The Book of Chuang Tzu (Penguin) Read online

  It is said, ‘Just as you do not take the fish away from the deep waters, so the means of controlling a country should not be shown.’ The sage is the means of control, so the world should not see him clearly. Thus, if sages and wisdom were abandoned, great robbers would cease; destroy the jade and shatter the pearls, then petty thieves would not appear; burn the accounts and rip up the contracts, and the people will return to simplicity; break up the weights and the measures and the people will no longer argue; obliterate the laws of the world the sages have made, then the people can begin to be reasoned with. Throw away the six tones, destroy the pipes and lute, block the ears of Blind Kuang the musician, then every person in the world would for the first time be able to hear properly. If adornments were abolished, the five colours cast away and the eyes of Li Chu glued shut, then everyone in the world would be able to see clearly for the first time. Shatter the template and plumb line, discard the compass and T-square, break the fingers of a craftsman such as craftsman Chui, then for the first time everyone in the world will have and use real skills.

  There is a saying: ‘The greatest art in the world is like foolishness.’

  Ignore the behaviour of Tseng and Shih, shut the mouth of Yang and Mo, purge benevolence and righteousness, and the true Virtue of all under Heaven will display its mystic power. When people have true clear vision, no one in the world will be duped; if everyone has true hearing, then no one in the world will be distracted; if everyone has true wisdom, then no one in the world will be fooled; if everyone has Virtue, then no one in the world will be debased. Those such as Tseng, Shih, Yang, Mo, the musician Kuang, craftsman Chui or Li Chu showed off their virtue on the outside. They made the world aflame with admiration and so confused the world: a way of proceeding which was pointless.

  Sir, are you the only person who does not know about the age of perfect Virtue? In times past, in the era of Yung Cheng, Ta Ting, Po Huang, Chung Yang, Li Lu, Li Hsu, Hsien Yuan, Ho Hsu, Tsun Lu, Chu Jung, Fu Hsi and Shen Nung45 the people followed their ways, knotting string and using the nets. They enjoyed their food; they took pleasure in their clothes; they were content with their lifestyles; they were at ease in their homes. Even though the states were so close to each other that they could hear their neighbours’ dogs and chickens, nevertheless the people lived until a good age before dying and never travelled beyond their own borders. At that time, perfect harmony was the norm. Now the people are agitated, trying to see what is going on, saying, ‘In such and such a place there is a wise man!’ So they pack their bags and rush off, leaving their parents at home and failing to fulfil their duties to their ruler. You can see their footprints making a track from one state to another and the grooves made by their carriages, stretching for more than a thousand li. This is the fault of those in authority who search for good knowledge.

  If those in authority search for knowledge, but without the Tao, everything under Heaven will be in terrible confusion. How do I know about all this? A great deal of knowledge is needed to make bows, crossbows, nets, arrows and so forth, but the result is that the birds fly higher in distress. A great deal of knowledge is needed to make fishing lines, traps, baits and hooks, but the result is that the fish disperse in distress in the water. A great deal of knowledge is needed to make traps, snares and nets, but the result is that the animals are disturbed and seek refuge in marshy lands. In the same way, the versatility needed to produce rhetoric, to plot and scheme, spread rumours and debate pointlessly, to dust off arguments and seek apparent agreement, is also considerable, but the result is that the people are confused. So everything under Heaven is in a state of distress, all because of the pursuit of knowledge. Everything in the world knows how to seek for knowledge that they do not have, but do not know how to find what they already know. Everything in the world knows how to condemn what they dislike, but do not know how to condemn what they have which is wrong. This is what causes such immense confusion. It is as if the brightness of the sun and moon had been eclipsed above, while down below the hills and streams have lost their power, as though the natural flow of the four seasons had been broken. There is no humble insect, not even any plant, that has not lost its innate nature. This is the consequence for the world of seeking after knowledge. From the Three Dynasties down to the present day it has been like this. The good and honest people are ignored, while spineless flatterers are advanced. The quiet and calm of actionless action is cast aside and pleasure is taken in argument. It is this nonsense which has caused such confusion for everything under Heaven.

  CHAPTER 11

  Leaving the World Open

  I have heard of leaving the world open to its own way and not interfering, but I have never heard of trying to control the world.

  We let the world be, fearful of spoiling its innate nature; we leave it alone, fearful of those who adversely affect the world’s Virtue. If the nature of everything under Heaven is not distorted, if the world’s Virtue is not despoiled, then what need is there to govern the world? In times gone by Yao controlled everything under Heaven, everyone was happy and the whole world was joyful, living in its true way. Nowhere was there stagnation. But when Chieh governed everything under Heaven, he made all life wearisome and distressed, and all people found their own nature turning bad and diseased. To be without peace, to be without fulfilment, is to turn against Virtue. No one can struggle against Virtue for long and still survive.

  Are people too cheerful? If so, they harm the yang. Are people too vengeful? If so, they harm the yin. If both yin and yang are corrupted, then the four seasons will not follow each other, the balance of hot and cold will not be kept and this results in distress to the very bodies of the people! People will be unable to control a balance between joy and anger. It makes them restless, moving here, moving there, plotting to no purpose, travelling for no good reason or result. The consequence of this is that the world becomes concerned with mighty goals and plots, ambition and hatred, which brings in its wake the likes of Robber Chih, Tseng and Shih. As a result, the world may wish to reward the good, but there are not enough rewards available; nor can it adequately punish the bad, for there are not enough punishments.

  The whole world is indeed vast, but it cannot provide enough rewards nor punishments. Given all this, how could people be expected to find enough time to rest quietly in the essential qualities of their innate nature?

  Do people enjoy what they can see clearly?

  In fact they are disturbed by colours.

  Do they enjoy what they hear?

  In fact they are spoiled by sounds.

  Do they revel in benevolence?

  In fact they confuse Virtue.

  Do they take pride in righteousness?

  In fact they reject reason.

  Do they delight in ritual?

  In fact they resort to pretence.

  Do they take pleasure in music?

  In fact they sink into dissolution.

  Do they appreciate the sage?

  In fact they take pride in falsehood.

  Do they rejoice at knowledge?

  In fact they celebrate quibblers.

  While the world exists in its true nature, it is irrelevant whether these eight treasures exist or not. However, when the world exists in a way which distorts, twists, mixes up and confuses its true innate nature, these eight treasures cause immense confusion instead. It gets even worse if the world goes on to honour and value them! It is said, all this is passing! However, people go to great lengths, fasting, praying, teaching these treasures, beating drums and prancing around. I don’t know what can be done about all this!

  So it is that the noble master who finds he has to follow some course to govern the world will realize that actionless action is the best course. By non-action, he can rest in the real substance of his nature and destiny. If he appreciates his own body as he appreciates the world, then the world can be placed in his care. He who loves his body as he loves the world can be trusted to govern the world. If the noble master can pre
vent his five main organs from being destroyed, and his vision and hearing also; if he can become as lifeless as a corpse and develop his dragon powers; if he can thus still himself, his words will sound like thunder while his actions will be seen as the actions of a spirit from Heaven, who is guided by Heaven. If he is unconcerned and engaged in actionless action, his gentle spirit will draw all life to him like a dust cloud. How then would such a person have time for governing the world?

  Tsui Chu questioned Lao Tzu, saying, ‘If the world is not ruled, how can you improve people’s hearts?’

  Lao Tzu said, ‘Take care how you play with people’s hearts. People’s hearts should not be shoved down nor pushed up, for this yo-yoing up and down makes the heart either a prisoner or an avenging fury. It can be gentle and giving, moulding even the hard and sharp, or it can be sharp and pointed, tough enough to cut, carve or chisel. It can be as hot as a searing fire; it can be as cold as ice. So swift that in the nodding of one’s head it has twice roared over the four seas and beyond all boundaries. At rest, it is as deep as the abyss; when it is active, it is like a star in Heaven. It races beyond anything that seeks to bind it, for this is in truth the heart of humanity!

  Long, long ago, the Yellow Emperor was the first to disturb the hearts of the people with all his cant about benevolence and righteousness. Yao and Shun came after him and wore themselves out trying to feed the material bodies of the people. They distressed their five vital organs with their benevolence and righteousness; they wore out their life’s blood in drawing up codes of laws, and yet they failed. Yao had to send Huan Tou to Mount Chung, banish the three Miao tribes to the area of San Wei, and exile the Minister of Works to the Dark City. This is the measure of their failure to rule the world. This brings us to the Three Dynasties, when the world was in chaos. At the bottom we have people such as the dictator Chieh and Robber Chih; at the top we have people like Tseng and Shih. At this time the Literati and the Mohists also arose. As a result, contentment and fury squared up to each other, foolishness and wisdom rose against each other, good and bad insulted each other, the vainglorious and the sincere traded insults, and the whole of the world fell into decline. The great Virtue was no longer unified, and innate nature and destiny broke apart. The whole world sought knowledge and all the different peoples of the world were distracted. At this stage the axe and saw came into their own; the plumb line determined truth and brought execution; the hammer and gouge made their deep marks and the whole world fell into great disarray. The crime lies in playing around with people’s hearts. The result was that leaders of worth hid below the mountains and princes in charge of vast armies hid shaking in their ancestor shrines.

  In this generation, those condemned to death are piled up; those who wear the punishment yoke press upon each other; those sentenced to beatings are never out of sight of each other. Out of this lot now appear the Literati and Mohists, waving their arms. Oh dear! That this lot should be so audacious! They have no shame! Isn’t it strange that we can see neither sageness nor wisdom, neither benevolence nor righteousness in the yoke and shackles of punishment! How can we tell whether or not Tseng and Shih are the arrows heralding the coming of Chieh and Chih? This is why I say, ‘Destroy the sage, throw away wisdom and the whole world will have great order.’

  The Yellow Emperor was the master of the world for nineteen years: the whole world followed his edicts. Then he heard of Master Kuang Cheng, who was dwelling on top of Kung Tung mountain, and he went to see him, saying, ‘I understand that you, Master, have found the perfect Tao. I dare to ask you what is the essence of the perfect Tao? I would like to grasp the essence of Heaven and Earth and use them to assist the harvest of the five crops in order to help the people. I would like to be able to direct the yin and yang in order to bring all things to life. How can this be done?’

  Master Kuang Cheng replied, ‘What you ask about is the true element of all things; what you seek control over is in essence divided. Since you began governing all below Heaven, the very breath of the clouds has not yet formed, and yet it rains; the trees and bushes drop their leaves before they have turned yellow; the light of the sun and moon grows ever weaker. You are a man whose heart has become numbed by words, you are insubstantial and feeble. It would be unworthy to teach you the Tao.’

  The Yellow Emperor withdrew and ceased ruling the world. He constructed a rude hut, filled only with a white grass mat, and he dwelt there for three months undisturbed. Then he went again to make his request.

  Master Kuang Cheng was lying down facing south.46 The Yellow Emperor, with an air of deference, came forward kneeling. He bowed low twice and said, ‘I have heard it said, Master, that you are a master of the perfect Tao. I would like to ask, how should I govern my body in order to live a long life?’

  Master Kuang Cheng sat up suddenly and said, ‘This question of yours! Splendid! I will teach you about the perfect Tao. The essence of the perfect Tao is hidden in darkness, lost in silence. Nothing seen; nothing heard. Embrace the spirit in quietness, the body with its own rightness. Be still, be pure, do not make your body struggle, do not disturb your essence. All this will result in a long life. The eye does not see, the ear does not hear, the heart knows nothing, yet your spirit will guard your body and your body will have a long life. Guard what is within, block that which is outside, for much knowledge is dangerous.

  ‘I will go with you up towards the great Light,47 to the origins of the perfect other, the perfect yang. I will go with you through the gate of Deepest Mystery to the origin of the perfect other,48 the perfect yin. Heaven and Earth have those who rule them, yin and yang have their places of concealment. Guard and take care of your body, then the rest takes good care of itself. I sustain the unity and dwell in harmony, thus have I remained alive for one thousand two hundred years and my body has not aged.’

  The Yellow Emperor bowed his head to the ground twice and said, ‘Master Kuang Cheng, to me you are Heaven itself.’

  Master Kuang Cheng said, ‘Splendid! I will teach you. This is inexhaustible, but people still think it has an end; this is incomprehensible, and yet people feel they can encompass it. The one who follows my Tao, if he is amongst the stars, will be elevated, if down below, will be a king. The one who fails to follow my Tao can see the brightness above but will still be just like the soil below. Every creature born comes from the soil and returns to soil. Therefore, I shall now leave you and enter the gate of that which has no limit in the fields of the boundless. There I shall combine with the sun and the moon. There I shall combine with Heaven and Earth forever. I combine with whatever is with me! What is apart from me, I ignore! All the people may die, but I alone will survive!’

  Yun Chiang was travelling east, carried along upon the wings of a whirlwind. Suddenly he met Hung Mung, who was jumping around, slapping his thighs and hopping like a bird. Yun Chiang saw this and stopped dead, standing still in respect, and said, ‘Elderly man, who are you? What are you doing?’

  Hung Mung continued to slap his thighs and hop like a bird, then replied, ‘Enjoying myself!’

  Yun Chiang said, ‘I would like to ask a question.’

  Hung Mung looked at Yun Chiang and said, ‘That’s a shame!’

  Yun Chiang said, ‘The very breath49 of Heaven is no longer in harmony. Earth’s very breath is ensnared, the six breaths do not mix, the four seasons do not follow each other. Now I want to combine the six breaths in order to bring life to all things. How do I do this?’

  Hung Mung slapped his thighs, hopped around and said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know!’

  Yun Chiang could go no further with this questioning. But three years later, travelling east, he passed the wilderness of Sung and came upon Hung Mung again. Yun Chiang, very pleased, rushed towards him, stood before him and said, ‘Heaven, have you forgotten me? Heaven, have you forgotten me?’ Bowing his head twice, he asked for teaching from Hung Mung.

  Hung Mung said, ‘Wandering everywhere, without a clue why. Wildly impulsive, without a cl
ue where. I wander around in this odd fashion, I see that nothing comes without reason. What can I know?’

  Yun Chiang replied, ‘I am also wildly impulsive, but the people follow me wherever I am. I cannot stop them following me. Now, because they follow me, I want to have a word of teaching from you.’

  ‘The disruption of the ways of Heaven distresses the true being of things, halting the fulfilment of Heaven’s Mysteries,’ said Hung Mung. ‘This causes the animals to disperse, the birds to sing throughout the night, misfortune to hit the crops and the woods, and disaster to blight the very insects themselves. Alas, all this is caused by the people’s error of thinking they know how to rule!’

  ‘What should I do then?’ said Yun Chiang.

  ‘Oh, you distress them! Like a spirit, a spirit I will dance away,’ said Hung Mung.

  ‘I have had such trouble meeting you,’ said Yun Chiang. ‘Oh Heaven, just give me one other word.’

  ‘Oh ho!’ said Hung Mung. ‘Strengthen your heart. Remain sure in actionless action, and all things will then transform themselves. Reject your body, throw out hearing and eyesight, forget that you are anyone, become one with the Vast and the Void. Loosen the heart, free the spirit, be calm as if without a soul. All living things return to their root, return to their root, not knowing why. Constantly in darkness, constantly in darkness, and throughout their physical existence they never depart from this. If they tried to understand this, they would depart from this. Ask not for its name, seek not for its shape. So all life comes to birth through itself.’