家
二○ ○二年五月二十一日 |
而不華也○邴邴乎其似喜乎○崔乎其不得已乎 | 若不足而不承○與乎其觚而不堅也○張乎其虛 | 不自適其適者也○古之真人○其狀義而不朋○ | ○紀他○申徒狄○是役人之役○適人之適○而 | 人也○若狐不偕○務光○伯夷叔齊○箕子胥餘 | 君子也○行名失己○非士也○亡身不真○非役 | 有親○非仁也○天時○非賢也○利害不通○非 | 施乎萬世○不為愛人○故樂通物○非聖人也○ | 極○故聖人之用兵也○亡國而不失人心○利澤 | 煖然似春○喜怒通四時○與物有宜○而莫知其 | 若然者其心志○其容寂○其顙頯○凄然似秋○ | 助天○是之謂真人○ | 喜之○忘而復之○是之謂不以心捐道○不以人 | 而來而已矣○不忘其所始○不求其所終○受而 | 惡死○其出不訢○其入不距○翛然而往○翛然 | 深者○其天機淺○古之真人○不知悅生○不知 | ○眾人之息以喉○屈服者其嗌言若哇○其耆欲 | 覺無憂○其食不甘○其息深深○真人之息以踵 | 能登假於道也若此○古之真人○其寢不夢○其 | 然者登高不慄○入水不濡○入火不熱○是知之 | ○不謨士○若然者過而弗悔○當而自得也○若 | 真知○何謂真人○古之真人○不逆寡○不雄成 | 非人乎○所謂人之非天乎○且有真人○而後有 | 後當其所待者○特未定也○庸詎知吾所謂天之 | ○是知之盛也○雖然○有患○夫知有所待○而 | 知以養其知之所不知終其天年○而不中道夭者 | 為者○天而生也○知人之所為者○以其知之所 | 知天之所為○知人之所為者○至矣○知天之所 | 一 |
莊子南華經
第六章大宗師 |
為高○在六極之下○而不為深○先天地生而不 | 存○神鬼神帝○生天生地○在太極之先○而不 | 得而不可見○自本自根○未有天地○自古以固 | 夫道有情有信○無為無形○可傳而不可受○可 | 乎○ | ○人猶效之○又況萬物之所係○而一化之所待 | 於物之所不得遯而皆存○善天善老○善始善終 | 之未始有極也○其為樂可勝計邪○故聖人將遊 | ○特犯人之形○而猶喜之○若人之形者○萬化 | 夫藏天下於天下而不得所遯○是恆物之大情也 | 走○昧者不知也○藏小大有宜○猶有所遯○若 | 山於澤○謂之固矣○然而夜半有力者○負之而 | 善吾生者○乃所以善吾死也○夫藏舟於壑○藏 | 我以形○勞我以生○佚我以老○息我以死○故 | 譽堯而非桀也○不如兩忘而化其道○夫大塊載 | 相呴以濕○相濡以沫○不如相忘於江湖○與其 | 身猶死之○而況其真乎○泉涸魚相與處於陸○ | 愛之○而況其卓乎○人特以有君為愈乎己○而 | 不得與○皆物之情也○彼特以天為父○而身猶 | 死生○命也○其有夜旦之常○天也○人之有所 | 二 | 謂真人○ | 徒○其不一與人為徒○天與人不相勝也○是之 | 之也一○其一也一○其不一也一○其一與天為 | 而人真以為勤行者也○故其好之也一○其弗好 | 事也○以德為循者○言其與有足者至於丘也○ | 翼者○所以行於世也○以知為時者○不得已於 | 以德為循○以刑為體者○綽乎其殺也○以禮為 | 忘其言也○以刑為體○以禮為翼○以知為時○ | 乎○謷乎其未可制也○連乎其似好閉也○悗乎 | ○滀乎進我色也○與乎止我德也○厲乎其似世 |
之參寥○參寥聞之疑始○ | 需役○需役聞之於謳○於謳聞之玄冥○玄冥聞 | 洛誦之孫聞之瞻明○瞻明聞之聶許○聶許聞之 | 曰○聞諸副墨之子○副墨之子聞諸洛誦之孫○ | 南伯子葵曰○子獨惡乎聞之○ | 成者也○ | ○無不成也○其名為攖寧○攖寧也者○攖而後 | 不生○其為物無不將也○無不迎也○無不毀也 | 今而後能入於不死不生○殺生者不死○生生者 | ○朝徹而後能見獨○見獨而後能無古今○無古 | 之九日○而後能外生○已外生矣○而後能朝徹 | 又守之七日○而後能外物○已外物矣○吾又守 | 而告之○參日而後能外天下○已外天下矣○吾 | 然○以聖人之道○告聖人之才亦易矣○吾猶守 | 人之才○吾欲以教之○庶幾其果為聖人乎○不 | 之才○而無聖人之道○我有聖人之道○而無聖 | 曰○惡○惡可○子非其人也○夫卜梁倚有聖人 | 南伯子葵曰○道可德學邪○ | 曰○吾聞道矣○ | 子何也○ | 南伯子葵問乎女偊曰○子之年長矣○而色若孺 | 三 | 奄有天下○乘東維○騎箕尾○而比於列星○ | 上及有虞○下及五伯○傅說得之○以相武丁○ | 坐乎少廣○莫知其始○莫知其終○彭祖得之○ | 處玄宮○禺強得之○立乎北極○西王母得之○ | 處太山○黃帝得之○以登雲天○顓頊得之○以 | 襲崑崙○馮夷得之○以遊大川○肩吾得之○以 | 古不忒○日月得之○終古不息○堪坏得之○以 | 天地○伏犧氏得之○以襲氣母○維鬥得之○終 | 為久○長於上古而不為老○狶韋氏得之○以挈 |
人之形○而曰○人耳人耳○夫造化者必以為不 | 且必為鏌金邪○大冶必以為不祥之金○今一犯 | 所以善吾死也○今之大冶鑄金○金踊躍曰○我 | 以生○佚我以老○息我以死○故善吾生者○乃 | 我則悍矣○彼何罪焉○夫大塊載我以形○勞我 | 陽於人○不翅於父母○彼近吾死○而我不聽○ | 子來曰○父母於子○東西南北○唯命之從○陰 | ○ | ○將奚以汝適○以汝為鼠肝乎○以汝為蟲臂乎 | 倚其戶與之語○曰○偉哉○造化又將奚以汝為 | ○犁往問之曰○叱避○無怛化○ | 俄而子來有病○喘喘然將死○其妻子環而泣之 | 夫物不勝天久矣○吾又何惡焉○ | 之所謂縣解也○而不能自解者○物有結之○且 | 失者順也○安時而處順○哀樂不能入也○此古 | 馬○予因以乘之○豈更駕哉○且夫得者時也○ | 因以求鴞炙○浸假而化予之尻以為輪○以神為 | 予因以求時夜○浸假而化予之右臂以為彈○予 | 曰○亡○予何惡○浸假而化予之左臂以為雞○ | 子祀曰○汝惡之乎○ | 為此拘拘也○ | 囗而鑑於井○曰○嗟乎○夫造物者○又將以予 | 句贅指天○陰陽之氣有沴○其心閒而無事○跰 | 曲僂發背○上有五管○頤隱於齊○肩高於頂○ | ○將以予為此拘拘也○ | 子輿有病○子祀往問之○曰○偉哉○夫造物者 | 四人相視而笑○莫逆於心○遂相與為友○俄而 | 者○吾與之友矣○ | ○以生為脊○以死為尻○孰知死生存亡之一體 | 子祀子輿子犁來四人相與語曰○孰能以無為首 | 四 |
曰○魚相忘乎江湖○人相忘乎道術○ | 者○穿池而養給○相造乎道○無事而生定○故 | 孔子曰○魚相造乎水○人相造乎道○相造乎水 | 子貢曰○敢問其方○ | 孔子曰○丘天之戮民也○雖然○吾與汝共之○ | 子貢曰○然則夫子何方之依○ | 哉○ | 彼又惡能憒憒然為世俗之禮○以觀眾人之耳目 | 倪○芒然彷徨乎塵垢之外○逍遙乎無為之業○ | 體○忘其肝膽○遺其耳目○反覆終始○不知端 | ○又惡知死生先後之所在○假於異物○託於同 | 以生為附贅縣疣○以死為決疣潰癰○夫若然者 | 彼方且與造物者為人○而遊乎天地之一氣○彼 | ○外內不相及○而丘使汝往弔之○丘則陋矣○ | 孔子曰○彼遊方之外者也○而丘游方之內者也 | 之○彼何人者邪○ | ○而外其形骸○臨尸而歌○顏色不變○無以命 | 子貢反○以告孔子曰○彼何人者邪○脩行無有 | 二人相視而笑曰○是惡知禮意○ | 子貢趨而進曰○敢問臨尸而歌禮乎○ | 為人猗○ | 來桑戶乎○嗟來桑戶乎○而已反其真○而我猶 | 往待事焉○或編曲○或鼓琴○相和而歌曰○嗟 | 有間○而子桑戶死○未葬○孔子聞之○使子貢 | 二人相視而笑○莫逆於心○遂相與友○莫然○ | 挑無極○相忘以生○無所終窮○ | 於無相與○相為於無相為○孰能登天遊霧○撓 | 子桑戶孟子反子琴張三人相與友曰○孰能相與 | 五 | 惡乎往而不可哉○成然寐○蘧然覺○ | 祥之人○今一以天地為大鑪○以造化為大冶○ |
黃帝之亡其知○皆在鑪捶之間耳○庸詎知夫造 | 意而子曰○夫無莊之失其美○據梁之失其力○ | 好○瞽者○無以與乎青黃黼黻之觀○ | 許由曰○不然○夫盲者○無以與乎眉目顏色之 | 意而子曰○雖然○吾願遊於其藩○ | 塗乎○ | 而劓汝以是非矣○汝將何以遊夫遙蕩恣睢徙之 | 許由曰○而奚來為軹○夫堯既已黥汝以仁義○ | 非○ | 意而子曰○堯謂我○汝必躬服仁義○而明言是 | 意而子見許由○許由曰○堯何以資汝○ | 七 | 獻笑不及排○安排而去化○乃入於寥天一○ | 今之言者○其覺者乎○夢者乎○造適不及笑○ | 且汝夢為鳥而厲乎天○夢為魚而沒於淵○不識 | 乃○且也相與吾之耳矣○庸詎知所謂吾之乎○ | 而無情死○孟孫氏特覺人哭亦哭○是自其所以 | 未始覺者邪○且彼有駭形○而無損心○有旦宅 | 化哉○方將不化惡知已化哉○吾特與汝○其夢 | ○以待其所不知之化已乎○且方將化○惡知不 | 不知所以死○不知就先○不知就後○若化為物 | 而不得○夫已有所簡矣○孟孫氏不知所以生○ | 仲尼曰○夫孟孫氏盡之矣○進於知矣○唯簡之 | 得其名者乎○回壹怪之○ | 哀○無是三者○以善喪蓋魯國○固有無其實而 | 心不戚○居喪不 | 顏回問仲尼曰○孟孫才其母死○哭泣無涕○中 | 六 | 人○人之君子○人之君子○天之小人也○ | 曰○畸人者○畸於人而侔於天○故曰○天之小 | 子貢曰○敢問畸人○ |
家 | 錯字囗左足右鮮 | 也夫○ | 哉○求其為之者而不得也○然而至此極者○命 | 吾貧哉○天無私覆○地無私載○天地豈私貧我 | 曰○吾思乎使我至此極者而弗得也○父母豈欲 | 子輿入曰○子之歌詩○何故若是○ | 有不任其聲○而趨舉其詩焉○ | 琴曰○父邪○毋邪○天乎○人乎○ | 裹飯而往食之○至子桑之門○則若歌若哭○鼓 | 病矣○ | 子輿箕子桑友○而淋雨十日○子輿曰○子桑殆 | 九 | 乎○丘也請從而後也○ | 仲尼曰○同則無好也○化則無常也○而果其賢 | 道○此謂坐忘○ | 顏回曰○墮肢體○黜聰明○離形去知○同於大 | 仲尼蹴然曰○何謂坐忘○ | 曰○回坐忘矣○ | 曰○何謂也○ | 它日復見曰○回益矣○ | 曰○可矣○猶未也○ | 曰○回忘禮樂矣○ | 曰○何謂也○ | 他日復見曰○回益矣○ | 曰○可矣○猶未也○ | 曰○回忘仁義矣○ | 仲尼曰○何謂也○ | 顏回曰○回益矣○ | 八 | 形而不為巧○此所遊已○ | 為仁○長於上古而不為老○覆載天地○刻彫眾 | 師乎○吾師乎○萬物而不為義○澤及萬世而不 | 許由曰○噫○未可知也○我為汝言其大略○吾 | 邪○ | 物者之不息我黥而補我劓○使我乘成以隨先生 |
He who knows what God is, and who knows what Man is, has attained. Knowing what God is, he knows that he himself proceeded there from. Knowing what Man is, he rests in the knowledge of the known, waiting for the knowledge of the unknown. Working out one's allotted span, and not perishing in mid career,- this is the fullness of knowledge. (God [sky} is mentioned again instead of Tao. Ask yourself, what is God? Is it Tao?)
Herein, however, there is a flaw. Knowledge is dependent upon fulfillment. And as this fulfillment is uncertain, how can it be known that my divine is not really human, my human really divine?
We must have pure men, and then only can we have pure knowledge. But what is a pure man? --The pure men of old acted without calculation, not seeking to secure results. They laid no plans. Therefore, failing, they had no cause for regret; succeeding, no cause for congratulation. And thus they could scale heights without fear; enter water without becoming wet; fire, without feeling hot. So far had their wisdom advanced towards Tao.
The pure men of old slept without dreams, and waked without anxiety. They ate without discrimination, breathing deep breaths. For the pure men draw breath from their uttermost depths; the vulgar only from their throats. Out of the crooked, words are retched up like vomit. If men's passions are deep, their divinity is shallow.
The pure men of old did not know what it was to love life or to hate death. They did not rejoice in birth, nor strive to put off dissolution. Quickly come, and quickly go;- no more. They did not forget whence it was they had sprung, neither did they seek to hasten their return thither. Cheerfully they played their allotted parts, waiting patiently for the end. This is what is called not to lead the heart astray from Tao, nor to let the human seek to supplement the divine. And this is what is meant by a pure man.
Such men are in mind absolutely free; in demeanor, grave; in expression, cheerful. If it is freezing cold, it seems to them like autumn; if blazing hot, like spring. Their passions occur like the 4 seasons. They are in harmony with all creation, and none know the limit thereof. And so it is that a perfect man can destroy a kingdom and yet not lose the hearts of the people, while the benefits he hands down to 10 thousand generations do not proceed from love of his fellowman.
He who delights in man, is himself not a perfect man. His affection is not true charity. Depending upon opportunity, he has not true worth. He who is not conversant with both good and evil is not a superior man. He who disregards his reputation is not what a man should be. He who is not absolutely oblivious of his own existence can never be a ruler of men.
Thus Hu Pu Hsieh, Wu Kuang, Poh I, Shu Ch'i, Chi Tzu, Hsu Yu, Chi T'o, and Shen T'u Ti, were the servants of rulers, and did the behests of others, not their own.
The pure men of old did their duty to their neighbors, but did not associate with them. They behaved as though wanting in themselves, but without flattering others. Naturally rectangular, they were not uncompromisingly hard. They manifested their independence without going to extremes. They appeared to smile as if pleased, when the expression was only a natural response. Their outward semblance derived its fascination from the store of goodness within. They seemed to be of the world around them, while proudly treading beyond its limits. They seemed to desire silence, while in truth they has dispensed with language. They saw a penal laws a trunk; in social ceremonies, wings; in wisdom, a useful accessory; in morality, a guide. From them penal laws meant a merciful administration; social ceremonies, a passport through the world; wisdom, an excuse for doing what they could not help; and morality, walking like others upon the path.
And thus all men praised them for the worthy lives they led.
For what they cared for could be reduced to ONE, and what they did not care for to ONE also. That which was ONE was ONE, and that which was not ONE was likewise ONE. In that which was ONE, they were of God; in that which was not ONE, they were of Man. And so between the human and the divine no conflict ensued. This was to be a pure man.
故其好之也一○其弗好之也一○其一也一○其不一也一○其一與天為徒○其不一與人為徒○天與人不相勝也○是之謂真人○
God should be Tao. God is universal Tao, in man is Tao (Son of God).
Life and Death belong to Destiny. Their sequence, like day and night, is of God, beyond the interference of man, an inevitable law. A man looks upon God as upon his father, and loves him in like measure. Shall he then not love that which is greater than God? (Destiny is Fate. The Tao in us is greater than other Tao. Know the Son then you will know the Father.)
A man looks upon a ruler of men as upon some one better than himself, for whom he would sacrifice his life. Shall he not then do so for the Supreme Ruler of Creation?
When the pond dries up, and the fishes are left upon dry ground, to moisten them with the breath or to damp them with spittle is not to be compared with leaving them in the first instance in their native rivers and lakes. And better than praising Yao and blaming Chieh would be leaving them both and attending to the development of Tao.
Nature gives me this form, this toil in manhood, this repose in old age, this rest in death. And surely that which is such a kind arbiter of my life is the best arbiter of my death.
A boat may be hidden in a creek, or in a bog, safe enough. But at midnight a strong man may come and carry away the boat on his back. The dull of vision do not perceive that however you conceal things, small ones in larger ones, there will always be a chance of losing them. But if you conceal the whole universe in the whole universe, there will be no place left wherein it may be lost. The laws of matter make this to be so.
To have attained to the human form must be always a source of joy. And then, to undergo countless transitions, with only the infinite to look forward to,- what incomparable bliss is that! Therefore it is that the truly wise rejoice in that which can never be lost, but endures always. For if we can accept early death, old age, a beginning, and an end, why not that which informs all creation and is of all phenomena the Ultimate Cause?
Tao has its laws, and its evidences. It is devoid both of action and of form. It may be transmitted, but cannot be received. It may be obtained, but cannot be seen. Before heaven and earth were, Tao was. It has existed without change from all time. Spiritual beings drew their spirituality there from, while the universe became what we can see it now. To Tao, the zenith is not high, nor the nadir low; no point in time is long ago, nor by lapse of ages has it grown old.
Hsi Wei obtained Tao, and so set the universe in order. Fu Hsi obtained it, and was able to establish eternal principles. The Great Bear obtained it, and has never erred from its course. The sun and moon obtained it, and have never ceased to revolve. K'an P'i obtained it, and established the K'un-lun mountains. P'ing I obtained it, and rules over the streams. Chien Wu obtained it, and dwells on Mount T'ai. The Yellow Emperor obtained it, and soared upon the clouds to heaven. Chuan Hsu obtained it, and dwells in the Dark Palace. Yu Ch'iang obtained it, and fixed himself at the North Pole. Hsi Wang Mu obtained it, and settled at Shao Kuang; since when no one knows; until when, no one knows either. (Yellow Emperor mastered the 1st class of meditation.)
P'eng Tsu obtained it, and lived from the time of Shun until the time of the Five Princes. Fu Yueh obtained it, and as the Minister of Wu Ting got the empire under his control. And now charioted upon one constellation and drawn by another, he has been enrolled among the stars of heaven.
Nan Po Tzu K'uei said to Nu Yu, "You are old, Sir, and yet your complexion is like that of a child. How is this?"
Nu Yu replied, "I have learnt Tao."
"Could I get Tao by studying it?" asked the other.
"I fear not," said Nu Yu. "You are not the sort of man. There was Pu Liang I. He had all the qualifications of a sage, but not Tao. Now I had Tao, though none of the qualifications. But do you imagine that much as I wished it I was able to teach Tao to him so that he should be a perfect sage? Had it been so, then to teach Tao to one who has the qualifications of a sage would be an easy matter. No, Sir. I imparted as though withholding; and in 3 days, for him, this sublunary state had ceased to exist. When he had attained to this, I withheld again; and in 7 days more, for him, the external world had ceased to be. And so again for another 9 days, when he had became unconscious of his own existence. He became first ethereal, next possessed of perfect wisdom, then without past or present, and finally able to enter there where life and death are no more,- where killing does not take away life, not does prolongation of life add to the duration of existence. In that state, he is ever in accord with the exigencies of his environment; and this is to be Battered but not Bruised. And he who can be thus battered but not bruised is on the way to perfection."
"And how did you manage to get hold of all this?" asked Nan Po Tzu K'uei.
"I got it from books," replied Nu Yu; "and the books got it from learning, and learning from investigation, and investigation from co-ordination, and co-ordination from application, and application from desire to know, and desire to know from the unknown, and the unknown from the great void, and the great void from infinity!" (A bit similar to Confucianism.)
4 men were conversing together, when the following resolution was suggested:- "Whosoever can make Inaction the head, Life the backbone, and Death the tail, of his existence,- that man shall be admitted to friendship with us." The 4 looked at each other and smiled; and tacitly accepting the conditions, became friends forthwith.
By-and-by, one of them, named Tzu Yu, fell ill, and another, Tzu Ssu, went to see him. "Verily God is great!" said the sick man. "See how he has doubled me up. My back is so hunched that my viscera are at the top of my body. My cheeks are level with my navel. My shoulders are higher than my neck. My hair grows up towards the sky. The whole economy of my organism is deranged. Nevertheless, my mental equilibrium is not disturbed." So saying, he dragged himself painfully to a well, where he could see himself, and continued, "Alas, that God should have doubles me up like this!"
"Are you afraid?" asked Tzu Ssu.
"I am not," replied Tzu Yu. "What have I to fear? Ere long I shall be decomposed. My left shoulder will become a cock, and I shall herald the approach of morn. My right shoulder will become a cross-bow, and I shall be able to get broiled duck. My buttocks will become wheels; and with my soul for a horse, I shall be able to ride in my own chariot. I obtained life because it was my time: I am now parting with it in accordance with the same law. Content with the natural sequence of these states, joy and sorrow touch me not. I am simply, as the ancients expressed it, hanging in the air, unable to cut myself down, bound with the trammels of material existence. But man has ever given way before God: why, then should I be afraid?"
By-and-by, another of the 4, named Tzu Lai, fell ill, and lay gasping for breath, while his family stood weeping around. The 4th friend, Tzu Li, went to see him, "Chut!" cried he to the wife and children; "be gone! you balk his decomposition." Then, leaning against the door, he said, "Verily, God is great! I wonder what he will make of you now. I wonder whither you will be sent. Do you think he will make you into a rat's liver or into the shoulders of a snake?"
"A son," answered Tzu Lai, "must go whithersoever his parents bid him. Nature is no other than a man's parents. If she bid me die quickly, and I demur, then I am an un-filial son. She can do me no wrong. Tao gives me this form, this toil in manhood, this repose in old age, this rest in death. And surely that which is such a kind arbiter of my life is the best arbiter of my death. Suppose that the boiling metal in a smelting-pot were to bubble up and say, 'Make of me an Excalibur;' I think the caster would reject that metal as uncanny. And if a sinner like myself were to say to God, 'Make of me a man, make of me a man;' I think he too would reject me as uncanny. The universe is the smelting-pot, and God is the caster. I shall go whithersoever I am sent, to wake unconscious of the past, as a man wakes from a dreamless sleep." (Translation not good)
Tzu Sang Hu, Meng Tzu Fan, and Tzu Ch'in Chang, were conversing together, when it was asked, "Who can be, and yet not be? Who can do, and yet not do? Who can mount to heaven, and roaming through the clouds, pass beyond the limits of space, oblivious of existence, for ever and ever without end?"
The 3 looked at each other and smiled; and as neither had any misgivings, they became friends accordingly.
Shortly afterwards Tzu Sang Hu died; whereupon Confucius sent Tzu Kung to take part in the mourning. But Tzu Kung found that one had composed a song which the other was accompanying on the psaltery, as follows:--
Ah! come back to us, Sang Hu,
Ah! come back to us, Sang Hu,
Thou hast already returned to thy true state,
While we still remain here as men,--alas!
Tzu Kung hurried in and said, "How can you sing alongside of a corpse? Is this decorum?" (It is better not to attend then to argue with others about custom and funeral rites.)
The 2 men looked at each other and laughed, saying, "What should this man know of decorum indeed?"
Tzu Kung went back and told Confucius, asking him, "What manner of men are these? Their object is nothingness and a separation from their corporeal frames. They can sit near a corpse and yet sing, unmoved. There is no class for such. What are they?"
"These men," replied Confucius, "travel beyond the rule of life. I travel within it. Consequently, our paths do not meet; and I was wrong in sending you to mourn. They consider themselves as one with God, recognizing no distinctions between human and divine. They look on life as a huge tumor from which death sets them free. All the same they know not where they were before birth, nor where they will be after death. Though admitting different elements, they take their stand upon the unity of all things. They ignore their passions. They take no count of their ears and eyes. Backwards and forwards through all eternity, they do not admit a beginning or end. They stroll beyond the dust and dirt of mortality, to wander in the realms of inaction. How should such men trouble themselves with the conventionalities of this world, or care what people may think of them?"
"But if such is the case," said Tzu Kung, "why should we stick to the rule?"
"God has condemned me to this, "replied Confucius. "Nevertheless, you and I may perhaps escape from it."
"By what method?" asked Tzu Kung.
"Fishes," replied Confucius, "are born in water. Man is born in Tao. If fishes get ponds to live in, they thrive. If man gets Tao to live in, he may live his life in peace. Hence the saying, 'All that a fish wants is water; all that a man wants is Tao.'"
"May I ask," said Tzu Kung, "about divine men?"
"Divine men," replied Confucius, "are divine to man, but ordinary to God. Hence the saying that the meanest being in heaven would be the best on earth; and the best on earth, the meanest in heaven."
Yen Hui said to Confucius, "When Meng Sun Ts'ai's mother died, he wept, but without sniveling; he grieved but his grief was not heartfelt; he wore mourning but without howling. Yet although wanting in these 3 points, he is considered the best mourner in the State of Lu. Surely this is the name and not the reality. I am astonished at it."
"Meng Sun," said Confucius, "did all that was required. He has made an advance towards wisdom. He could not do less; while all the time actually doing less. Meng Sun knows not whence we come nor whither we go. He knows not whether the end will come early or late. Passing into life as a man, he quietly awaits his passage into the unknown. What should the dead know of the living, or the living know of the dead? Even you and I may be in a dream from which we have not yet awaked.
"Then again, he adapts himself physically, while avoiding injury to his higher self. He regards a dying man simply as one who is going home. He sees others weep, and he naturally weeps too. Besides, a man's personality is something of which he is subjectively conscious. It is impossible for him to say if he is really that which he is conscious of being. You dream you are a bird, and soar to heaven. You dream you are a fish, and dive into the ocean's depths. And you cannot tell whether the man now speaking is awake or in a dream. A pleasurable sensation precedes the smile it evokes. The smile itself is not dependent upon a reminding nudge. Resign yourself, unconscious of all changes, and you shall enter into the pure, the divine, the ONE." (This is meditation.)
I Erh Tzu went to see Hsu Yu. The latter asked him, saying, "How has Yao benefited you?"
"He bade me," replied the former, "practice charity and do my duty, and distinguish clearly between right and wrong."
"Then what do you want here?" said Hsu Yu. "If Yao has already branded you with charity of heart and duty, and cut off your nose with right and wrong, what do you do in this free-and-easy, care-for-nobody, topsy-turvy neighborhood?"
"Nevertheless," replied I Erh Tzu, "I should like to be on its confines."
"If a man has lost his eyes," retorted Hsu Yu, "it is impossible for him to join in the appreciation of beauty. A man with a film over his eyes cannot tell a blue sacrificial robe from a yellow one."
"Wu Chuang's disregard of her beauty," answered I Erh Tzu, "Chu Liang's disregard of his strength, the Yellow Emperor's abandonment of wisdom,-- all these were brought about by a process of filing and hammering. And how do you know but the God would rid me of my brands, and give me a new nose, and make me fit to become a disciple of yourself?"
"Ah!" replied Hsu Yu, "that cannot be known. But I will give you an outline. The Master I serve succors all things, and does not account it duty. He continues his blessings through countless generations, and does not account it charity. Dating back to the remotest antiquity, he does not account himself old. Covering heaven, supporting earth, and fashioning the various forms of things, he does not account himself skilled. He it is whom you should seek." (The Master is Your Spiritual Soul, son of the Universal Tao.)
"I am getting on," observed Yen Hui to Confucius.
"How so?" asked the latter.
"I have got rid of charity and duty," replied the former.
"Very good," replied Confucius, "but not perfect."
Another day Yen Hui met Confucius and said, "I am getting on."
"How so?" asked Confucius.
"I have got rid of ceremonial and music," answered Yen Hui.
"Very good," said Confucius, "but not perfect."
On a 3rd occasion Yen Hui met Confucius and said, "I am getting on."
"How so?" asked the Sage.
"I have got rid of everything," replied Yen Hui.
"Got rid of everything!" said Confucius eagerly, "What do you mean by that?"
"I have freed myself from my body," answered Yen Hui. "I have discarded my reasoning powers. And by thus getting rid of body and mind, I have become ONE with the Infinite. This is what I mean by getting rid of everything."
"If you have become ONE," cried Confucius, "there can be no room for bias. If you have passed into space, you are indeed without beginning or end. And if you have really attained to this, I trust to be allowed to follow in your steps."
Tzu Yu and Tzu Sang were friends. Once when it had rained for 10 days, Tzu Yu said, "Tzu Sang is dangerously ill." So he packed up some food and went to see him. Arriving at the door, he heard something between singing and lamentation, accompanied with the sound of music, as follows:--"O Father! O Mother! O Heaven! O Man!"
These words seemed to be uttered with a great effort; whereupon Tzu Yu went in and asked what it all meant.
"I was trying to think who could have brought me to this extreme," replied Tzu Sang, "but I could not guess. My father and mother would hardly wish me to be poor. Heaven covers all equally, Earth supports all equally. How can they make me in particular poor? I was seeking to know who it was, but without success. Surely then I am brought to this extreme by Destiny." (Fate)
Edited on 8th June 2008