| 家○上○下○二○ ○二年七月一日 | ○ | 故曰○喪己於物○失性於俗者○謂之倒置之民 | 樂○未嘗不荒也○ | 故無憂而已矣○今寄去則不樂○由是觀之○雖 | 為軒冕肆志○不為窮約趋俗○其樂彼與此同○ | 者也○寄之○其来不可圉○其去不可止○故不 | 之謂也○軒冕在身○非性命也○物之儻来○寄 | 其無以益其樂而已矣○今之所謂得志者○軒冕 | 初○由是古之所謂得志者○非軒冕之謂也○謂 | 博溺心○然后民始惑亂○無以反其性情而复其 | 定天下○然后附之以文○益之以博○文滅質○ | ○然后去性而從於心○心與心識知○而不足以 | 興治化之流○梟淳散朴○離道以善○險德以行 | 故安而不順○德又下衰○及唐○虞始為天下○ | 不一○德又下衰○及神農○黄帝始為天下○是 | 逮德下衰○及燧人○伏羲始為天下○是故順而 | ○莫之為而常自然○ | 人雖有知○無所用之○此之謂至一○當是時也 | 鬼神不扰○四時得節○萬物不傷○群生不殀○ | ○與一世而得淡漠焉○當是時也○陰陽和靜○ | 冒○冒則物必失其性也○古之人○在混芒之中 | 樂遍行○則天下亂矣○彼正而蒙己德○德則不 | 反乎情○樂也○信行容体而順乎文○禮也○禮 | 無不理○義也○義明而物親○忠也○中純實而 | 夫德○和也○道○理也○德無不容○仁也○道 | 之以知養恬○知與恬交相養○而和理出其性○ | 古之治道者○以恬養知○生而無以知為也○謂 | 致其明○謂之蔽蒙之民○ | 繕性於俗學○以求复其初○滑欲於俗思○以求 | 莊子
南華經 第十六章 繕性 |
| 家○上○下○二○ ○二年七月一日 | 有錯字請通知我 | 故曰○正己而已矣○樂全之謂得志○ | 傷道○ | ○道固不小行○德固不小識○小識傷德○小行 | 以知窮德○危然處其所而反其性○己又何為哉 | 古之存身者○不以辯飾知○不以知窮天下○不 | 道也○ | 命而大窮乎天下○則深根寧极而待○此存身之 | ○當時命而大行乎天下○則反一無跡○不當時 | 言而不出也○非藏其知而不發也○時命大謬也 | 古之所謂隱士者○非伏其身而弗見也○非閉其 | 之中○其德隱矣○隱故不自隱○ | 無以興乎世○世無以興乎道○雖聖人不在山林 | ○道之人何由興乎世○世亦何由興乎道哉○道 | 觀喪之○世道矣○道喪世矣○世與道交相喪也 |
Chapter 16 -- Exercise Of Faculty
Those who exercise their faculties in mere worldly studies, hoping thereby to revert to their original condition; and those who sink their aspirations in mundane thoughts, hoping thereby to reach enlightenment;--these are the dullards of the earth.
The ancients, in cultivating Tao, begat knowledge out of repose. When born, this knowledge was not applied to any purpose; and so it may be said that out of knowledge they begat repose. Knowledge and repose thus mutually producing each other, harmony and order were developed. Virtue is harmony; Tao is order.
Virtue all-embracing,--hence charity. Tao all-influencing,--hence duty to one's neighbor. From the establishment of these two springs loyalty. Then comes music, an expression of inward purity and truth; followed by ceremonial, or sincerity expressed in ornamental guise. If music and ceremonial are ill regulated, the empire is plunged into confusion. And to attempt to correct others while one's own virtue is clouded, is to set one's own virtue a task for which it is inadequate, the result being that the natural constitution of the object will suffer.
Primeval man enjoyed perfect tranquility throughout life. In his day, the Positive and Negative principles were peacefully united; spiritual beings gave no trouble; the four seasons followed in due order; nothing suffered any injury; death was unknown; men had knowledge, but no occasion to use it. This may be called perfection of unity. At that period, nothing was ever made so; but everything was so.
By and by, virtue declined. Sui Jen and Fu Hsi ruled the empire. There was still natural adaptation, but the unity was gone. A further decline in virtue. Shen Nung and Huang Ti ruled the empire. There was peace, but the natural adaptation was gone.
Again virtue declined. Yao and Shun ruled the empire. Systems of government and moral reform were introduced. Man's original integrity was scattered. Goodness led him astray from Tao; his actions imperiled his virtue. Then he discarded natural instinct and took up with the intellectual. Mind was pitted against mind, but it was impossible thus to settle the empire. So art and learning were added. But art obliterated the original constitution, and learning overwhelmed mind; upon which confusion set in, and man was unable to revert to his natural instincts, to the condition in which he at first existed.
Thus it may be said that the world destroys Tao, and that Tao destroys the world. And the world and Tao thus mutually destroying each other, how can the men of Tao elevate the world, and how can the world elevate Tao? Tao cannot elevate the world; neither can the world elevate Tao. Though the Sages were not to dwell on mountain and in forest, their virtue would still be hidden;--hidden, but not by themselves.
Those of old who were called retired scholars, were not men who hid their bodies, or kept back their words, or concealed their wisdom. It was that the age was not suitable for their mission. If the age was suitable and their mission a success over the empire, they simply effaced themselves in the unity which prevailed. If the age was unsuitable and their mission a failure, they fell back upon their own resources and waited. Such is the way to preserve oneself.
Those of old who preserved themselves, did not ornament their knowledge with rhetoric. They did not exhaust the empire with their knowledge. They did not exhaust virtue. They kept quietly to their own spheres, and reverted to their natural instincts. What then was left for them to do?
Tao does not deal with detail. Virtue does not take cognizance of trifles. Trifles injure virtue; detail injures Tao. Wherefore it has been said, "Self-reformation is enough." He whose happiness is complete has attained his desire.
Of old, attainment of desire did not mean office. It meant that nothing could be added to the sum of happiness. But now it does mean office, though office is external and is not a part of oneself. That which is adventitious, comes. Coming [birth], you cannot prevent it; going [death or expire], you cannot arrest it. Therefore, not to look on office as the attainment of desire, and not because of poverty to become a toady, but to be equally happy under all conditions,-- this is to be without sorrow.
But now-a-says, both having and not having are causes of unhappiness. From which we may infer that even happiness is not exempt from sorrow. Wherefore it has been said, "Those who over-estimate the external and lose their natural instincts in worldliness,--these are the people of topsy-turvy-dom."
Edited on 9th June 2008