough depth, then it wouldn’t be able to hold up a large boat. Spill a cup of water into a crack on the kitchen floor, then a mustard seed could float on the water like a boat. Try to float the cup in the same amount of water and it would stick to one spot, as the water is too shallow and the boat is too big.
If enough wind hasn’t accumulated to be forceful, then it wouldn’t be able to support large wings. At a height of thirty thousand miles the wind is unhindered by what’s below and only there can the wind reach full force. With the blue sky above the Peng’s back, and nothing in its way to hinder it, only then can it chart a path to the south.
A cicada and a young dove laugh together while saying:
“We decide to take off and fly to see what we can find in the branches of elm trees. Sometimes we don’t reach them, and tumble back to the ground to land. What’s the point of going up to thirty thousand miles to try to get to the south?”
Go for a three mile hike in the woods, and your stomach will still be full. Go for a thirty mile hike, and you might need to stay overnight and prepare food. Go for a thousand mile hike, and for three months you’d have to find food. What do those two creatures think they know!
Restricted knowledge isn’t as good as expansive knowledge. Having few experiences isn’t as good as having many experiences. How do we know this is so? A morning mushroom doesn’t have any concept of the phases of one moon’s monthly cycle. A cricket doesn’t have any concept of the changes of the seasons. Their experiences are limited. South of the state of Chu there’s a fabled elf for whom spring lasts five hundred years and autumn lasts five hundred years. In ancient times there was a gigantic tree for whom spring lasted eight thousand years and autumn lasted eight thousand years. And Peng Zu (a legendary man who is said to have lived for eight hundred years) even today is considered special for his long life. Everyone wants to match him – doesn’t that cause them much grief!
Tang’s questions to Ji (one of his wise ministers) were about this point:
“In the far north where nothing grows there’s an unexplored sea that seems like a lake in the sky. In it is some sort of fish that’s a thousand miles wide, and no one knows its length. It’s been given the name Kun. There’s some sort of bird that’s been given the name Peng. Its back is like Mount Taishan, and it has wings that hang down like clouds in the sky. It can spiral upward like a cyclone for thirty thousand miles, cut through the floating clouds having only the blue sky above its shoulders, and then set a course for the south as it heads for the southern wilderness. A scolding quail laughingly asks: ‘Where’s it going? I jump and leap as I rise, but then fall back down after only a couple of feet. I hover between the low bushes and plants, which is also a method of flying. Then where does it think it’s going?’ “
This is the debate between what’s small and what’s large.
Therefore, a person might have the knowledge to run an office, to run a business in a small town, to cater to a famous person, or campaign to run for political office. At least, that’s the opinion they have of themselves. Yet Song Rong Zi (a philosopher who taught simple living) is still laughing at them. If the whole world praised him, he wouldn’t think he made any headway. If the whole world opposed him, he wouldn’t think he’d lost any ground. He was comfortable with accepting the difference between what was within him and how he was perceived from the outside. He’d gotten rid of the idea of arguing about the differences between honor and dishonor. He didn’t evaluate his future life on those things. Even now, he still isn’t seen as someone who really established anything.
Lie Zi could travel on the wind as though he was comfortably driving a chariot for fifteen days before returning. Those who could reach that kind of bliss are rare. Even though in that way he could dispense with walking, to some extent he had to wait for something. What if a person could ride on the course of the sky and the earth, and manage the six disagreeable energies, traveling without becoming exhausted – that would show how awful it is to have to depend on anything!
So it’s been said:
A perfected person is without a sense of self.
A spiritual person is without a sense of achievement.
A wise person is without a sense of entitlement.
Yao tried to give over the world to Xu You, saying:
“When the sun and moon come out, yet the light bulbs keep on burning, doesn’t their brightness seem unnecessary! When the rain starts pouring, and yet one keeps watering the plants, doesn’t all that work just create a swamp! A ruler can just stand aside when the whole world is peacefully governed. Since any opinions I come up with seem to be coming from a statue, I don’t even know what I’m doing here. Please take over the world.”
Xu You replied:
“You, sir, govern the world, so the world is already governed. If my opinions mirrored yours, then wouldn’t I just be like your mouthpiece? A mouthpiece simply goes along with what’s already ordained. Would any opinions I came up with on my own become subject to your approval? A wren makes its nest deep in the trees, only occupying one branch. A small furry animal drinks from the river, but only enough to slake his thirst. Return to the comfort of being king. You might want to give me the world, but it wouldn’t be of any use to me! If a proper chef isn’t in charge of the kitchen, there’d only be a corpse left around to accept gratitude for the wine and prepared food.”
Jian Wu asked of Lian Shu:
“I heard something from Jie Yu that sounds really great but impractical. He rambled on but none of it made any sense. I was surprised and horrified by what he said. It seemed like empty talk that went nowhere. It was like it was just meant to make him appear to know something, but had nothing to do with what people actually go through in their lives.”
Lian Shu asked:
“What did he say?”
Wu replied:
“He said there’s a holy man living in the Miao Gu She mountains. His skin is like ice and snow – as soft and tender as a young maiden. He doesn’t eat what others eat, but inhales the wind and drinks the dew. He rides on the clouds, holding the reins of a flying dragon, and travels beyond the four seas. His spirit is so concentrated that he can keep illness away from other creatures and make sure there’s a rich harvest every year. I think he’s nuts and don’t believe a word he says.”
Lian Shu said:
“No wonder. A blind person can’t participate in looking at paintings and tapestries. A deaf person can’t participate in listening to chimes and drums. Can’t the mind, as well as the body, experience deafness and blindness? So, knowledge can be affected that way as well. Those words of his seem to have a gentle feminine approach. A person like that, with those virtues, would side with all living creatures – seeing them as all the same. This generation thrives on disorder – abuse and manipulation are what matter in the world! No living thing would harm a person like that. A great flood sent down from the sky wouldn’t drown him. A great flow of molten lava coming down from a mountain wouldn’t burn him. Even though his dust, dirt and debris could be used to make a model for Yao and Shun, who would want to take on that job?
“A merchant from the state of Song brought some badges and medals which he thought could be useful for various purposes to the people in the state of Yue. The people from Yue shaved their heads and tattooed their bodies, so they had no place to put the badges. Yao ruled all the people in the world and governed the four seas. He went to see the four respected Masters in the Miao Gu She mountains, in a remote and obscure area north of the Fen River. While he was there, he mourned for the rest of the world.”
Hui Zi said to Zhuangzi:
“The King of Wei gave me the seeds from a huge gourd. I managed to get the seeds to sprout, and the fruit on the plants grew to about seventeen cubic feet (about the size of a washing machine). When they’re filled with any liquid they’re strong enough, but too heavy for me to pick up. I sliced through them trying to make ladles, but they ended up so shallow they wouldn’t hold anything. It’s not that they weren’t impressive for their size, but I couldn’t find any use for them, so I threw them away.”
Zhuangzi replied:
“Sir, you’re very awkward when it comes to finding a use for large things. There was a guy in Song who invented a salve that could cure chapped hands. For generations it was used by those who were employed at washing and bleaching silk. A visitor heard about it, and asked to buy the recipe for a hundred pieces of gold. The people of the community got together to discuss the proposition and said: ‘We’ve been washing and bleaching silk for generations, not getting more than a few pieces of gold for all our effort. Now in one day we can sell this recipe for a hundred pieces of gold. Let’s please give it to him.’ The visitor got it, and went to tell the King of Wu. Since the state of Yue was having difficulties at the moment, the King of Wu made him a commander in the army. That winter they went into battle at sea with the people of the state of Yue, and utterly defeated Yue’s armies, so he was given a large piece of land in the conquered territory along with a title. The ability to prevent chapped hands is one thing. Perhaps it can be used to gain a title; perhaps it can be used by those who wash and clean silk. There are different ways it can be useful. Now, you have gourds that measure about seventeen cubic feet. Why not consider them as huge vats in which you could float down rivers and lakes, instead of worrying that they’re too flat to contain anything? Well, sir, it seems that you’ve grown up with fluff in your brain!”
Hui Zi said to Zhuangzi:
“I have a large tree people call the Ailanthus. Its huge trunk is covered with so many knotty lumps that a carpenter’s measuring tools couldn’t find the middle of it. Its small branches are so bent that a carpenter’s ruler couldn’t measure them. It stands there spreading out in so many directions that a woodsman wouldn’t even take notice of it. Just now, sir, you used words that are so big and useless most people would ignore them.”
Zhuangzi replied:
“Sir, haven’t you ever watched a lone bobcat or weasel? It stays low to the ground, crouching down, waiting for something to unwittingly stroll by. Jumping up high in all directions, not being able to avoid what is above or below, preoccupied with a sense of invulnerability, it then gets snared and dies in a hunter’s net. Then there’s the adult yak, which seems to be as big as a cloud in the sky. It’s really huge! Yet it can’t even catch a mouse. You, sir, have a large tree, and are worried that it’s useless. Why not transplant the tree from your own neighborhood into the vast wilderness. There you could pace back and forth next to it while doing nothing. Without a care in the world, you could lie down under it and go to sleep. Neither an ax nor hatchet would threaten its existence. It would be out of harm’s way. What’s truly useless should be able to get some peace and quiet!”
Translated by Nina Correa
Nan Guo Zi Qi (Mr. Intense of a Southern neighborhood) sat alone at his table, looking up at the sky and sighing. He seemed despondent, as though he’d lost an important part of himself.
Yan Cheng Zi You (Mr. Image of a Successful Traveler) stood waiting patiently in front of him, then said:
“Who is it that’s sitting here? Can a body really be made to resemble dead wood, and a heart be made to resemble dying embers? Now this lone man sitting at his table isn’t the same person who was sitting here a while ago.”
Zi Qi said:
“Sitting here, I didn’t think it was good to question what was happening, but I’ll come up with an answer! At this moment I lost myself – do you know what I mean? You may have heard the music made by people, but not heard the music made by the earth. You may have heard the music made by the earth, but not heard the music made by the heavens.”
Zi You replied:
“I’d really appreciate it if you’d explain more about that.”
Zi Qi said:
“When the Great Clod (the earth) belches vapors, it’s called the wind. That’s only the beginning. Then it proceeds to rage and make loud noises through all the valleys and holes on earth. Haven’t you ever heard the sounds of the wind blowing? In the awesome elegant mountain forests there are huge trees surrounded by crevices and caves which are like noses, like mouths, like ears, like sockets, like goblets, like mortars, like canals, like sewers. Roaring, screeching, shouting, sucking, wailing, howling, whistling, growling, the headwinds sing “Yoooh!”, and the tailwinds sing “Yaaah!” The soft winds contribute the undertones, and the strong winds contribute the overtones. The harsh winds blow through all the empty holes and caves. Haven’t you ever been an audience to this harmonious melody, to these peculiar sounding instruments?”
Zi You replied:
“The music produced by the earth uses the many crevices and caves. The music produced by people uses various bamboo instruments. I’d appreciate it if you’d explain more about the music of the heavens.”
Zi Qi said:
“It blows on each of the thousands of things differently, but makes each of them follow their own patterns. By themselves they all attain what’s right for them, so is there anyone who’d really be able to enslave them?”
Great knowledge concentrates on what’s close and vivid.
Small knowledge concentrates on what’s far away and obscure.
Big talk is bright and flashy.
Small talk is chattering and scattered.
When sleeping there’s a connection with the spirit.
When awake other shapes are revealed.
Connecting and meeting together, each day our hearts and minds compete. We may become apathetic, depressed and secretive. Small fears create worry and concern. Big fears create apathy and seclusion. They shoot out like arrows from a crossbow, trying to take control of what they determine to be Right or Wrong. They kill as easily as autumn turns to winter, using words that vanish in the course of a day. They indulge in their own motivated actions, not being able to turn away from them. Their disgust closes in on them, and they use words that have become as stagnant as sewer water. Nearly dead in their hearts, nothing can cause them to return to seeing the bright side of things. All they experience is happiness/anger, sorrow/pleasure, worry/distress, adaptability/restrictions, stress/laziness, openness/pretense.
Enjoyment can arise from what was once empty, just like mushrooms can be produced by the vapors on the soil. Day and night naturally follow each other, and no one knows how that happens. Enough! Enough already! There’s dawn, and there’s sunset. They each have their place for creating life!
There is no “other” without a “me.” There is no “me” without something to grab hold of. That seems easy enough to understand, but if it’s not understood there’s no reason to do anything else. It might seem like there’s some perfect truth, but what’s special can’t really be observed clearly. It’s possible to have personal beliefs, but not to allow them take an actual form – to have feelings about things but not to create dogma around them.
A hundred bones, nine openings and six organs complete our existence. Which of those do we feel closest to? Do you express joy for all of them? Do you cherish one over another? Don’t they all act as your servants? Are any of those servants capable enough to control one of the others? Do any of them give themselves over as a servant and accept another as their ruler? Does a truly perfect ruler exist among them? If we try to establish that kind of hierarchy, their working relationship would become useless and decrease to the point where nothing would work in perfect harmony. Once we’ve received this body, we don’t lose the use of it until we’ve exhausted it.
Living things destroy each other and make waste of each other. They wear themselves out by galloping all over the place, and nothing is able to stop them. Isn’t that sad! After a whole life of battling and fighting, they still don’t achieve the success they were reaching for. They’ve tired themselves out completely with all their battling, and still don’t have a clue how to get out of it. That’s definitely something to be sad about! What advantage is it for anyone to speak about Immortality? If their shape is so twisted that their minds can’t make sense any more, that’s really incredibly sad! Are people originally born with those kinds of ridiculous thoughts? Am I the only one who thinks that’s ridiculous, or are there others who agree?
If it was meant for everyone to follow a teacher, would there be a single person who’d be without a teacher for a moment? Does the quest for knowledge mean replacing one’s true feelings with the teachings of someone else? Fools tend to group together. If you haven’t yet succeeded in connecting with your own heart but have a sense of Right and Wrong, that’s as silly as thinking you could set out for Yue today and arrive there yesterday. That would be like trying to make something out of nothing. To make something out of nothing – even the Great Yu wouldn’t know how to do that. How could one as simple as me be able to follow those instructions!
Speaking isn’t merely blowing wind out of our mouths. One who speaks is actually saying something. But what he’s intending to say might seem really vague. So what’s the point of speaking? What if there were no words? Speaking is thought to be different from the chirping of baby birds. Can words be used to clarify? Can they be used to confuse?
How has Dao become so hidden that there is True and False?
How has speech become so hidden that there is Right and Wrong?
Where is it that Dao doesn’t exist?
Which words are there that shouldn’t exist?
Dao is hidden in small accomplishments.
Words are hidden in grandiose speeches.
Then we have the Confucian and Mohist ideas of Right and Wrong. What one thinks is Right, the other thinks is Wrong. What one thinks is Wrong, the other thinks is Right. In order to make Right into Wrong, and Wrong into Right – then you’d really have to be sharp-sighted.
Things are merely a That or a This. If you look at something as a That, it can’t be seen clearly. If you have knowledge of yourself, others can be understood.
Therefore, it’s been said:
“That stems from This, and This is also on account of That.”
That and This make comparisons about life with their own theories.
So…….
One may compare life to death,
One may compare death to life;
One may compare what’s suitable with what’s not suitable;
One may compare what’s not suitable with what’s suitable;
The reason there is Right is because there is Wrong,
The reason there is Wrong is because there is Right.
Therefore, a wise person doesn’t follow that course of reasoning, but reflects on what comes from the heavens, using this reasoning:
This is also That.
That is also This.
That has a set of Rights and a set of Wrongs.
This has a set of Rights and a set of Wrongs.
Does that result in there still being a That and a This? Is the result that there is no longer a That and a This? When That and This find nothing to keep them apart – that’s referred to as the pivot of Dao. Only when the pivot is in the middle of an unbroken ring can it respond endlessly. What’s Right is part of the endless circle. What’s Wrong is part of the endless circle.
That’s why it’s been said:
“You really have to be sharp-sighted.”
To use a finger as a representation to show what’s a finger and what’s not a finger, isn’t as good as using something that’s not a finger as a representation of what’s a finger and what’s not a finger. To use a horse as a representation to show what’s a horse and what’s not a horse, isn’t as good as using something that’s not a horse as a representation of what’s a horse and what’s not a horse. Heaven and earth are fingers. The ten thousand things are horses.
What can, can. What can’t, can’t. Go with Dao and there’s success. Things that are spoken become so. How could it be so? What’s so is so. How could it not be so? What’s not so is not so. Things actually are somewhat so. Things actually somewhat can. Without anything, nothing is so. Without anything, nothing can. Therefore, as to a small shoot of grass and a mighty pillar; an ugly ogre and Xi Shi (woman known as an acme of beauty), what would stand out as unusual? Dao joins with all of them. To differentiate between them brings a result, and that result is their destruction. Ordinary things are without differentiation and destruction, and since they can relate to each other, they unite. Only someone with keen perception can find the unity in all things, not because of looking for their usefulness but by dwelling in the idea that everything is ordinary. What’s ordinary is useful. What’s useful makes connections.
What makes connections gets a hold of something. Very few get hold of something they’re content with. When they stop without not knowing why they’ve done that, they’re getting the gist of Dao.
To wear out your spirit and intelligence trying to unify everything without knowing they’re already in harmony is called “three in the morning.” What’s meant by “three in the morning”? There was a monkey keeper who gave these instructions for feeding nuts to the monkeys: “Give them three in the morning and four at night.” The monkeys were all outraged. So he said: “Okay, give them four in the morning and three at night.” The monkeys were all happy. The amount they were fed didn’t change, but their reactions showing pleasure or anger got them what they wanted. Therefore, a wise person finds harmony with Right and Wrong and relaxes with the equality of the heavens. This is called being able to adapt.
Since ancient times people have been trying to extend their knowledge. In what way did they do that? First they believed that things did not really exist as separate entities. That was the extent of it and nothing more needed to be added. Next, they came up with a belief that there actually were separate things, but they didn’t place any one thing above another. Then they came up with the belief that some things really were above others, but they hadn’t made a determination of which things were Right and which were Wrong. When they came to the conclusion that they could make a distinction between what was Right and what was Wrong, they really lost their way. Losing their way, they began to cherish their own accomplishments. Could there really be any sense of accomplishment while one was so lost? Could there be no sense of accomplishment while one was so lost? Feeling a sense of accomplishment while lost, clansman Zhao (a famous musician) would play the zither. Not feeling a sense of accomplishment while lost, clansman Zhao wouldn’t play the zither.
Zhao Wen played the zither. Shi Kuang wielded his baton. Hui Zi leaned against a shade tree. How much did these three gentlemen know? All of them were prosperous, so they were famous for the rest of their lives. Each of them were so good at what they did that they acted like it was easy enough for anyone to have the ability to be as talented as they were. However, other people didn’t have the same talents as they did, even though they had abilities in different areas. So their determination to teach others was in vain and their talent died with them. Furthermore, all of Wen’s students kept fiddling with the strings for the rest of their lives, but in all that time they didn’t accomplish anything. If that can be called an accomplishment, then I’ve also accomplished things. If that can’t be called accomplishment, then neither I nor anyone else has accomplished anything. Therefore, slipping into doubt about what’s dazzling, that’s what a wise person uses as a map. Instead of looking for what’s useful, but rather accepting that everything is simply ordinary, that’s called really being sharp-sighted.
Nowadays there are all sorts of words. There’s no way to know which category they fit into. Maybe they don’t fit into any category. One category may not fit in with another. Grouped together, they might form a new category. If they were all grouped together, then there’d be no need for distinctions. Although that may be so, please check out these words. There was a beginning. There has not yet been a beginning that began anything. There is existence. There is non-existence. Existence and non-existence have not yet begun. There is no beginning to existence just as there is no beginning to non-existence. If after a while existence and non-existence came to an end, then not knowing whether there actually was an existence or a non-existence, there’d be no point in determining what was existence and what was non-existence. Now that I’ve already made those statements, I don’t know if I’ve really said anything, or haven’t said anything at all.
In the whole world there’s nothing larger than the tip of an animal’s hair, and a huge mountain is small. Nothing has a longer life than a stillborn child, and Peng Zu (a man who lived for eight hundred years) is young.
The whole universe and I came into being together, and all living things are connected to me. Since there’s already this connection, what’s the use of speaking about it? Since that’s all that can be said about this ultimate connection, can we stop talking about it? One together with words becomes two. These two (separately) with one (the two together) becomes three. Going forward with these calculations, even the cleverest mathematician couldn’t reach the end, to say nothing of ordinary people! Therefore, if we proceed from nothing to something and arrive at three, just imagine what would happen if we proceeded from something to something! Let’s not proceed. Let’s call it quits.
As for Dao, there never were distinctions. Words have never been consistent, so they definitely have limits. I’d like to say something about those limits. There is Left; there is Right. There are personal ethics; there are societal mandates. There is detachment; there are debates. There are conversations; there is one-upmanship. These are called the eight expressions of the heart. What’s outside the realm of this world, a wise person leaves open to doubt. What’s inside the realm of this world, a wise person will discuss but won’t come to definitive
conclusions about any of it. About the ancient records of the first kings (historical events), a wise person will come to their own conclusions, but not get into arguments over it. Therefore, even with detachment there is non-detachment. With disagreements, there are no arguments. One might ask: “How can that be?” A wise person holds on to what he believes, whereas everybody else argues trying to make their point.
That’s why it’s been said: “Those who argue can’t see past their own noses.”
Magnificent Dao makes no determinations.
Magnificent arguments use no words.
Magnificent compassion is not benevolent.
Magnificent honesty doesn’t mediate.
Magnificent courage doesn’t cause distress.
Dao that is obvious is not Dao.
Words used in arguments are futile.
Consistent compassion is unsuccessful.
Sincere honesty isn’t believed.
Courage which causes distress attains nothing.
Of these five, how many could be correctly followed? Therefore, one who knows when to stop at what they don’t know has arrived. Knowing how to argue without words and how to follow Dao without guideposts – it would seem like having the ability to really know something. That would be called self-sufficiency. Poured into, yet not filled up. Flushed out, yet not emptied. Not knowing the place from which anything arises – this would be called preserving a bright light in the darkness.
A long time ago, Yao asked some questions of Shun (his prime minister), saying:
“I want to attack the states of Zong, Kuai and Xu Ao. Even though I’m sitting here on a throne with so much power, I still feel uncomfortable about it. What’s causing me to feel this way?”
Shun replied:
“The rulers of those three states are still living among cottontails and mugwort (undeveloped states and thus easily conquered). How could you not feel uncomfortable? A long time ago ten suns all came out at once. All living things were exposed by that brightness, and now the message of your own heart is coming through to you as brightly as those suns!”
Nie Que (Cracked and Missing Teeth) asked of Wang Ni (Master of Bewilderment):
“Do you know of anything that everyone would agree is Right?”
Ni said:
“How would I know that!”
“Do you know what you don’t know?”
“How would I know that!
“If that’s true, then doesn’t anyone know anything?”
“How would I know that! Nevertheless, I’ll try to say something about it. How can I know if what I claim I know to be true is rejecting the idea that there is something I might not know? How can I know if what I claim I don’t know to be true is rejecting the idea that there is something I do know? Now let me ask you some questions. If a person slept in a damp place, they’d get rheumatism in their backs and walk bent over. Would it be the same for an eel? If a person lived in a tree, they’d tremble with fear and shake uncontrollably. Would it be the same for a monkey? Of those three, which knows the right place to make a home? People eat herbivorous animals. Elks and deer eat grass and hay. Centipedes taste sweet to snakes. Hawks and crows have a taste for mice. Of those four, which knows what tastes best? Male monkeys find female monkeys attractive. Stags mate with does. Eels and fish mate in the water. Mao Qiang and Li Ji were considered beautiful by most people, but when fish saw them they’d plunge deep into the water, and if birds saw them they’d soar high up into the sky, and if deer saw them they’d gallop quickly away. Of those four, which knows the most about feminine attractiveness? From my point of view, the principles of benevolence and righteousness, and the ways of Right and Wrong are enmeshed in confusion and chaos. How would I be able to tell them apart!”
Ni Que said:
“If you don’t know what’s beneficial or harmful, then a fully achieved person wouldn’t know what’s beneficial or harmful either!”
Wang Ni replied:
“A fully achieved person is like a spirit! The great marshes could be set on fire, but she wouldn’t feel hot. The rivers in China could all freeze over, but she wouldn’t feel cold. Thunder could suddenly echo through the mountains, wind could cause a tsunami in the ocean, but she wouldn’t be startled. A person like that could ride through the sky on the floating clouds, straddle the sun and moon, and travel beyond the four seas. Neither death nor life can cause changes within her, and there’s little reason for her to even consider benefit or harm.”
Qu Que Zi (Mr. Startled Squawking Bird) asked of Chang Wu Zi (Mr. Full Grown Shade Tree):
“I’ve heard my Master say that a wise person is considered to be someone who doesn’t get involved in a career. They don’t strive for profit, don’t look to avoid bankruptcy, don’t find enjoyment in competition, and have no reason to get involved in those things. There’s no way to describe him, and any description of him is inadequate since he travels outside the dust and dirt (troubles of everyday life). My Master thinks that’s a pretty hasty and impulsive way of looking at things, but I think it’s the way of moving with mysterious Dao. How does it seem to you, my friend?”
Chang Wu Zi said:
“Upon hearing this, even the Yellow Emperor would be perplexed, so how could Qiu (Confucius) fully understand it! As for you, you’re getting way ahead of yourself. You see an egg and can’t wait for it to crow. You see a crossbow and can’t wait to have a bird roasting in the oven. I’ll give you some abstract words to savor, and you listen to them abstractly, okay?
“Trying to hold the outer edges of the sun and moon to restrain the whole universe; trying to become intimate with everything; trying to make sense out of what’s evasive and chaotic; trying to be subserviently respectful to others – everybody labors at those things. A wise person is foolishly childlike, participating in a long life because they’ve succeeded at connecting with simplicity. If all living things availed themselves of what they are, in that way they’d be beneficial to each other.
“How could I know that enjoyment of life isn’t a delusion? How could I know that a dislike of death isn’t like a simpering fledgling who doesn’t know how to get back to his nest? Li Ji was the daughter of the border warden Ai. On her way to the state of Jin (to become a concubine for the king) she wept to much that she soaked the front of her dress. But when she arrived at the palace, shared with the king his luxurious bed, and ate the tender grain-fed meat at his table – then she regretted ever having cried. How could I know if the dead wouldn’t repent their former craving for life!
“One who dreams of a drunken banquet wakes up in the morning weeping and sobbing. One who dreams of weeping and sobbing wakes up in the morning and goes hunting. While they’re dreaming, they don’t know they’re dreaming. In the middle of a dream they might think they’re actually a part of the dream, but when they wake up they realize it was just a dream. After one has completely woken up they realize it was all just a big dream. A fool believes himself to be awake, inwardly and privately actually believing he knows who he really is. Princes! Paupers! Indeed! You and Qiu (Confucius) are both dreaming. When I call you a dreamer, I’m also a dreamer. As for what I’ve said, it could be called a flight of fancy. If in all the generations to come we could meet up with someone who had such great wisdom that they knew how to explain all this, it would be like dawn and sunset occurring at the same time.
“Suppose we have an argument with each other. If you beat me instead of me beating you, are you necessarily Right and I’m Wrong? If I beat you instead of you beating me, am I necessarily Right and you’re Wrong? Must one of us be Right, and the other Wrong? Could both of us be Right, and both of us be Wrong? Since neither of us can come to an agreement on that, then other people would be impervious to our muddled ignorance. Should we ask someone else to decide who’s Right? What if we ask someone who agrees with you? Since he already agrees with you, how can he make the decision! What if we ask someone who agrees with me? Since he already agrees with me, how can he make the decision! What if we ask someone who disagrees with both of us? Since he already disagrees with both of us, how can he make the decision! What if we ask someone who agrees with both of us? Since he already agrees with both of us, how can he make the decision! Since that’s so, then you and I and others wouldn’t be able to come to any agreement. Do we depend on other people’s opinions?
“Each changing tone of sound might be waiting for another sound to reverberate with, or it might not seem to be waiting for anything, but they’re harmonized within the scope of the heavens. In that way they spread out gracefully then fade away after running their course. What’s meant by being ‘harmonized within the scope of the heavens?’ One could say: Right may not be Right; So may not be So. If Right was no different from Non-Right, then there’d be no reason for arguments about what was Right and what was Non-Right. If So was no different from Non-So, then there’d be no reason for arguments about what was So and what was Non-So. Forget the passage of time; forget righteousness. Vibrate with boundlessness. In that way totally dwell in boundlessness.”
The penumbra asked the shadow:
“A little while ago you moved, and now you’ve stopped. A little while ago you sat down, and now you’re standing up. How can you act so irrationally?”
The shadow replied:
“Do I have to depend on something else to be the way I am? Does what I depend on also have to depend on something else to be what it is? Is my dependence like a snake’s on its scales or a cicada’s on its wings? How can I know why I am so? How can I know why I am not otherwise?”
(Note: Penumbra: A space of partial illumination [as in an eclipse] between the perfect shadow on all sides and the full light. The luminous outline around a shadow.)
A while ago I, Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi), dreamed I was a butterfly. Happily absorbed in being a butterfly, I was thrilled to fly around and do what butterflies do. I didn’t even know I was Zhou. When I woke up, I suddenly found that I was Zhou. I didn’t know if I was Zhou dreaming I was a butterfly, or if I was a butterfly dreaming I was Zhou. There must be something that separates Zhou from the butterfly. It’s called metamorphosis.
