# Daily Daodejing, Part 10

**URL:** https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/daily-daodejing-part-10/17365
**Category:** Religion and Spirituality
**Created:** [August 13, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/daily-daodejing-part-10/17365 "2007-08-13T03:08:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
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### Author: ![Xunzian](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/user_avatar/www.ilovephilosophy.com/xunzian/32/355_2.png) [@Xunzian](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Xunzian)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/daily-daodejing-part-10/17365/1 "2007-08-13T03:08:34Z")

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For information of what this thread is about, see [the parent thread](http://www.ilovephilosophy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=157863)

I think that a more clear understanding of the Chinese folk religion is required before this passage really will make sense. In this religion, humans had two souls, an earthbound soul that is associated with the yin whereas the ethereal soul is associated with the yang. For those of you with a passing familiarity with [yinyang cosmology](http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CHPHIL/YINYANG.HTM), this may seem somewhat strange since yang is the active member of the pair whereas yin the the more passive – from a modern perspective it makes sense to think of our material bodies as being the “active” part in the pair, whereas our mental/spiritual component would be the “passive”.

However, if you think about it from an ancient perspective, it makes perfect sense to realize that our “stuffness” is incidental to our life, since rocks also possess “stuffness” and dead bodies also possess “stuffness” so it makes sense to think that the element that actually controls us and makes us “alive” in any meaningful sense is the human mind. I say “ancient” as opposed to “Chinese” because similar conclusions were reached by the Greeks (the psyche), the Christians (the soul), and many others.

Stay where your earthbound soul is protected, and embracing integrity: can you do this with never a deviation?

Zai [usually “uphold”] means something like “stay in” [chu]. “Where your earthbound spirit is protected” [yingpo] is where one permanently dwells. “Integrity” [yi] is a person’s authenticity [zhen]. In others words, the text says: “Can you stay in the dwelling in which you permanently live, embrace integrity with a pure spirit, and do this with never a deviation? If so, the myriad folk will subject themselves to you spontaneously.”

The human mind is what separates man from animal and by extension, man from nature. By focusing on the human mind at the expense of the animal mind within us, we alienate ourselves from nature. Therefore, we have to strive to eliminate human thoughts that obscure ourselves from what we were born to be. From a Daoist perspective, this isn’t merely undesirable from a personal perspective, but also from a political one. Rather than deal with matters of ideology, the ruler should strictly stick to seeing [that people can provide for themselves.](http://www.ilovephilosophy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=1890804#1890804) If the ruler does this, Wang Bi asserts that people will naturally flock to such a ruler.

I think that such a notion is rather naive. People tend to require grand narratives to provide their lives with meaning and merely tending to their physical needs while neglecting their intellectual needs is dangerous. It leads to a sort of anarcho-primitivism and I think that similar criticisms can be applied to it: 1) it is susceptible to violence from outside forces, 2) most people would not accept the equanimity between life and death, and health and sickness that such a system would require, and 3) people seem naturally drawn to civilization as evidenced by its emergence across the globe, meaning that even if such a system were established it would abandon its foundational ideology quite quickly.

Now, Daoists had and have answers to each of those critiques. Just the aforementioned list should by no means be considered exhaustive, so to should these responses to those critiques be. A response to the first critique is the notion of “de” translated her as “virtue”. Now, in Chinese, de (virtue) is the same as de (the verb, “to get”). While I am no philologist, I would venture a guess that originally the words were related because the powerful could acquire whatever they wanted. As the notion of virtue became separated from class and instead became associated with a person’s character, the original relationship was reversed and so the notion became that those who are virtuous will be rewarded for their virtue. In Chinese thought, the mechanism whereby the reward is acquired is through influencing others. So, a virtuous person allows their virtue to resonate in others in the same way that when a cellist strikes a particularly strident note, other instruments will also begin to resonate with that note despite the absence of a player. It follows then, that a truly virtuous ruler won’t be attacked because their virtue will protect them. This, of course, assumes that the Daoist notion of virtue is indeed correct – an area in which I remain unconvinced. The second criticism can be dismissed as a problem of implementation rather than a problem of veracity. If one could find the right people (or, through one’s virtue, make the right people), this objection would disappear. The third objection is irreconcilable for a Daoist, because they would simply hold that man’s nature is not as described. Since no complete description of human nature exists that has shown itself to be perfectly true, disagreement can remain without capitulation.

Rely exclusively on your vital force, and become perfectly soft: can you play the infant?

Zhuan [rely exclusively on] is the same as ren [trust entirely to], and zhi [become perfectly] is the same as ji [extend/attain to the utmost]. In other words, the text says: “Can you trust entirely to the vital force endowed by nature [ziran zhi qi], attain the harmony characteristic of perfect softness [zhirou zhi he], and, like the infant, be utterly without conscious desire [yu]?” If so, people will achieve their proper span of life and fully realize their natures [wu quan er xing de].

The “vital force” [qi] is best understood as being a sort of “psycho-physical stuff”. Since the Chinese draw a different line between the mental and physical realms than the modern western tradition does, it is not fully correct to say that this passage suggests that the ruler should focus entirely on physical existence, however it is very close to just that. The Universe exists in a state of constant flux, it is ever-changing and ever-renewing, it is only human thought that allows for the appearance of concreteness. So, if one were to focus on their physical nature they are, by necessity, focusing on the ever-changing aspects of themselves. Rather than letting their thoughts create a false sense of concreteness, they become soft and pliable. If one can achieve such a state of perfect pliability, the distinction between them and the world collapses, so they can extend themselves to the utmost. Having achieved this state of unity with the totality of existence, they can bring out the true nature of others as easily as they manifest their own true nature.

Cleanse your vision into the mystery of things: can you make it spotless?

Xuan [mystery] mean the ultimate extent and subtlety of things [ji]. In other words, the text says: “Can you cleanse away the misleading and specious and so attain vision capable of grasping the ultimate and the subtle, not allowing things to get in the way of its brightness or flaw its numinous power [shen]?” If so, it will be one with mystery from beginning to end.

This is a clarification of the above. The human mind is what creates confusion by seeking understanding. I think that sections four and six of the [Zhuangzi](http://www.terebess.hu/english/chuangtzu.html) help clarify this position\*.

Cherish the people and govern the state: can you do this without intelligence?

Intelligence is concerned with seeking success by using arts and techniques or uncovering what is hidden by plumbing the workings of fate. When vision into the mystery of things is without flaw, it is as if one had repudiated sagehood [sheng]. When one governs the state without intelligence, it is as if he had discarded wisdom. “Can you do this without intelligence?” If so, the people will not hide and the state will be governed.

Human notions like nationalism, desire for fame, desire for wealth, and so on are the ends to which intelligence is directed. If people merely sought to harmonize themselves with the world as it is rather than how they perceive it to be, people can simply be as they are and attain fulfillment in that fashion.

The gateway of Heaven, whether it is to be opened or shut: can you play the female?

“The gateway of Heaven” is a term for that through which all under Heaven passes, and “open or shut” refers to moments that decide good order or chaos. Whether open or shut, the effect prevails equally throughout all under Heaven. Thus the text says, “The gateway of Heaven, whether it is to be open or shut: can you play the female?” If so, things will subject themselves to you spontaneously, and your position will be secure as a matter of course.

I think that Xiong Shili’s idea of “opening and closing” will help shed light on this passage:

> [@](#):
>
> From one point of view transformation is closing and opening. The two terms in this expression merely indicate a difference in tendencies. Opening is merely a tendency and closing is also merely a tendency. We should not say that each has a substance of its own, nor should we say that closing comes first and then opening. In another respect, transformation means that as soon as there is coming-into-existence, there is going-out-of-existence. In other words, as soon as closing or opening takes place, it disappears, without preserving its former tendency in the slightest degree but at all times destroying the old and producing the new.

Since every creation brings with it destruction, it is better to become passive (female – sexist I know, but we are dealing with an ancient Chinese text here). Rather than seeking to solve problems and thereby create more, new problems, it is far better for the Daoist to abstain from such myths of progress. In doing so, the individual removes themselves from the process of creation and destruction. If one removes one’s self from the process, one’s position becomes immovable and thus “secure”.

This notion of immovability also ties into the earlier portion about yinyang, the text is once again affirming the emphasis on the yin aspect: the passive, the female, the physical.

Your bright understanding casts its light over the four quarters: can you stay free of conscious effort?

This is to say, one’s perfect brightness might cast its light over the four quarters without delusion or doubt, yet can such a one refrain from making conscious effort? If so, nurture of the people [wuhua] will indeed take place! This is what is meant when we say the Dao never engages in conscious effort. If any lord or prince were able to hold to this, the myriad fold would be nurtured spontaneously [zihua].

If one has fully extended themselves to their utmost, their influence will be felt everywhere, even though they won’t actually be consciously trying to achieve such a result.

He gives them life

He does not block the source of their existence.

And nurtures them.

He places no stricture on their natures.

He gives them life, yet he possesses them not. He acts, yet does not make them dependent. He matures them, yet he is not their steward. This we call mysterious virtue.

Do not block the source of their existence, and people will manage life on their own, so what merit is there to tat? Place no stricture on their natures, and people will find their own relief [ji], so on whose actions do they depend? People march along with broad steps all by themselves, and this is not the result of one’s stewardship. To have virtue but not exercise is mastery, if this is not mysterious, what is? Whenever we speak of mysterious virtue, it always pertains to one who has virtue, but they [his people] are unaware of his being master, for it emerges from the secret and the dark.

The end of this passage reiterates the anarcho-primitivist strain of thought discussed earlier. The lord seeks to create this world first by purifying himself of human thoughts and constructs. Having cleared himself of these conditions, he can extend himself and allow his subjects to be free of these malignant influences and tend to their own needs without appealing to grand narratives that divert our attention from merely living life.

- Again, I apologize for the use of the more archaic Wade-Giles; however, we have to work with the supplies we are given. I do not think that these passages contain any words that would be particularly confusing despite this. However, I do want to point out that Zhuang Zi was something of a comedian and he would put words into the mouths of his opponents to make a point. Both sections four and six deal with Confucius and two of his disciples and uses them in an ironic fashion. Yen Hui is Confucius’s favorite disciple who died at a very young age, while Tzu-kung (Zigong) is a rather uncouth warrior with a tendency to act impulsively. I think that this information, which would have been common knowledge to the original audience, is important to understand the irony of these passages.

For your ease of access, here are the Burton Watson translations:

> [@](#):
>
> Section FOUR - IN THE WORLD OF MEN
> 
> YEN HUI WENT TO SEE Confucius and asked permission to take a trip.1
> 
> “Where are you going?”
> 
> “I’m going to Wei.”
> 
> “What will you do there?”
> 
> “I have heard that the ruler of Wei is very young. He acts in an independent manner, thinks little of how he rules his state, and fails to see his faults. It is nothing to him to lead his people into peril, and his dead are reckoned by swampfuls like so much grass.2 His people have nowhere to turn. I have heard you say, Master, `Leave the state that is well ordered and go to the state in chaos! At the doctor’s gate are many sick men.’ I want to use these words as my standard, in hopes that I can restore his state to health.”
> 
> “Ah,” said Confucius, "you will probably go and get yourself executed, that’s all. The Way doesn’t want things mixed in with it. When it becomes a mixture, it becomes many ways; with many ways, there is a lot of bustle; and where there is a lot of bustle, there is trouble - trouble that has no remedy! The Perfect Man of ancient times made sure that he had it in himself before he tried to give it to others. When you’re not even sure what you’ve got in yourself, how do you have time to bother about what some tyrant is doing?
> 
> "Do you know what it is that destroys virtue, and where wisdom comes from? Virtue is destroyed by fame, and wisdom comes out of wrangling. Fame is something to beat people down with, and wisdom is a device for wrangling. Both are evil weapons - not the sort of thing to bring you success. Though your virtue may be great and your good faith unassailable, if you do not understand men’s spirits, though your fame may be wide and you do not strive with others, if you do not understand men’s minds, but instead appear before a tyrant and force him to listen to sermons on benevolence and righteousness, measures and standards - this is simply using other men’s bad points to parade your own excellence. You will be called a plaguer of others. He who plagues others will be plagued in turn. You will probably be plagued by this man.
> 
> "And suppose he is the kind who actually delights in worthy men and hates the unworthy-then why does he need you to try to make him any different? You had best keep your advice to yourself! Kings and dukes always lord it over others and fight to win the argument. You will find your eyes growing dazed, your color changing, your mouth working to invent excuses, your attitude becoming more and more humble, until in your mind you end by supporting him. This is to pile fire on fire, to add water to water, and is called `increasing the excessive.’ If you give in at the beginning, there is no place to stop. Since your fervent advice is almost certain not to be believed, you are bound to die if you come into the presence of a tyrant.
> 
> "In ancient times Chieh put Kuan Lung-feng to death and Chou put Prince Pi Kan to death. Both Kuan Lung-feng and Prince Pi Kan were scrupulous in their conduct, bent down to comfort and aid the common people, and used their positions as ministers to oppose their superiors. Therefore their rulers, Chieh and Chou, utilized their scrupulous conduct as a means to trap them, for they were too fond of good fame. In ancient times Yao attacked Ts’ung-chih and Hsu-ao, and Yu attacked Yu-hu, and these states were left empty and unpeopled, their rulers cut down. It was because they employed their armies constantly and never ceased their search for gain. All were seekers of fame or gain - have you alone not heard of them? Even the sages cannot cope with men who are after fame or gain, much less a person like you!
> 
> “However, you must have some plan in mind. Come, tell me what it is.”
> 
> Yen Hui said, “If I am grave and empty-hearted, diligent and of one mind, won’t that do?”
> 
> “Goodness, how could that do? You may put on a fine outward show and seem very impressive, but you can’t avoid having an uncertain look on your face, any more than an ordinary man can.3 And then you try to gauge this man’s feelings and seek to influence his mind. But with him, what is called `the virtue that advances a little each day’ would not succeed, much less a great display of virtue! He will stick fast to his position and never be converted. Though he may make outward signs of agreement, inwardly he will not give it a thought! How could such an approach succeed?”
> 
> "Well then, suppose I am inwardly direct, outwardly compliant, and do my work through the examples of antiquity? By being inwardly direct, I can be the companion of Heaven. Being a companion of Heaven, I know that the Son of Heaven and I are equally the sons of Heaven. Then why would I use my words to try to get men to praise me, or try to get them not to praise me? A man like this, people call The Child. This is what I mean by being a companion of Heaven.
> 
> "By being outwardly compliant, I can be a companion men. Lifting up the tablet, kneeling, bowing, crouching down - this is the etiquette of a minister. Everybody does it, so why shouldn’t I? If I do what other people do, they can hardly criticize me. This is what I mean by being a companion of men.
> 
> “By doing my work through the examples of antiquity, I can be the companion of ancient times. Though my words may in fact be lessons and reproaches, they belong to ancient times and not to me. In this way, though I may be blunt, I cannot he blamed. This is what I mean by being a companion of antiquity. If I go about it in this way, will it do?”
> 
> Confucius said, “Goodness, how could that do? You have too many policies and plans and you haven’t seen what is needed. You will probably get off without incurring any blame, yes. But that will be as far as it goes. How do you think you can actually convert him? You are still making the mind 4 your teacher!”
> 
> Yen Hui said, “I have nothing more to offer. May I ask the proper way?”
> 
> “You must fast!” said Confucius. “I will tell you what that means. Do you think it is easy to do anything while you have [a mind]? If you do, Bright Heaven will not sanction you.”
> 
> Yen Hui said, “My family is poor. I haven’t drunk wine or eaten any strong foods for several months. So can I be considered as having fasted?”
> 
> “That is the fasting one does before a sacrifice, not the fasting of the mind.”
> 
> “May- I ask what the fasting of the mind is?”
> 
> Confucius said, “Make your will one! Don’t listen with your ears, listen with your mind. No, don’t listen with your mind, but listen with your spirit. Listening stops with the ears, the mind stops with recognition, but spirit is empty- and waits on all things. The Way gathers in emptiness alone. Emptiness is the fasting of the mind.”
> 
> Yen Hui said, “Before I heard this, I was certain that I was Hui. But now that I have heard it, there is no more Hui. Can this be called emptiness?”
> 
> “That’s all there is to it,” said Confucius. "Now I will tell you. You may go and play in his bird cage, but never be moved by fame. If he listens, then sing; if not, keep still. Have no gate, no opening, 5 but make oneness your house and live with what cannot be avoided. Then you will be close to success.
> 
> “It is easy to keep from walking; the hard thing is to walk without touching the ground. It is easy to cheat when you work for men, but hard to cheat when you work for Heaven. You have heard of flying with wings, but you have never heard of flying without wings. You have heard of the knowledge that knows, but you have never heard of the knowledge that does not know. Look into that closed room, the empty chamber where brightness is born! Fortune and blessing gather where there is stillness. But if you do not keep still - this is what is called sitting but racing around. 6 Let your ears and eyes communicate with what is inside, and put mind and knowledge on the outside. Then even gods and spirits will come to dwell, not to speak of men! This is the changing of the ten thousand things, the bond of Yu and Shun, the constant practice of Fu Hsi and Chi Ch’u.7 How much more should it be a rule for lesser men!”
> 
> Tzu-kao, duke of She,8 who was being sent on a mission to Ch’i, consulted Confucius. “The king is sending me on a very important mission. Ch’i will probably treat me with great honor but will be in no hurry to do anything more. Even a commoner cannot be forced to act, much less one of the feudal lords. I am very worried about it. You once said to me, `In all affairs, whether large or small, there are few men who reach a happy conclusion except through the Way. If you do not succeed, you are bound to suffer from the judgment of men. If you do succeed, you are bound to suffer from the yin and yang.9 To suffer no harm whether you succeed or not - only the man who has virtue can do that.’ I am a man who eats plain food that is simply cooked, so that no one ever complains of the heat in my kitchens.10 Yet this morning I received my orders from the king and by evening I am gulping ice water - do you suppose I have developed some kind of internal fever? I have not even gone to Ch’i to see what the situation is like and already I am suffering from the yin and yang. And if I do not succeed, I am bound to suffer from the judgment of men. I will have both worries. As a minister, I am not capable of carrying out this mission. But perhaps you have some advice you can give me . . .”
> 
> Confucius said, “In the world, there are two great decrees: one is fate and the other is duty.” That a son should love his parents is fate-you cannot erase this from his heart. That a subject should serve his ruler is duty - there is no place he can go and be without his ruler, no place he can escape to between heaven and earth. These are called the great decrees. Therefore, to serve your parents and be content to follow them anywhere-this is the perfection of filial piety. To serve your ruler and be content to do anything for him-this is the peak of loyalty. And to serve your own mind so that sadness or joy do not sway or move it; to understand what you can do nothing about and to be content with it as with fate-this is the perfection of virtue. As a subject and a son, you are bound to find things you cannot avoid. If you act in accordance with the state of affairs and forget about yourself, then what lesiure will you have to love life and hate death? Act in this way and you will be all right.
> 
> "I want to tell you something else I have learned. In all human relations, if the two parties are living close to each other, they may form a bond through personal trust. But if they are far apart, they must use words to communicate their loyalty, and words must be transmitted by someone. To transmit words that are either pleasing to both parties or infuriating to both parties is one of the most difficult things in the world. Where both parties are pleased, there must be some exaggeration of the good points; and where both parties are angered, there must be some exaggeration of the bad points. Anything that smacks of exaggeration is irresponsible. Where there is irresponsibility, no one will trust what is said, and when that happens, the man who is transmitting the words will be in danger. Therefore the aphorism says, `Transmit the established facts; do not transmit words of exaggeration.’ If you do that, you will probably come out all right.
> 
> "When men get together to pit their strength in games of skill, they start off in a light and friendly mood, but usually end up in a dark and angry one, and if they go on too long they start resorting to various underhanded tricks. When men meet at some ceremony to drink, they start off in an orderly manner, but usually end up in disorder, and if they go on too long they start indulging in various irregular amusements. It is the same with all things. What starts out being sincere usually ends up being deceitful. What was simple in the beginning acquires monstrous proportions in the end.
> 
> "Words are like wind and waves; actions are a matter of gain and loss. Wind and waves are easily moved; questions of gain and loss easily lead to danger. Hence anger arises from no other cause than clever words and one-sided speeches. When animals face death, they do not care what cries they make; their breath comes in gasps and a wild fierceness is born in their hearts. [Men, too,] if you press them too hard, are bound to answer you with ill-natured hearts, though they do not know why they do so. If they themselves do not understand why they behave like this, then who knows where it will end?
> 
> "Therefore the aphorism says, `Do not deviate from your orders; do not press for completion.’ To go beyond the limit is excess; to deviate from orders or press for completion is a dangerous thing. A good completion takes a long time; a bad completion cannot be changed later. Can you afford to be careless?
> 
> “Just go along with things and let your mind move freely. Resign yourself to what cannot be avoided and nourish what is within you - this is best. What more do you have to do to fulfill your mission? Nothing is as good as following orders (obeying fate) - that’s how difficult it is!” 12
> 
> Yen Ho, who had been appointed tutor to the crown prince, son of Duke Ling of Wei, went to consult Ch’u Po-yu.13 “Here is this man who by nature is lacking in virtue. If I let him go on with his unruliness I will endanger the state. If I try to impose some rule on him, I will endanger myself. He knows enough to recognize the faults of others, but he doesn’t know his own faults. What can I do with a man like this?”
> 
> “A very good question,” said Ch’u Po-yu. "Be careful, be on your guard, and make sure that you yourself are in the right! In your actions it is best to follow along with him, and in your mind it is best to harmonize with him. However, these two courses involve certain dangers. Though you follow along, you don’t want to be pulled into his doings, and though you harmonize, you don’t want to be drawn out too far. If in your actions you follow along to the extent of being pulled in with him, then you will be overthrown, destroyed, wiped out, and brought to your knees. If in your mind you harmonize to the extent of being drawn out, then you will be talked about, named, blamed, and condemned. If he wants to be a child, be a child with him. If he wants to follow erratic ways, follow erratic ways with him. If he wants to be reckless, be reckless with him. Understand him thoroughly, and lead him to the point where he is without fault.14
> 
> "Don’t you know about the praying mantis that waved its arms angrily in front of an approaching carriage, unaware that they were incapable of stopping it? Such was the high opinion it had of its talents. Be careful, be on your guard! If you offend him by parading your store of talents, you will be in danger!
> 
> "Don’t you know how the tiger trainer goes about it? He doesn’t dare give the tiger any living thing to eat for fear it will learn the taste of fury by killing it. He doesn’t dare give it any whole thing to eat for fear it will learn the taste of fury by tearing it apart. He gauges the state of the tiger’s appetite and thoroughly understands its fierce disposition. Tigers are a different breed from men, and yet you can train them to be gentle with their keepers by following along with them. The men who get killed are the ones who go against them.
> 
> “The horse lover will use a fine box to catch the dung and a giant clam shell to catch the stale. But if a mosquito or a fly lights on the horse and he slaps it at the wrong time, then the horse will break the bit, hurt its head, and bang its chest. The horse lover tries to think of everything, but his affection leads him into error. Can you afford to be careless?”
> 
> Carpenter Shih went to Ch’i and, when he got to Crooked Shaft, he saw a serrate oak standing by the village shrine. It was broad enough to shelter several thousand oxen and measured a hundred spans around, towering above the hills. The lowest branches were eighty feet from the ground, and a dozen or so of them could have been made into boats. There were so many sightseers that the place looked like a fair, but the carpenter didn’t even glance around and went on his way without stopping. His apprentice stood staring for a long time and then ran after Carpenter Shih and said, “Since I first took up my ax and followed you, Master, I have never seen timber as beautiful as this. But you don’t even bother to look, and go right on without stopping. Why is that?”
> 
> “Forget it - say no more!” said the carpenter. “It’s a worthless tree! Make boats out of it and they’d sink; make coffins and they’d rot in no time; make vessels and they’d break at once. Use it for doors and it would sweat sap like pine; use it for posts and the worms would eat them up. It’s not a timber tree - there’s nothing it can be used for. That’s how it got to be that old!”
> 
> After Carpenter Shih had returned home, the oak tree appeared to him in a dream and said, "What are you comparing me with? Are you comparing me with those useful trees? The cherry apple, the pear, the orange, the citron, the rest of those fructiferous trees and shrubs - as soon as their fruit is ripe, they are torn apart and subjected to abuse. Their big limbs are broken off, their little limbs are yanked around. Their utility makes life miserable for them, and so they don’t get to finish out the years Heaven gave them, but are cut off in mid-journey. They bring it on themselves - the pulling and tearing of the common mob. And it’s the same way with all other things.
> 
> “As for me, I’ve been trying a long time to be of no use, and though I almost died, I’ve finally got it. This is of great use to me. If I had been of some use, would I ever have grown this large? Moreover you and I are both of us things. What’s the point of this - things condemning things? You, a worthless man about to die-how do you know I’m a worthless tree?”
> 
> When Carpenter Shih woke up, he reported his dream. His apprentice said, “If it’s so intent on being of no use, what’s it doing there at the village shrine?” 15
> 
> “Shhh! Say no more! It’s only resting there. If we carp and criticize, it will merely conclude that we don’t understand it. Even if it weren’t at the shrine, do you suppose it would be cut down? It protects itself in a different way from ordinary people. If you try to judge it by conventional standards, you’ll be way off!”
> 
> Tzu-ch’i of Nan-po was wandering around the Hill of Shang when he saw a huge tree there, different from all the rest. A thousand teams of horses could have taken shelter under it and its shade would have covered them all. Tzu-ch’i said, “What tree is this? It must certainly have some extraordinary usefulness!” But, looking up, he saw that the smaller limbs were gnarled and twisted, unfit for beams or rafters, and looking down, he saw that the trunk was pitted and rotten and could not be used for coffins. He licked one of the leaves and it blistered his mouth and made it sore. He sniffed the odor and it was enough to make a man drunk for three days. “It turns out to be a completely unusable tree,” said Tzu-ch’i, “and so it has been able to grow this big. Aha ! - it is this unusableness that the Holy Man makes use of!”
> 
> The region of Ching-shih in Sung is fine for growing catalpas, cypresses, and mulberries. But those that are more than one or two arm-lengths around are cut down for people who want monkey perches; those that are three or four spans around are cut down for the ridgepoles of tall roofs;“, and those that are seven or eight spans are cut down for the families of nobles or rich merchants who want side boards for coffins. So they never get to live out the years Heaven gave them, but are cut down in mid-journey by axes. This is the danger of being usable. In the Chieh sacrifice,” oxen with white foreheads, pigs with turned-up snouts, and men with piles cannot be offered to the river. This is something all the shamans know, and hence they consider them inauspicious creatures. But the Holy Man for the same reason considers them highly auspicious.
> 
> There’s Crippled Shu - chin stuck down in his navel, shoulders up above his head, pigtail pointing at the sky, his five organs on the top, his two thighs pressing his ribs. By sewing and washing, he gets enough to fill his mouth; by handling a winnow and sifting out the good grain, he makes enough to feed ten people. When the authorities call out the troops, he stands in the crowd waving good-by; when they get up a big work party, they pass him over because he’s a chronic invalid. And when they are doling out grain to the ailing, he gets three big measures and ten bundles of firewood. With a crippled body, he’s still able to look after himself and finish out the years Heaven gave him. How much better, then, if he had crippled virtue!
> 
> When Confucius visited Ch’u, Chieh Yu, the madman of Ch’u, wandered by his gate crying, "Phoenix, phoenix, how his virtue failed! The future you cannot wait for; the past you cannot pursue. When the world has the Way, the sage succeeds; when the world is without the Way, the sage survives. In times like the present, we do well to escape penalty. Good fortune is light as a feather, but nobody knows how to hold it up. Misfortune is heavy as the earth, but nobody knows how to stay out of its way. Leave off, leave off - this teaching men virtue! Dangerous, dangerous - to mark off the ground and run! Fool, fool - don’t spoil my walking! I walk a crooked way - don’t step on my feet. The mountain trees do
> 
> themselves harm; the grease in the torch burns itself up. The cinnamon can be eaten and so it gets cut down; the lacquer tree can be used and so it gets hacked apart. All men know the use of the useful, but nobody knows the use of the useless!" 18

> [@](#):
>
> Section SIX - THE GREAT AND VENERABLE TEACHER
> 
> HE WHO KNOWS WHAT IT Is that Heaven does, and knows what it is that man does, has reached the peak.
> 
> Knowing what it is that Heaven does, he lives with Heaven. Knowing what it is that man does, he uses the knowledge of what he knows to help out the knowledge of what he doesn’t know, and lives out the years that Heaven gave him without being cut off midway - this is the perfection of knowledge.
> 
> However, there is a difficulty. Knowledge must wait for something before it can be applicable, and that which it waits for is never certain. How, then, can I know that what I call Heaven is not really man, and what I call man is not really Heaven? There must first be a True Man’ before there can be true knowledge.
> 
> What do I mean by a True Man? The True Man of ancient times did not rebel against want, did not grow proud in plenty, and did not plan his affairs. A man like this could commit an error and not regret it, could meet with success and not make a show. A man like this could climb the high places and not be frightened, could enter the water and not get wet, could enter the fire and not get burned. His knowledge was able to climb all the way up to the Way like this.
> 
> The True Man of ancient times slept without dreaming and woke without care; he ate without savoring and his breath came from deep inside. The True Man breathes with his heels; the mass of men breathe with their throats. Crushed and bound down, they gasp out their words as though they were retching. Deep in their passions and desires, they are shallow in the workings of Heaven.
> 
> The True Man of ancient times knew nothing of loving life, knew nothing of hating death. He emerged without delight; he went back in without a fuss. He came briskly, he went briskly, and that was all. He didn’t forget where he began; he didn’t try to find out where he would end. He received something and took pleasure in it; he forgot about it and handed it back again. This is what I call not using the mind to repel the Way, not using man to help out Heaven. This is what I call the True Man.
> 
> Since he is like this, his mind forgets;2 his face is calm; his forehead is broad. He is chilly like autumn, balmy like spring, and his joy and anger prevail through the four seasons. He goes along with what is right for things and no one knows his limit. Therefore, when the sage calls out the troops, he may overthrow nations but he will not lose the hearts of the people. His bounty enriches ten thousand ages but he has no love for men. Therefore he who delights in bringing success to things is not a sage; he who has affections is not benevolent; he who looks for the right time is not a worthy man; he who cannot encompass both profit and loss is not a gentleman; he who thinks of conduct and fame and misleads himself is not a man of breeding; and he who destroys himself and is without truth is not a user of men. Those like Hu Pu-hsieh, Wu Kuang, Po Yi, Shu Ch’i, Chi Tzu, Hsu Yu, Chi T’o, and Shen-t’u Ti-all of them slaved in the service of other men, took joy in bringing other men joy, but could not find joy in any joy of their own.3
> 
> This was the True Man of old: his bearing was lofty and did not crumble; he appeared to lack but accepted nothing; he was dignified in his correctness but not insistent; he was vast in his emptiness but not ostentatious. Mild and cheerful, he seemed to be happy; reluctant, he could not help doing certain things; annoyed, he let it show in his face; relaxed, he rested in his virtue. Tolerant,4 he seemed to be part of the world; towering alone, he could be checked by nothing; withdrawn, he seemed to prefer to cut himself off; bemused, he forgot what he was going to say.5
> 
> He regarded penalties as the body, rites as the wings, wisdom as what is timely, virtue as what is reasonable. Because he regarded penalties as the body, he was benign in his killing. Because he regarded rites as the wings, he got along in the world. Because he regarded wisdom as what is timely, there were things that he could not keep from doing. Because he regarded virtue as what is reasonable, he was like a man with two feet who gets to the top of the hill. And yet people really believed that he worked hard to get there.6
> 
> Therefore his liking was one and his not liking was one. His being one was one and his not being one was one. In being one, he was acting as a companion of Heaven. In not being one, he was acting as a companion of man. When man and Heaven do not defeat each other, then we may be said to have the True Man.
> 
> Life and death are fated - constant as the succession of dark and dawn, a matter of Heaven. There are some things which man can do nothing about - all are a matter of the nature of creatures. If a man is willing to regard Heaven as a father and to love it, then how much more should he be willing to do for that which is even greater! 7 If he is willing to regard the ruler as superior to himself and to die for him, then how much more should he be willing to do for the Truth!
> 
> When the springs dry up and the fish are left stranded on the ground, they spew each other with moisture and wet each other down with spit - but it would be much better if they could forget each other in the rivers and lakes. Instead of praising Yao and condemning Chieh, it would be better to forget both of them and transform yourself with the Way.
> 
> The Great Clod burdens me with form, labors me with life, eases me in old age, and rests me in death. So if I think well of my life, for the same reason I must think well of my death.8
> 
> You hide your boat in the ravine and your fish net9 in the swamp and tell yourself that they will be safe. But in the middle of the night a strong man shoulders them and carries them off, and in your stupidity you don’t know why it happened. You think you do right to hide little things in big ones, and yet they get away from you. But if you were to hide the world in the world, so that nothing could get away, this would be the final reality of the constancy of things.
> 
> You have had the audacity to take on human form and you are delighted. But the human form has ten thousand changes that never come to an end. Your joys, then, must be uncountable. Therefore, the sage wanders in the realm where things cannot get away from him, and all are preserved. He delights in early death; he delights in old age; he delights in the beginning; he delights in the end. If he can serve as a model for men, how much more so that which the ten thousand things are tied to and all changes alike wait upon!
> 
> The Way has its reality and its signs but is without action or form. You can hand it down but you cannot receive it; you can get it but you cannot see it. It is its own source, its own root. Before Heaven and earth existed it was there, firm from ancient times. It gave spirituality to the spirits and to God; it gave birth to Heaven and to earth. It exists beyond the highest point, and yet you cannot call it lofty; it exists beneath the limit of the six directions, and yet you cannot call it deep. It was born before Heaven and earth, and yet you cannot say it has been there for long; it is earlier than the earliest time, and yet you cannot call it old.
> 
> Hsi-wei got it and held up heaven and earth.10 Fu Hsi got it and entered into the mother of breath. The Big Dipper got it and from ancient times has never wavered. The Sun and Moon got it and from ancient times have never rested. K’an-p’i got it and entered K’un-lun. P’ing-i got it and wandered in the great river. Chien Wu got it and lived in the great mountain.11 The Yellow Emperor got it and ascended to the cloudy heavens. Chuan Hsu got it and dwelt in the Dark Palace. Yu-ch’iang got it and stood at the limit of the north. The Queen Mother of the West got it and took her seat on Shaokuang - nobody knows her beginning, nobody knows her end. P’eng-tsu got it and lived from the age of Shun to the age of the Five Dictators.12 Fu Yueh got it and became minister to Wu-ting, who extended his rule over the whole world; then Fu Yueh climbed up to the Eastern Governor, straddled the Winnowing Basket and the Tail, and took his place among the ranks of stars. 13
> 
> Nan-po Tzu-k’uei said to the Woman Crookback, “You are old in years and yet your complexion is that of a child. Why is this?”
> 
> “I have heard the Way!”
> 
> “Can the Way be learned?” asked Nan-po Tzu-k’uei.
> 
> “Goodness, how could that be? Anyway, you aren’t the man to do it. Now there’s Pu-liang Yi - he has the talent of a sage but not the Way of a sage, whereas I have the Way of a sage but not the talent of a sage. I thought I would try to teach him and see if I could really get anywhere near to making him a sage. It’s easier to explain the Way of a sage to someone who has the talent of a sage, you know. So I began explaining and kept at him for three days, 14 and after that he was able to put the world outside himself. When he had put the world outside himself, I kept at him for seven days more, and after that he was able to put things outside himself. When he had put things outside himself, I kept at him for nine davs more, and after that he was able to put life outside himself. After he had put life outside himself, he was able to achieve the brightness of dawn, and when he had achieved the brightness of dawn, he could see his own aloneness. After he had managed to see his own aloneness, he could do away with past and present, and after he had done away with past and present, he was able to enter where there is no life and no death. That which kills life does not die; that which gives life to life does not live. 15 This is the kind of thing it is: there’s nothing it doesn’t send off, nothing it doesn’t welcome, nothing it doesn’t destroy, nothing it doesn’t complete. Its name is Peace-in-Strife. After the strife, it attains completion.”
> 
> Nan-po Tzu-k’uei asked, "Where did you happen to hear this? "
> 
> “I heard it from the son of Aided-by-Ink, and Aided-by-Ink heard it from the grandson of Repeated-Recitation, and the grandson of Repeated-Recitation heard it from Seeing-Brightly, and Seeing-Brightly heard it from Whispered-Agreement, and Whispered-Agreement heard it from Waiting-for-Use, and Waiting-for-Use heard it from Exclaimed-Wonder, and Exclaimed-Wonder heard it from Dark-Obscurity, and Dark-Obscurity heard it from Participation-in-Mystery, and Participation-in-Mystery heard it from Copy-the-Source!” 16
> 
> Master Ssu, Master Yu, Master Li, and Master Lai were all four talking together. “Who can look upon nonbeing as his head, on life as his back, and on death as his rump?” they said. “Who knows that life and death, existence and annihilation, are all a single body? I will be his friend!”
> 
> The four men looked at each other and smiled. There was no disagreement in their hearts and so the four of them became friends.
> 
> All at once Master Yu fell ill. Master Ssu went to ask how he was. “Amazing” said Master Yu. “The Creator is making me all crookedy like this! My back sticks up like a hunchback and my vital organs are on top of me. My chin is hidden in my navel, my shoulders are up above my head, and my pigtail points at the sky. It must be some dislocation of the yin and yang!”
> 
> Yet he seemed calm at heart and unconcerned. Dragging himself haltingly to the well, he looked at his reflection and said, “My, my! So the Creator is making me all crookedy like this!”
> 
> “Do you resent it?” asked Master Ssu.
> 
> "Why no, what would I resent? If the process continues, perhaps in time he’ll transform my left arm into a rooster. In that case I’ll keep watch on the night. Or perhaps in time he’ll transform my right arm into a crossbow pellet and I’ll shoot down an owl for roasting. Or perhaps in time he’ll transform my buttocks into cartwheels. Then, with my spirit for a horse, I’ll climb up and go for a ride. What need will I ever have for a carriage again?
> 
> “I received life because the time had come; I will lose it because the order of things passes on. Be content with this time and dwell in this order and then neither sorrow nor joy can touch you. In ancient times this was called the `freeing of the bound.’ There are those who cannot free themselves, because they are bound by things. But nothing can ever win against Heaven - that’s the way it’s always been. What would I have to resent?”
> 
> Suddenly Master Lai grew ill. Gasping and wheezing, he lay at the point of death. His wife and children gathered round in a circle and began to cry. Master Li, who had come to ask how he was, said, “Shoo! Get back! Don’t disturb the process of change!”
> 
> Then he leaned against the doorway and talked to Master Lai. “How marvelous the Creator is! What is he going to make of you next? Where is he going to send you? Will he make you into a rat’s liver? Will he make you into a bug’s arm?”
> 
> Master Lai said, “A child, obeying his father and mother, goes wherever he is told, east or west, south or north. And the yin and yang - how much more are they to a man than father or mother! Now that they have brought me to the verge of death, if I should refuse to obey them, how perverse I would be! What fault is it of theirs? The Great Clod burdens me with form, labors me with life, eases me in old age, and rests me in death. So if I think well of my life, for the same reason I must think well of my death. When a skilled smith is casting metal, if the metal should leap up and say, `I insist upon being made into a Mo-yeh!' 17 he would surely regard it as very inauspicious metal indeed. Now, having had the audacity to take on human form once, if I should say, `I don’t want to be anything but a man! Nothing but a man!', the Creator would surely regard me as a most inauspicious sort of person. So now I think of heaven and earth as a great furnace, and the Creator as a skilled smith. Where could he send me that would not be all right? I will go off to sleep peacefully, and then with a start I will wake up.”
> 
> Master Sang-hu, Meng-tzu Fan, and Master Chin-chang, three friends, said to each other, “Who can join with others without joining with others? Who can do with others without doing with others? Who can climb up to heaven and wander in the mists, roam the infinite, and forget life forever and forever?” The three men looked at each other and smiled. There was no disagreement in their hearts and so they became friends.
> 
> After some time had passed without event, Master Sang-hu died. He had not yet been buried when Confucius, hearing of his death, sent Tzu-kung to assist at the funeral. When Tzu-kung arrived, he found one of the dead man’s friends weaving frames for silkworms, while the other strummed a lute. Joining their voices, they sang this song:
> 
> Ah, Sang-hu!
> 
> Ah, Sang-hu!
> 
> You have gone back to your true form
> 
> While we remain as men, O!
> 
> Tzu-kung hastened forward and said, “May I be so bold as to ask what sort of ceremony this is - singing in the very presence of the corpse?”
> 
> The two men looked at each other and laughed. “What does this man know of the meaning of ceremony?” they said.
> 
> Tzu-kung returned and reported to Confucius what had happened. “What sort of men are they anyway?” he asked. “They pay no attention to proper behavior, disregard their personal appearance and, without so much as changing the expression on their faces, sing in the very presence of the corpse! I can think of no name for them! What sort of men are they?”
> 
> “Such men as they,” said Confucius, “wander beyond the realm; men like me wander within it. Beyond and within can never meet. It was stupid of me to send you to offer condolences. Even now they have joined with the Creator as men to wander in the single breath of heaven and earth. They look upon life as a swelling tumor, a protruding wen, and upon death as the draining of a sore or the bursting of a boil. To men such as these, how could there be any question of putting life first or death last? They borrow the forms of different creatures and house them in the same body. They forget liver and gall, cast aside ears and eyes, turning and revolving, ending and beginning again, unaware of where they start or finish. Idly they roam beyond the dust and dirt; they wander free and easy in the service of inaction. Why should they fret and fuss about the ceremonies of the vulgar world and make a display for the ears and eyes of the common herd?”
> 
> Tzu-kung said, “Well then, Master, what is this `realm’ that you stick to?”
> 
> Confucius said, “I am one of those men punished by Heaven. Nevertheless, I will share with you what I have.”
> 
> “Then may I ask about the realm?” 18 said Tzu-kung.
> 
> Confucius said, “Fish thrive in water, man thrives in the Way. For those that thrive in water, dig a pond and they will find nourishment enough. For those that thrive in the Way, don’t bother about them and their lives will be secure. So it is said, the fish forget each other in the rivers and lakes, and men forget each other in the arts of the Way.”
> 
> Tzu-kung said, “May I ask about the singular man?”
> 
> “The singular man is singular in comparison to other men, but a companion of Heaven. So it is said, the petty man of Heaven is a gentleman among men; the gentleman among men is the petty man of Heaven.”
> 
> Yen Hui said to Confucius, “When Meng-sun Ts’ai’s mother died, he wailed without shedding any tears, he did not grieve in his heart, and he conducted the funeral without any look of sorrow. He fell down on these three counts, and yet he is known all over the state of Lu for the excellent way he managed the funeral. Is it really possible to gain such a reputation when there are no facts to support it? I find it very peculiar indeed!”
> 
> Confucius said, "Meng-sun did all there was to do. He was advanced beyond ordinary understanding and he would have simplified things even more, but that wasn’t practical. However, there is still a lot that he simplified. Meng-sun doesn’t know why he lives and doesn’t know why he dies. He doesn’t know why he should go ahead; he doesn’t know why he should fall behind. In the process of change, he has become a thing [among other things], and he is merely waiting for some other change that he doesn’t yet know about. Moreover, when he is changing, how does he know that he is really changing? And when he is not changing, how does he know that he hasn’t already changed? You and I, now - we are dreaming and haven’t waked up yet. But in his case, though something may startle his body, it won’t injure his mind; though something may alarm the house [his spirit lives in], his emotions will suffer no death. Meng-sun alone has waked up. Men wail and so he wails, too - that’s the reason he acts like this.
> 
> “What’s more, we go around telling each other, I do this, I do that - but how do we know that this `I' we talk about has any `I’ to it? You dream you’re a bird and soar up into the sky; you dream you’re a fish and dive down in the pool. But now when you tell me about it, I don’t know whether you are awake or whether you are dreaming. Running around accusing others19 is not as good as laughing, and enjoying a good laugh is not as good as going along with things. Be content to go along and forget about change and then you can enter the mysterious oneness of Heaven.”
> 
> Yi Erh-tzu went to see Hsu Yu.20 Hsu Yu said, “What kind of assistance has Yao been giving you?”
> 
> Yi Erh-tzu said, “Yao told me, `You must learn to practice benevolence and righteousness and to speak clearly about right and wrong!'”
> 
> “Then why come to see me?” said Hsu Yu. “Yao has already tattooed you with benevolence and righteousness and cut off your nose with right and wrong.21 Now how do you expect to go wandering in any far-away, carefree, and as-you-like-it paths?”
> 
> “That may be,” said Yi Erh-tzu. “But I would like if I may to wander in a little corner of them.”
> 
> “Impossible!” said Hsu Yu. “Eyes that are blind have no way to tell the loveliness of faces and features; eyes with no pupils have no way to tell the beauty of colored and embroidered silks.”
> 
> Yi Erh-tzu said, “Yes, but Wu-chuang forgot her beauty, Chu-liang forgot his strength, and the Yellow Emperor forgot his wisdom - all were content to be recast and remolded .22 How do you know that the Creator will not wipe away my tattoo, stick my nose back on again, and let me ride on the process of completion and follow after you, Master?”
> 
> “Ah - we can never tell,” said Hsu Y u. “I will just speak to you about the general outline. This Teacher of mine, this Teacher of mine - he passes judgment on the ten thousand things but he doesn’t think himself righteous; his bounty extends to ten thousand generations but he doesn’t think himself benevolent. He is older than the highest antiquity but he doesn’t think himself long-lived; he covers heaven, bears up the earth, carves and fashions countless forms, but he doesn’t think himself skilled. It is with him alone I wander.”
> 
> Yen Hui said, “I’m improving!”
> 
> Confucius said, “What do you mean by that?”
> 
> “I’ve forgotten benevolence and righteousness!”
> 
> “That’s good. But you still haven’t got it.”
> 
> Another day, the two met again and Yen Hui said, “I’m improving!”
> 
> “What do you mean by that?”
> 
> “I’ve forgotten rites and music!”
> 
> “That’s good. But you still haven’t got it.”
> 
> Another day, the two met again and Yen Hui said, "I’m improving! "
> 
> “What do you mean by that?”
> 
> “I can sit down and forget everything!”
> 
> Confucius looked very startled and said, “What do you mean, sit down and forget everything.'-”
> 
> Yen Hui said, “I smash up my limbs and body, drive out perception and intellect, cast off form, do away with understanding, and make myself identical with the Great Thoroughfare. This is what I mean by sitting down and forgetting everything.”
> 
> Confucius said, “If you’re identical with it, you must have no more likes! If you’ve been transformed, you must have no more constancy! So you really are a worthy man after all! 23 With your permission, I’d like to become your follower.”
> 
> Master Yu and Master Sang were friends. Once it rained incessantly for ten days. Master Yu said to himself, Master Sang is probably having a bad time, and he wrapped up some rice and took it for his friend to eat. When he got to Master Sang’s gate, he heard something like singing or crying, and someone striking a lute and saying:
> 
> Father?
> 
> Mother?
> 
> Heaven?
> 
> Man?
> 
> It was as though the voice would not hold out and the singer were rushing to get through the words.
> 
> Master Yu went inside and said, “What do you mean - singing a song like that!”
> 
> “I was pondering what it is that has brought me to this extremity, but I couldn’t find the answer. My father and mother surely wouldn’t wish this poverty on me. Heaven covers all without partiality; earth bears up all without partiality - heaven and earth surely wouldn’t single me out to make me poor. I try to discover who is doing it, but I can’t get the answer. Still, here I am - at the very extreme. It must be fate.”