James Legge, translator - The Texts of Taoism, Part II, 1891 by gnosisclassics

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V.40

The Sacred Books of China

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THE

SACRED BOOKS OF THE EAST

[40]

bonbon

HENRY FROWDE

Oxford University Press Warehouse

Amen Corner,

E.C.

THE

'sacred books of the east TRANSLATED

BY VARIOUS ORIENTAL SCHOLARS

AND EDITED BY

MAX MULLER

VOL. XL

AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1891

[

O;cforb

PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS BY HORACE HART, PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY

THE

SACRED BOOKS OF CHINA THE TEXTS OF TAOISM

TRANSLATED BY

JAMES YeGGE

PART

THE WRITINGS OF A:WANG-3ZE BOOKS XVIIIâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; XXXIII

THE THAI-SHANG TRACTATE OF ACTIONS

AND THEIR RETRIBUTIONS APPENDIXES

I-VIII

AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1891

[A// rights reserved^

CONTENTS. THE WRITINGS OF PART

A^WANG-3ZE.

II.

....

BOOK

XVIII.

XIX.

xi.

A'ih Lo, or Perfect

xii.

Shang, or the Full Understanding of Life

XX.

xiii.

Shan Mu,

XXI.

xiv.

Thien 3ze-fang

XV.

Kih

XXII.

Enjoyment

or the Tree

Pei Yu, or

on the Mountain

XXIV.

XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII.

Kang-sang A7/u

ii.

Hsii Wii-kwei

iii.

3eh-yang

XXXIII.

.27

the North

III.

.....

74 91

114

What comes from Without

iv.

Wai Wu,

Yii

vi.

Zang Wang,

vii.

Tao

viii.

Yiieh A'ien, or Delight in the Sword-fight

131

Yen, or Metaphorical Language

the

XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII.

Knowledge RambHng

PART XXIII.

PAGE

.....

or Kings

Throne

A'ih, or the

who have wished

Robber

ATih

Old Fisherman

.....

142 to resign

149 166

186

ix.

Yii-fu, or the

Lieh Yii-khau

xi.

Thien Hsia, or Historical Phases of Taoist Teaching 214

192

202

THE THAI-SHANG TRACTATE OF ACTIONS AND THEIR RETRIBUTIONS. Translation of the Tractate

235

CONTENTS.

VIU

APPENDIXES. PAGE I.

II.

A'/nng A'ang A'ing, or the Classic of Purity

247

Yin Fu A'ing, or Classic of the Harmony of the Seen and the

III. Yii

IV.

Unseen

Shu

A''ing,

Zah Yung

255 or Classic of the Pivot of Jade

A'ing, or Classic of the Directory for a

V. Analyses by Lin v^wang-jze

Hsi-/fung of several of the

Day

Books

265

269

273

VI. List of Narratives, Apologues, and Stories in the Writings

298

of A'wang-^ze

VII.

The Stone Tablet Tao-hang

VIII. Record

in the

of Lao-^ze.

By Hsieh

of the Sui dynasty

for the Sacrificial

Index to Vols. XXXIX,

Transliteration

Temple

311

Hall of A'wang-^ze.

Sii

Shih 320

325

.....

of Oriental Alphabets adopted for the Transla-

tions of the Sacred

Books of the East

337

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BOOK Part A'ih Lo, or

Under

the

found or not

II. '

XVIII. Section XI.

Perfect Enjoyment^.'

sky

perfect

enjoyment

Are there any who can preserve ? If there be, what do they

themselves alive or not

What do they maintain ? What do they avoid ? ? What do they attend to ? Where do they resort to ? Where do they keep from ? What do they delight in ? What do they dislike ? What the world honours is riches, dignities, longevity, and being deemed able. What it delights in do

rest for the body, rich

flavours, fine garments,

and pleasant music. What it looks down on are poverty and mean condition, short life and being deemed feeble-. What men consider bitter experiences are that their bodies do not get rest and ease, that their mouths do not get food of rich flabeautiful colours,

vour, that their persons are not finely clothed, that

do not see beautiful colours, and that their If they do not ears do not listen to pleasant music.

their eyes

See

vol.

xxxix, pp. 149, 150.

riches,

and their opposites, enough is two qualities are lightly passed over, and reconnexion with meritorious officers.' I can only

dignities, longevity,

said, while the other

ferred to only in

understand them as in the translation. [40]

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xvili.

get these things, they are very sorrowful, and go on Their thoughts are all to be troubled with fears.

about the body

;

— are they not

silly ?

Now the rich embitter their lives by their incessant they accumulate more wealth than they can while they act thus for the body, they make

labours

use it

—

;

Those who seek for of them from the day

external to themselves ^

honours carry their pursuit

into the night, full of anxiety about their

whether they are thus for the to

them

The

or not

skilful

body they treat

man

birth of

—

if it is

w^hile

were

at the

methods they act

indifferent

same time

he live long he becomes more and more stupid, and the longer is his anxiety that he may not die how great is his bitwhile he thus acts for his body, it is for terness

the birth of his sorrow

and

;

—

Meritorious officers are regarded by the w^orld as good but (their goodness) is not sufficient to keep their persons alive. I do not know a distant result.

;

whether the goodness ascribed to them be really good or really not good. If indeed it be considered good, alive

;

not sufficient to preserve their persons

if it

be deemed not good,

preserve other

men

Hence

alive.

it is

sufficient to said,

When

faithful remonstrances are not listened to, (the re-

monstrant) should

and

course,

3ze-hsu

sit

still,

let

(his ruler)

not strive with him.'

take his

Therefore when

strove with (his ruler), he brought on him-

If they did not

so, they

would be content when they had

enough. 2

Wishing

ably

to attach

closely to them,

3ze-hsii, the scourge of

at last,

when

remonstrances;

—

the king of in

A7m

about B.C. 475.

and who perished miserwould no longer listen to his ;

PT.

II.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

XI.

body. If he had not so would he not have acquired his fame was such (goodness) really good or was it not ? As to what the common people now do, and what they find their enjoyment in, I do not know whether the enjoyment be really enjoyment or really not. self the mutilation of his

striven,

see

them

in their pursuit

—

following after

all

aims as if with the determination of death, and as if they could not stop in their course but what they call enjoyment would not be so to me, while yet I do not say that there is no enjoyment in it. Is there indeed such enjoyment, or is there not ? I consider doing nothing (to obtain it) to be the great enjoyment \ while ordinarily people consider their

;

it to be a great evil. Hence it is said, Perfect enjoyment is to be without enjoyment the highest praise is to be without praise ^' The right and the wrong (on this point of enjoyment) cannot indeed be determined according to (the view of) the world '

;

nevertheless, this doing nothing (to obtain

it)

may

determine the right and the wrong. Since perfect enjoyment is (held to be) the keeping the body alive, is

only by this doing nothing that that end

be secured.

likely to

this

(more

comes comes

fully)

tivities, all

perceptible

This

The

last

the

to try

and explain

Earth does nothing, and thence the union of these two inacthings are produced. How vast and im-

rest.

its

Allow

— Heaven does nothing, and thence

serenity

its

Wu A7zang

;

the jDrocess

the secret of the

member

— they seem to come from

Tao.

of this sentence

the reading adopted by

towards the conclusion of the thirty-ninth chapter of

Tao Teh

A^ing, instead of the

B 2

common

Wa^

ffi£

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

4 nowhere!

How

BK. XVIir.

imperceptible and vast!

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;there

no visible image of it All things in all their variety grow from this Inaction, Hence it is said, Heaven and Earth do nothing, and yet there is nothing that they do not do \' But what man is there that can !

attain to this inaction

When

ATwang-^ze's wife died, Hui-^ze went to

condole with him, and, finding him squatted on the

drumming on

ground, to him,

When

the basin

and singing, said

a wife has lived with her husband,

and brought up

children,

age, not to wail for her

and then dies

her old

When

you go not an ? excessive (and strange) demonstration ^wang-jze replied, It is not so. When she first died, was it possible for me to be singular and not affected by the event ? But I reflected on the commencement of her being ^ She had not yet been born to life not only had she no life, but she had no bodily form not only had she no bodily form, but she had no breath. Durinor the interminelingf of the waste and dark chaos ^, there ensued a change, and there was breath another change, and there was the bodily form another change, and there came birth on to drum on

enough.

this basin

and

sing,

;

Compare

similar statements in the

Tao Teh

A'ing, ch. 48,

et al. ^

The

basin or tub, not

to the basin of ice put

body was have

this

laid.

between

a basin.'

down near

The

reference

or under the couch

is, no doubt, on which the

suppose that AVang-jze was squatting so as to his legs.

Is the writer referring to the primal creation as we may call it, or development of things out of the chaos, or to some analogous ^

process at the birth of his wife

However

that be, birth

appear to him to be merely changes of the same kind petual process of evolution.

and death

in the per-

\^^

PT.

and

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

SECT. XI.

II.

There

now

a change again, and she is between these things is like the procession of the four seasons from spring to autumn, from winter to summer. There now she lies with her face up, sleeping in the Great Chamber and if I were to fall sobbing and going on to wail for her, I should think that I did not understand what was life.

The

dead.

relation

appointed

(for all).

;

therefore restrained myself^

Mr. Deformed^ and Mr. One-foot^ were looking

mound-graves of the departed in the wild of Khwan-lun, where Hwang-Ti had entered into his Suddenly a tumour began to grow on their rest. left wrists, which made them look distressed as if they disliked it. The former said to the other, Do at the

Between heaven and

Was

the basin

it ?

earth.

necessary he should

But

fall

singing to his

drumming on

the paragraph,

subjoin a note here, suggested

which might have found, perhaps, a more appropriate place notice of this

Book

In Sir John F. Davis'

Description of the Empire of China and

Inhabitants (edition of 1857),' vol.

its

in the

in vol. xxxix, pp. 149, 150.

ii,

pp. 74-90,

we have

the

amusing story of 'The Philosopher and his Wife.' The philosopher and of his wife it is ^wang-^ze, who plays the part of a magician Sir John Davis says, might be said, Frailty! thy name is woman The story was translated into French by Pere d'Entrecolles, and I have not met in supplied the materials of Voltaire's Zadig.' Chinese with Father d'Entrecolles' original. All of Zadig which ;

can be supposed to have been borrowed from his translator is only The whole story is inconsistent with the account in paragraph 2 of the death of A'wang-jze's wife, and with all which a few sentences.

learn

They to

from

We know

his writings of his character.

nothing of these parties but what we are told here.

our

are called Shij, '

Mr.'

The

meaning

'uncle,' often equivalent in

lesson taught

by them

pain and death as merely

phenomena

For the phraseology of

names, see Bk.

par. 8.

their

that of

China

submission to

in the sphere of change. Ill, par. 3,

and Bk. IV,

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. ?

you dread

dread

Life

it ?

No,' replied he,

BK. xvill.

why should I The living

a borrowed thing.

frame thus borrowed is but so much dust. Life and And you and I were death are like day and night. looking at (the graves of) those their change.

change

who have undergone coming to me, why

should 4.

dislike

When

empty

skull,

it ?

A'wang-5ze went

bleached indeed, but

Kh\x, he still

saw an

retaining

its

Tapping it with his horse-switch, he asked Did you. Sir, in your greed of life, fail in it, saying, the lessons of reason, and come to this ? Or did you do so, in the service of a perishing state, by the punishment of the axe ? Or was it through your evil conduct, reflecting disgrace on your parents and on )our wife and children ? Or was it through your hard endurances of cold and hunger } Or was it that you had completed your term of life ? Having given expression to these questions, he took up the skull, and made a pillow of it when he went to sleep. At midnight the skull appeared to him in a dream, and said, What you said to me was shape.

after the fashion of

an orator. All )'our words were about the entanglements of men in their lifetime. There are none of those things after death. Would you like to hear me. Sir, tell you about death ? I should,' said /sfwang-jze, and the skull resumed In death there are not (the distinctions of) ruler above and minister below. There are none of the '

phenomena of

the four seasons.

case, our years are those of

king have.'

Tranquil and at

heaven and

earth.

his

court has greater enjoyment than we AVangize did not believe it, and said, If I '

PT.

SECT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

XI.

could get the Ruler of our Destiny^ to restore your

bones and flesh and skin, and to give you back your father and mother, your wife and children, and all your village acquaintances, would The skull stared fixedly at you wish me to do so ? him, knitted its brows, and said, How should I cast away the enjoyment of my royal court, and under-

body to

life

with

its

take aeain the

toils

When Yen

life

amonq- mankind

Ytian went eastwards to KJA, Con-

3ze-kung

wore a look of sorrow^.

fucius

mat, and asked him, saying,

left

Your humble

his

disciple

how it is that the going eastwards Kh\ has given you such a look of sadness.' Formerly Confucius said, Your question is good. Kwan-jze ^ used words of which I very much approve. He said, " A small bag cannot be made to

ventures to ask

Hui

a short rope cannot be used So it is, and to draw water from a deep well ^" contain what

large

man's appointed

body

;

lot is definitely

determined, and his

adapted for definite ends, so that neither the

one nor the other can be augmented or diminished. I am afraid that Hui will talk with the marquis of KJA about the w^ays of Hwang-Ti, Yao, and Shun, and oro on to relate the words of Sui-san and Shan

Nang.

The marquis

ence of what he

suppose the

will

seek

{for

the correspond-

told) in himself; and, not finding

Tao;

but none of the commentators, so far as

have seen, say anything about the expression. ^ Compare the long discourse of Confucius with

latter's ^

Yen

Hui, on the

proposing to go to Wei, in Bk. IV.

Kwan i-wii or Kwan A'ung, the chief minister whom he is supposed to have in view in his

of Kh\,

short rope.'

of duke '

Hwan

small bag and

BK. XVIII.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

there, will suspect the

speaker

;

and that speaker, And have death.

being suspected, will be put to you not heard this ?— Formerly a sea-bird alighted The marquis went in the suburban country of Lu \ out to meet it, (brought it) to the ancestral temple,

and prepared to banquet it there. The A'iu-shao was performed to afford it music an ox, a sheep, and a pig were killed to supply the food. The ;

however, looked at everything with dim eyes, and was very sad. It did not venture to eat a single and in three bit of flesh, nor to drink a single cupful bird,

;

days '

died.

The marquis was

what he used ment proper

trying to nourish the bird with

for himself,

for a bird.

and not with the nourishThey who would nourish

birds as they ought to be nourished should let

perch float

the deep forests, or

on the

rivers

and lakes

roam over sandy ;

them

plains

feed on the eels and

wing their flight in regular order and then stop and be free and at ease in their restingplaces. It was a distress to that bird to hear men what did it care for all the noise and hubbub speak

small

fish

;

made about

it ?

If the

music of the A'iii-shao

the Hsien-/6/nh^ were

the Thung-thing^ lake, birds

beasts would run off

performed in the wild of

would

fly

when they heard

it,

away, and

and

fishes

would dive down to the bottom of the water while men, when they hear it, would come all round to;

^ =•

Perhaps another and more

ridi'culous version

the Narratives of the States,' II,

Tlie

name

Called also

of Shun's music

Ilwang-'l'i's

;

— see the

Sh{x (in vol.

Book XXXIII, music ;— see Bk. XIV, par. Shao, in

ness of the whole paragraph

of the story told

art. 7. iii),

par. 2.

par. 2. 3,

— But

called in question.

the genuine-

PT.

II.

SECT.

gether,

XI.

THE WRITINGS OF XWANG-3ZE,

and look

the water.

They

on.

Fishes live and

men

9 die in

are different in constitution, and

and dislikes. Hence was that the ancient sages did not require (from all) the same ability, nor demand the same performThey gave names according to the reality of ances. what was done, and gave their approbation where it was specially suitable. This was what was called the method of universal adaptation and of sure success.' therefore differ in their likes it

upon a journey took a meal by the road-side. There he saw a skull a hundred years old, and, pulling away the bush (under which it lay), he pointed to it and said, It is only you and I who know that you are not dead, and that (aforetime) you were not alive. Do you indeed really find (in death) the nourishment (which you like) ? Do I really find The seeds (of (in life my proper) enjoyment ? minute. On the surand things) are multitudinous face of the water they form a membranous texture. When they reach to where the land and water join they become the (lichens which we call the) clothes Coming to life on mounds of frogs and oysters. and heights, they become the plantain and, receiv6.

Lieh-jze (once)

;

The roots of ing manure, appear as crows' feet. the crow's foot become grubs, and its leaves, butterThis butterfly, known by the name of lisii, is changed into an insect, and comes to life under a Then it has the form of a moth, and is furnace. named the k/iu-to. The /c/iu-to after a thousand flies.

Its days becomes a bird, called the /'an-yii-ku. saliva becomes the sje-mi, and this again the shihhsi (or pickle-eater). The i-lo is produced from

the pickle-eater;

the

hwang-kw^ang from

the

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XVIII,

the mau-zui from the pu-khwan. The ying-hsi uniting with a bamboo, which has long

/â&#x20AC;˘iii-yu;

ceased to put forth sprouts, produces the ^/nng-

ning; the /7/ing-ning, the panther; the panther, the horse and the horse, the man. Man then again enters into the great Machinery (of Evolution), from which all things come forth (at birth), and which they enter at death ^' ;

A much

larger paragraph

abbreviated, or in the first

from which this must have been which must have been enlarged from this, is found

Book

treatise is the

absurdly stated.

of Lieh-jze's works (pp. 4, 5).

transrotation of births

fully,

In no Buddhist and, I must add,

PT.

11.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

SFXT. XII.

BOOK Part

Ta Shang,

II.

I I

XIX.

Section XII.

'The Full Understanding of Life^'

He who

understands the conditions of Life does and he is of no use to life understands the conditions of Destiny does not

not strive after what

who

;

beyond the reach of knowledge. In nourishing the body it is necessary to have

strive after

what

beforehand the things (appropriate to its support) ^ but there are cases where there is a superabundance of such things, and yet the body order to have left

life it is

necessary that

the body; but there are cases

and yet the

not been

left

When

life

comes,

it,

not nourished^ In it

when

life

do not have body has

the

has perished ^

when it men of the

cannot be declined

;

Alas the it cannot be detained. world think that to nourish the body is sufficient to preserve life and when such nourishment is not sufficient to preserve the life, what can be done in goes,

;

the world that will be sufficient

Though

(all

that

men

can do) will be insufficient, yet there are things which they feel they ought to do, and they do not try to avoid doing them.

See

Wealth fit

supply abundantly the things that are necessary for the nourishment of the body, but sudden death may will

render them unavailing. 2

vol. xxxix, pp. 150, 151.

and

For those who wish

That

is,

the higher

life

of the

spirit

has perished.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XIX.

avoid caring for the body, their best plan Is to abandon the world. Abandoning the world, they are

Free from its entanglements, their (minds) are correct and their (temperament) is equable. Thus correct and equable, they succeed in securing a renewal of life, as some have from

free

entanglements.

In securing a renewal of

done^ far

its

life,

they are not

from the True (Secret of their being). But how sufficient to abandon worldly affairs ? and it

how

sufficient to forget the (business of) life

Through the renouncing of through forgetting the body has no more toil (business of) life, the vital power suffers no dimiWhen the body is completed and the vital nution. is power restored (to its original vigour), the man is one with Heaven. Heaven and Earth are the father and mother of all things. It is by their union that the body is formed it is by their separation that a (new) beginning is brought about. When the body and vital power suffer no diminution, we have what (worldly)

affairs,

the

;

may be

From

called the transference of power.

more vital, and Heaven.

the vital force there comes another

man

returns to be the assistant of

master- Lieh-jze^ asked Yin, (the warden)

of the gate I '

think

saying,

find

perfect

Lieh-jze {whose name has already occurred communication with the warden Yin, who was a

here

several limes) in

contemporary of Lao-jze,and we must century

n. c.

man walks under

John's Gospel, ch.

The

have caught the meaning. The phrase signifying life has been used to translate being born again

the renewal of

refer

him

therefore to the sixth

could not therefore be contemporary with our

and yet the three characters of the text mean and the whole of the paragraph is found second Book (4"-5n') with a good many variants

author,

Lich-,^ze;'

Master,

in Lieh-jze's in

the

text.

PT.

II.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF

XII.

K'WANG-SZE.

water without encountering any obstruction, treads on fire without being burned, and walks on high above all things without any fear let me ask how ;

he attains to do this^.'*' The warden Yin replied, It is by his keeping of the pure breath (of life) it is not to be described as an achievement of his skill Sit down, and I will explain it to you. or daring. *

;

Whatever has

form, semblance, sound, and colour

how can one

a thing;

from another

But

thing is

come

be different

not competent for any of

these things to reach to what preceded

them

all

;

visibility. But (the perfect man) attains to be (as it were) without form, and beyond the capability of being transformed. Now when one attains to this and carries it out to the

they are but (form and)

highest degree,

how can

way

him

other things

come

into his

occupy the place assigned to him without going beyond it, and lie concealed in the clue which has no end. He will study with delight the process which gives their beginning and ending to all things. By gathering his nature into to stop

will

a unity, by nourishing his vital power, by concentrating his virtue,

will penetrate to the

making of

In this condition, with his heavenly consti-

things.

tution kept entire,

and with no crevice

in his spirit,

how can things enter (and disturb his serenity) ? Take the case of a drunken man fallino- from carriage though he may suffer injury, he will '

;

The

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

gate was at the passage

leading from the Royal

of those days into the great feudal territory of 3in;

north-west of the present province of ^

Ho-nan

length,

and

either the question or the

unsatisfactorily.

answer

the

into Shen-hsi.

in this place.

not

Domain

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;from

Lieh-jze puts an absurd question to the warden, which

plied

his

need not

re-

discuss

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XIX.

His bones and joints are die same as those of other men, but the injury which he receives is difHe knew nothing about his spirit is entire. ferent die.

—

and knew nothing about The thought of death or life, or

his getting into the carriage, his falHng

from

it.

of any alarm or

affright,

does not enter his breast

and therefore he encounters danger without any Completely under the influence shrinking from it. how of the liquor he has drunk, it is thus with him much more would it be so, if he were under the ;

Heavenly constitution The sagely in his Heavenly constitution, and

influence of his

man

—

kept hid

therefore nothing can injure him.

'A man

the pursuit of vengeance would not

break the (sword) Mo-ye or Yli-Ziang (which had done the deed); nor would one, however easily made wrathful,

In this

wreak

way

all

his resentment on the fallen brick. under heaven there would be peace,

without the disorder of assaults and fiorhtine, without the punishments of death and slaughter: such would be the issue of the course (which I have de-

—

scribed).

If the disposition that is

human

origin

be not developed, but that which is the gift of Heaven, the development of the latter will produce goodness, while that of the former would produce hurt. If the latter were not wearied of, and the former not slighted, the people would be brought nearly to their True nature.' 3. When A^mg-ni was on his way to /\7^u, as he issued from a forest, he saw a hunchback receiving cicadas (ou the point of a rod), as if he were picking them up with his hand K You are clever said he '

This i)aragrai)h

also

found with variations in Lieh-jze,

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF ZWANG-3ZE.

SECT. XII.

II.

man. Is there any method in ii ? The hunchback rephed, There is. For five or six months, I practised with two pellets, till they never fell down, and then I only failed with a small fracto the

tion^ of the cicadas {which

succeeded

the

Having

tried to catch).

same way with three (pellets), I in ten. Having succeeded

missed only one cicada with

five,

if I were sfatherinof no more than the stump of

cauo-ht the cicadas as

My body is

them.

a broken trunk, and

shoulder no more than the Great as heaven and earth are, and multitudinous as things are, I take no notice of them, but only of the wings of my cicadas neither turning nor inclining to one side. I would not for them all exchange the wings of my cicadas how ?' should I not succeed in taking them Confucius

branch of a rotten

tree.

;

looked round, and said to his will is

not diverted from

centrated

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

this

disciples,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Where

object, the spirit

the

con-

might have been spoken of

this

its

hunchback gentleman.'

Yen Yuan asked

TTung-ni,

saying,

When

was crossing the gulf of A7/ang-shan-, the ferryman handled the boat like a spirit. I asked him whether such management of a boat could be learned, and he replied, "It may. Good swimmers can learn it quickly

;

but as for divers, without having seen a

boat, they can

Bk. II

(9a).

The

cicadas will remind

Book The names

butcher in ^

tion,' ^

III

manage

at once."

did not

hunchback in catching some readers of the account given by of his dexterity in cutting up his oxen.

dexterity of the

of two small weights, used anciently for

the the

a frac-

a small proportion.'

This

another paragraph

Lieh-jze, but in neither

common

both to our author and

there any intimation of the place.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

directly tell

me what

asked

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

venture to ask you

A"ung-ni replied,

what he meant.'

BK. XIX.

Good swimmers

acquire the ability quickly ;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; they forget the water (and its dangers). As to those who are able to dive,

and without having seen a boat are able to manage it at once, they look on the watery gulf as if it were a hill-side, and the upsetting of a boat as the going Such upsettings and goings back of a carriage. back have occurred before them multitudes of times, and have not seriously affected their minds. Wherever they go, they feel at ease on their occurrence. He who is contending for a piece of earthenware '

puts forth

all

his skill ^

gold,

he shoots as

archer

the same

if it

;

he were

in all

be a buckle of an article of

If the prize

brass, he shoots timorously

The

blind.

the cases

for

;

but

skill

of the

the two

(in

under the influence of solicitude, and looks on the external prize as most important. All who attach importance to what is external show he

latter cases)

stupidity in themselves.' 5. Thien Khai-/'ih^ was having an interview with duke Wei of A'au-, who said to him, I have heard that (your master) A'u Hsin^ has studied the subject of Life. What have you, good Sir, heard from him about it in your intercourse with him ? Thien Khai-X'ih replied, In my waiting on him in the courtyard with my broom, what should I have heard from my master?' Duke Wei said, 'Do not put '

the question '

to "^

think this

compete

off,

the meaning,

for anything

duke,

will

and

;

wish to hear what

defined by

jll]

|^ ^,

by archery.'

have no information about

others below were,

The

Mr. Thien

who

these personages

have missed the story,

if it

and the

be in Lieh-^ze.

be seen, had the appanage of A'au.

PT.

II.

SECT. XII.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

you have to say.' Khai-Z-ih then replied, I have heard my master say that they who skilfully nourish their life are like shepherds, who whip up the sheep that they see lagging behind \' What did he '

mean

The

asked the duke.

reply was, 'In

Shan Pao, who lived among the rocks, and drank only water. He would not share with the people in their toils and the benefits springing from them and though he was now in his seventieth year, he had still the complexion of a child. Unfortunately he encountered a hungry tiger, which killed and ate him. There was also a A'ang !, who hung up a screen at his lofty door, and to whom all the people hurried (to pay their respects)-. In his fortieth year, he fell ill of a fever and died. (Of these two men), Pao nourished his inner man, and a tiger ate his outer while I nourished his outer man, and disease attacked his inner. Both of them neglected whipping up their lagging sheep.' A'ung-nt said, A man should not retire and hide himself; he should not push forward and display himself; he should be like the decayed tree which

there was a

;

stands in the centre of the ground. three conditions are greatest height.

fulfilled,

When

one man

the

name

Where will

these

reach

its

people fear the dangers of

be killed, then fathers and and younger, warn one another that they must not go out on a journey without a large number of retainers and is it not a mark of wisdom to do so ? But there are dangers which

a path,

in ten

sons, elder brothers

;

Pay more

attention to

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

any part of

their culture

which they are

neglecting. ^

served

its

purpose there, but had not been put

with any special object. [40]

in its

place

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

incur on the mats of their beds,

men

and drinking and when no warning ^ ? is it not a mark of error them ;

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

and

eating

given against

The

BK. XIX.

officer of

Prayer

in his

dark and square-

cut robes goes to the pig-pen, and thus counsels the I will pigs, Why should you shrink from dying ? for ten Then grain. on feed you months three for '

days

and keep

will fast,

which

put

will

down

vigil for three days, after

the mats of white grass, and

and rumps on the carved stand If he had spoken from the will not this suit you ?' standpoint of the pigs, he would have said, The better plan will be to feed us with our bran and When consulting chaff, and leave us in our pen.' for himself, he preferred to enjoy, while he lived, his carriage and cap of office, and after death to be borne to the grave on the ornamented carriage, with the canopy over his coffin. Consulting for the pigs, he did not think of these things, but for himself he would have chosen them. Why did he think lay your shoulders

;

so differently (for himself and) for the pigs 7.

when duke Hwan

(Once),

Kwan A'ung^

marsh, with

saw a ghost.

the

Laying

may seem

This

his

hand on that of

Kwan

nourish the body, but in reality injures

life.

Who

had the charge also of the

I-in

Isi-/'ung says that the story

arise

from not renouncing the world.

sacrifice for

their

life.

The

their higher

life,

sacrifices.

shows the many troubles that Ensnared by the world, men

and are not so wise

as pigs are for

The first

short paragraph bristles with difficulties. of the leading chieftains among the princes;

683-642. ''

was hunting by a

driving the carriage, he

^ ?

liis chief minister.

b. c.

PT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF XWANG-3ZE.

SECT. XII.

A'ung, he said to him,

you see anything, Father A'ung 'Your servant sees nothing,' was the reply. The duke then returned, talking incoherently and becoming ill, so that for several days he did not go out. Among the officers oi KJii there was a Hwangjze Kao-ao ^ who said to the duke, Your Grace is '

injuring yourself;

When

how

could a ghost injure you?

a paroxysm of irritation

and the

dispersed,

breath does not return (to the body), what remains in the body is not sufficient for its wants. When it

ascends and does not descend, the patient becomes accessible to gusts of anger. When it descends and

memory

does not ascend, he loses his

When

of things.

neither ascends nor descends, but remains

about the heart

in the centre of the

body,

makes

The duke said, Yes, but are there ghostly sprites-?' The officer replied, 'There are. About him

ill.'

mountain tarns there

the Li

about furnaces, the

;

A'/zieh; about the dust-heaps inside the door, the

Lei-thing.

In low-lying places in the north-east,

the Pei-a and

Wa-lung

leap about, and in similar

places in the north-west there dwells the

About

rivers there

mounds, the Hsin; about

Fang-hwang; Let me ask what is

Yi-yang.

Wang-hsiang;

the

hills,

Khwei

about ;

about

wilds, the

about marshes, the

Wei-

tho.'

the Wei-tho like

asked

the duke.

officer

Hwang-Jjze said,

introduced

here

for

the size of the

the

occasion,

by surname

Hwang, and designation Kao-ao. The 3ze simply = Mr. ^ The commentators have a deal to say about the folklore of the various sprites mentioned. The whole shows that ghostly sprites '

are the fruit of a disordered mind.'

prince recovers as soon as he

It is

knows

was of good presage.

C 2

a toucla of nature that the

that the ghost

he had seen

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XIX.

nave of a chariot wheel, and the length of the shaft. It dislikes It wears a purple robe and a red cap. the rumbling noise of chariot wheels, and, when it hears it, it puts both its hands to its head and stands

He who

up.

sees

the other

all

become the leader

likely to

it is

princes.'

Duke Hwan

burst out

This was what I saw.' On this and cap to rights, and made Hwanghe put his robes Before the day was done, his illj(ze sit with him. he knew not how. gone, quite ness was lauo-hino-

and

said,

Hsing-jze was rearing a fighting-cock for

Being asked after ten days if the bird Not yet he is still vain and Being quarrelsome, and relies on his own vigour.' asked the same after other ten days, he said, Not yet he still responds to the crow and the appearance of another bird.' After ten days more, he re-

the king^

were ready, he said,

;

plied,

Not

yet.

When

spirit.'

still

looks angrily, and

full

a fourth ten days had passed, he

replied to the question,

Nearly

Though another

so.

makes no change in him. To look him, you would say he was a cock of wood. His

cock crows, at

quality

complete.

meet him, but 9.

will

other cock will dare to

run from him.'

Confucius was looking at the cataract near the

gorge of

Lii'^,

which

fell

a height of 240 cubits, and

According to the Lieh-^ze version of king was king Hsuan, b.c. 827-782. to have been that his bird should meet '

tliis

story (Bk. II,

The

trainer's

1 7^'),

rule

its antagonist, with vigour complete and undisturbed, and not wishing to fight. 'â&#x20AC;˘^

all its

think that there are two versions of this story in Lieh-jze.

Bk.\'lll

(4'',

i'),

appears that Confucius was on his

the

seems

way from

Wei to LO, when lie stopped his carriage or cart at this spot to view the cataract, and the incident occurred, and he took the opportunity to give the lesson to his disciples.

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-SZE.

SECT.XII.

II.

the spray of which floated a distance of forty li, (producing a turbulence) in which no tortoise, gavial,

man swimming about

some great

it,

saw, however, an if

and wished

calamity,

made

Confucius

could play.

or turtle

fish,

old

his

end

hasten

disciples

man

he had sustained his

life.

along

the

and by the time they had gone several hundred paces, he was walking along singing, with his hair dishevelled, and enjoying himConfucius self at the foot of the embankment. followed and asked him, saying, I thought you were stream to rescue the

;

a sprite

but,

;

when

you are a man.

way

ticular

look closely at you,

Let

ask

see that

you have any par-

The man

of treading the water.'

said,

have no particular way. I began (to learn the art) at the very earliest time as I grew up, it became my nature to practise it and my success in it is now as sure as fate. I enter and go down with the water in the very centre of its whirl, and come '

No,

;

up again with

way

follow the trary to

whirls the other way.

—

how I What do you mean by ;

this

grew

up,

Consaying that you tread

it.'

the very earliest

became your nature

and that your success

it,

of the water, and do nothing con-

to learn the art

that as you tise

when

of myself

fucius said,

began

now

time

to prac-

as sure as

was born among these that was why hills and lived contented among them I say that I have trod this water from my earliest I grew up by it, and have been happy treadtime. ing it that is why I said that to tread it had become natural to me. I know not how I do it, and fate

The man

replied,

;

yet

—

sure as

;

—that

fate.'

why

say that

my success

BK. XIX.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

Worker in Rottlera^ wood, carved a bell-stand and when it was completed, all who saw work of spirits. it were astonished as if it were the and asked by it, see to went Lii The marquis of Your what art he had succeeded in producing it. the

ID. AV/ino", 2,

but a mechanic,' was the reply; 'what Nevertheless, there art should I be possessed of? When your mention). will I (which is one thing

subject

servant had undertaken to

make

did not venture to waste any of it

the bell-stand,

power, and

necessary to fast in order to compose

After fasting for three days,

felt

mind.

did not presume to

think of any congratulation, reward, rank, or emolu-

ment (which

might obtain by the execution of

did not presume to commendation (which it would produce), or of the skill or want of skill (which it might display). At the end of the seven days, I had forgotten all about myself; my four limbs and my whole person. By this time the thought of your Grace's court (for which I was to make the thing) had passed away everything that could divert my mind from exclusive devotion to the exercise of my skill had disappeared. Then I went into the forest, and looked at the natural forms of the trees. When I saw one of a perfect form, then the figure of the bell-stand rose up to my view, and I applied my hand to the work. Had task)

;

after fasting five days,

think of the condemnation or

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

The 3zc

king of

or rotllera was and

trees,'

from

its

stately

a very famous tree, called

the

appearance and the excellence of

limber.

iis

The bell-stand is celebrated in the Shih King, A complete peal consisted of twelve bells, suspended '

one above the other.

III,

Ode

two

tiers

PT.

SECT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

XII.

must have abandoned the object but my Heaven-given faculty and the Heaven-given quaUties of the wood were concentrated on it. So it was that my spirit was thus production of the bell-stand.' engaged in the not met with such

a tree,

;

Tung-ye Ki

was introduced to duke Awang^ His horses went forwards and backwards with the straightness of a line, and wheeled to the riq-ht and the left with the exactness The duke thought that the lines and of a circle. could not be surpassed If they were woven circles with silken strings, and told him to make a hundred On the road Yen Ho^ circuits on the same lines. met the equipage, and on entering (the palace), and 1 1.

to exhibit his drivlncr.

seeing the duke, he said, down,' but the duke was

After a

reply.

little

A'i's

horses will break

silent,

and gave him no

the horses

did

come

back,

and the duke then said, How Yen Ho said, did you know that It would be so ?' The horses were exhausted, and he was still urging them on. It was this which made me say that they would break down.'

having broken down

;

12.

The

artisan Shul

square) more exactly than ^

K\ would be

called

Tung-ye,

the

name

made if

things round (and he had used the circle

of the charioteer, a gentleman of Lu,

eastern country,'

suppose from the situation of

his estate.

Duke .A^wang would be the marquis Thung of Lu, e.g. 693-662. Yen Ho was probably the chief of the Yen family at the time. A scion of it, Yen Hui, afterwards became the favourite disciple of Confucius. He could hardly be the same Yen Ho who is men"

tioned in Bk. IV, par.

A'i has had, and

still

has, his representa-

tives in every country. *

Shui

maker of

mentioned in the Shu King, V, xxii, 19, as a famous Some carry him back to the time of Shun.

arrows.

TEXTS OF TAOISM.

TIIE

BK. xix.

operation of his fingers on (the hke the transformations of was forms of) things them (in nature), and required no appHcation of his mind and so his Intelligence was entire and en-

The

and square.

;

countered no resistance.

13. is

be unthought of by the foot that wears it to be unthought of by the

the fitness of a shoe

waist

the fitness of a

;

When

orirdle.

does not think of the right or the

(of a ques-

under discussion), that shows the suitability of

tion

the

wisdom

one's

wrong

mind

(for the question)

when one

;

conscious

inward change, or outward attraction, that shows the mastery of affairs. He who perceives at once the fitness, and never loses the sense of it, has the fitness that forg-ets all about what is fittingf.

of no

There was a Sun Hsiu^ who went to the door of 3ze-pien AV/ing-5ze, and said to him in a strange perturbed way, When I lived in my village, no one 14.

took notice of me, but vate (my

fields)

;

all

said that

did not culti-

a time of trouble and attack,

no one took notice of me, but all said that I had no courage. But that I did not cultivate my fields, was really because I never met with a good year and that I did not do service for our ruler, was ;

because

meet with the suitable oppordo so. I have been sent about my business by the villagers, and am driven away by tunity

did not

the registrars of the district

Heaven! how

that

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;what

crime

have met with such a

fate

TJlcrally,

Tower

of Intelligence,'â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a Taoistic

name

for the

niiud. '

weakling, of

whom we know

only what

we read

here.

PT.

II.

SECT. XII.

Pien-jze

THE WRITINGS OF ATWANG-SZE.

said to him,

man

the perfect

Have you

not heard

deals with himself?

that he has a liver and gall.

of his ears and eyes.

seems

how

forgets

takes no thought lost

and aimless

beyond the dust and dirt of the world, and enjoys himself at ease

occupations untroubled by the

He may

be described as acting and yet not relying on what he does, as being superior and yet not using his superiority to exeraffairs of business.

cise

any

control.

display of your

you would

But now you would make a

wisdom

feriority of others

ignorant

to astonish the

cultivate your person to

more apparent

;

make

the

in-

you seek to shine

you were carrying the sun and moon in your hands. That you are complete in your bodily frame, and possess all its nine openings that you have not met with any calamity in the middle of your course, such as deafness, blindness, or lameness, and can still take your place as a man among What other men in all this you are fortunate. leisure have you to murmur against Heaven.^* Go as

;

away.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Sir.'

Sun-jze on this went out, and Pien-jze went inside.

Having

down, after a little time he looked up and sighed. His disciples asked him why he sighed, and he said to them, Hsiu came to me a little while ago, and I told him the characteristics of the perfect man. I am afraid he will be frightened, and get into a state of perplexity.' His disciples said, Not so. If what he said was right, and what you sitten

to heaven,

^ This must have been a man of more note. We find him here with a school of disciples in his house, and sought out for counsel

by men

Sun Hsiu.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XIX.

was wrong-, the wrong wall certainly not be able If what he said was wTong, to perplex the right. and what you said was right, it was just because he was perplexed that he came to you. What was Pien-^ze your fault in dealing with him as you did ? and bird came, took up Formerly a Not so. said, said

its

seat in the suburbs of

Lu ^ The

ruler of

Lu was

and provided an ox, a sheep, and a pig to feast it, causing also the A'iu-shao to be But the bird began to performed to delight it. be sad, looked dazed, and did not venture to eat This was what is called " Nourishing or drink. a bird, as you would nourish yourself." He who would nourish a bird as a bird should be nourished should let it perch in a deep forest, or let it float on a river or lake, or let it find its food naturally and undisturbed on the level dry ground. Now Hsiu (came to me), a man of slender intelligence, and slight information, and I told him of the characpleased with

teristics

carriage

it,

of the

perfect

and horses

man,

was

using a

convey a mouse, or trying to delight a quail with the music of bells and drums could the creatures help being frightened ? to

;

Compare

par. 5, Bk.

XVIII.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

PT.

ir.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF K-WANG-BZE.

XIII.

BOOK XX. Part

Shan Mu,

Section XIII.

II.

the Mountain ^'

'The Tree on

Kwang-^ze was walking on a mountain, when he saw a great tree^ with huQ-e branches and kixuriant fohage. A wood-cutter was resting by its side, but he would not touch it, and, when asked the reason, A'wang-^ze said, that it was of no use for anything. I.

then said to his disciples,

wood its

good

the Master lodged

tain,

was glad

waitine-lad to said,

One

cannot

;

This

because

tree,

its

for nothing, will succeed in living out

Having

natural term of years.'

friend, w^ho

kill

the

left

moun-

the house of an old

to see him.

and ordered

his

The

lad

a goose and boil

it.

of our geese can cackle, and the other

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;which

them

shall

kill ?

The

host

one that cannot cackle.' Next day, his disciples asked A"wang-3ze, saying, Yesterday the tree on the mountain (you said)

said,

would

Kill the

because of the uselessness our host's goose has died be-

live out its years

wood, and now which of cause of its want of power (to cackle) these conditions, Master, would you prefer to be in ? ATwang-aze laughed and said, (If I said that) I would prefer to be in a position between being fit to be useful and wantino- that fitness, that would of

its

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

See

Compare

vol.

xxxix, p. 151. the accounts of great trees in

par.6; IV, par.

et al.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

seem

be the right position, but

BK. XX.

would not be

would not put me beyond being involved in whereas one who takes his seat on the Tao and its Attributes, and there finds his ease and enjoyment, is not exposed to such a contingency. He is above the reach both of praise and of detraction now he (mounts aloft) like a dragon, now he (keeps so, for

trouble

;

beneath) like a snake

;

transformed with the

(changing) character of the time, and

not willing

any one thing now in a high position and now in a low, he is in harmony with all his surroundings he enjoys himself at ease with the Author of all things ^ he treats things as things, and is not a thing to them where is his liability to be involved in trouble } This was the to addict himself to

;

—

method of Shan Nang and Hwang-Ti. As to those who occupy themselves with the qualities of things. and with the teaching and practice of the human relations,

separation

use of the

not so with them.

success,

;

overthrow

honour,

Union

brino-s

sharp corners, the

;

remarks active exerwisdom, scheming inferiority, being despised :— where is the possibility of unchangeableness in any of these conditions ? Remember this,

tion,

failure

its

;

critical

;

Let your abode be here,— in the

disciples.

and

file

Attributes

Tao

2.'

I-Hao \ an officer of Shih-nan \ having an in-

The Tdo; 'r

called

But

after all

^ ^c 5c,

Bk. XII, par.

comes to be the same thing in point of fact with those who ground themselves in the Tao, and with others. The I-hao here was a scion of the ruling House of Kh^, and '

'•

mentioned fortunately

the very year in

was

in the Supplement to the 3o-X-/Jwan, under which Confucius died (b.c. His residence 479)-

the south of the

Market Place' of the

city

where he

lived

PT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF ZWANG-3ZE.

SECT. XIII.

Lu \ found him lookingand asked him why he was so. The marquis said, I have studied the ways of the former kings, and cuhivated the inheritance left me by my predeI reverence the spirits of the departed and cessors. honour the men of worth, doing this with personal devotion, and without the slightest intermission. Notwithstandincr, I do not avoid meetinof with calamity, and this it is which makes me sad.' The officer said, The arts by which you try to remove calamity are shallow. Think of the close-furred fox and of the eleg'antly-spotted leopard. They lodge in the forests on the hills, and lurk in their holes terview with the marquis of

sad,

among

rocks

the

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;keeping

still.

go about, and during day remain

Even

so cautious are they.

night they

in their lairs

;

they are suffering

from hunger, thirst, and other distresses, they still keep aloof from men, seeking their food about the Still A'iang and the Ho so resolute are they. they are not able to escape the danger of the net ;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

and what fault is it of theirs ? It is which occasion them the calamity. 'And is not the state of Lu your lordship's skin ? I wish your lordship to rip your skin from your body, to cleanse your heart, to put away your or the trap

;

their skins

desires,

and

enjoy yourself where you

will

meaning of the Shih-nan in the text. The description is that no offer of gain could win him, and no threatening terrify him. We find him here at the court of Lu in friendly conference with the marquis, and trying to persuade him to adopt the ways of Taoism, which he presents to him under the

which

the

of his character

figure of

an allegory, an Utopia called 'the State of Established

Virtue,' in the south of Yiieh. ^

Probably known to us as

duke

Ai.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

EK. XX.

In the southern without the presence of any one. " the State of district called is a there Yiieh, of state

The

Established Virtue." simple; their object

and make

self

their desires

not lay up their gains

people are ignorant and

to minimise the thought of

;

few

;

they labour but do

they give but do not seek

know what righteousany particular case, nor by what ceremonies their performances should be acting in a wild and eccentric way as if signalised they were mad, they yet keep to the grand rules Their birth is an occasion for joy of conduct. their death is followed by the rites of burial. I should wish your lordship to leave your state to give up your ordinary ways, and to proceed to that country by the directest course.' The ruler said, The way to it is distant and difficult there are rivers and hills and as I have neither boat nor carriage, how am I to go ? The officer from Shih-nan rejoined, If your lordship abjure your personal state, and give up your wish to remain here, that will serve you for a carriage.' The ruler rejoined, The way to it is solitary and distant, and there are no people on it whom shall I have as my companions ? I have no provisions prepared, and how shall I get food ? how shall I be able to get (to the country) ? The officer said, Minimise your lordship's expenditure, and make your wants few, and though you have no provisions prepared, you will find you have enough. Wade through the rivers and float along on the sea, where however you look, you see not the shore, and, the farther you go, you do not see where your journey is to end those who escorted you to the shore will for

any return

ness

;

they do not

required of

them

;

— — ;

;

—

PT.

II.

return,

and

away.

Thus

ruler)

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

SECT. xni.

after it

that you

that he

will

yourself far

feel

who owns men (as their who is owned

involved in troubles, and he

by men (as their ruler) suffers from sadness and hence Yao would neither own men, nor be owned by them. I wish to remove your trouble, and take ;

away your

sadness, and

only

be done by

(to

inducing you) to enjoy yourself with the

Tao

the land of Great Vacuity. If a man is crossing a river in a boat, and another empty vessel comes into collision with it, even *

though he be a man of a choleric temper, he will not be angry with it. If there be a person, however, in that boat, he will bawl out to him to haul out of the way. will repeat

will call

and

;

out a third time, following up the shout

with abusive terms.

now he

but

empty, but

shout be not heard, he the other do not then hear,

If his

;

now

Formerly he was not angry,

formerly (he thought) the boat was there

a person in

it.

If a

man

can empty himself of himself, during his time the world, who can harm him }'

Pei-kung She

was collecting taxes for duke Ling of Wei, to be employed in making (a peal of) bells. (In connexion with the work) he built an altar outside the gate of the suburban wall and in three months the bells were completed, even to the suspending of the upper and lower (tiers). The king's son K/iiwg-ki ^ saw them, and asked what 3.

;

Pei-kung,

Northern Palace,' must have been the name of if it were his surname.

She's residence, and appears here as 2

son, probably of king

Alng

Aau

(b. c.

544-529).

the whole paragraph, see par. 10 of the preceding Book.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; On

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

32 arts

he had employed

repHed,

Besides

BK. XX.

the making of them.

She

undivided attention to them,

I have heard the did not venture to use any arts. saying, "After all the carving and the chiselling, let

the object be to return to simplicity."

who has no knowledge and hesitating

;

of themselves.

;

was as a

child

was extraordinarily slow

they grew like the springing plants

who went and

In escorting those

meeting those who came, my object was neither to hinder the comers nor detain the goers. I suffered

who

those

strongly opposed to take their way, and

accepted those

allowed them

who

did their best to

come

to terms.

do the utmost they could, and in this way morning and evening I collected the I did not have the taxes. slightest trouble, and how much more will this be the case with those who pursue the Great Way (on a grand scale) I

all to

Confucius was kept (by his enemies)

in a state

of siege between AV/an and 3bai \ and for seven days had no food cooked with fire to eat. The

Thai-kung Zan ^ went to condole with him, and said, You had nearly met with your death.' Yes,' was the reply. Do you dislike death ? 'I do.' '

Then Zan continued, Let me try and describe a way by which (such a) death may be avoided. In '

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the eastern sea there are birds which go name of I-is^; they fly low and slowly as

were ^

deficient in power.

Compare Analects XI,

They

fly

by the if

they

they were

ii.

might translate Thai-kung by 'the grand-duke.' We know nothing about him. He tries to convert Confucius to Taoism just as l-liao does the marquis of Lu in par. 2 and for a ="

;

tune at *

least, as

Were

A wang-^^ze

makes

these 1-is swallows

appear, with

So some of

success.

the critics say.

PT.

II.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

XIII.

and assisting one anodier, and diey press on one another when they roost. No one ventures to leading-

take the lead in going forward, or to be the last in

going backwards. the

first

not

mouthful, but prefers the fragments In this

others.

In eating- no one ventures to take

way

many \ and men

so that they escape

The

outside

straight tree

Your aim

them cannot harm them,

the

first

the

first

be cut down the be exhausted. ;

your wisdom so as to

the ignorant, and to cultivate your person

show the

to embellish

injur}'.

well of sweet water

startle

left

(the breaks in) their line are

unsiohtliness of others.

lisfht

shines

around you as if you were carrying with you the sun and moon, and thus it is that you do not escape such calamity. Formerly I heard a highly accomplished man say, " Those who boast have no merit. The merit which is deemed complete will begin to The fame which is deemed complete will decay. begin to wane."

Who

can rid himself of (the ideas

merit and fame, and return and put himself on

of)

the level of the masses of

Tao

flows abroad, but

dwell where

men

its

The

practice of the

master does not care to

can be seen

;

his attainments in

hold their course, but he does not wish to appear in

Always simple and commonplace, he

display.

its

may seem the

traces

be bereft of reason.

his

action,

gives

obliterates

up position and

power, and aims not at merit and fame. Therefore he does not censure men, and men do not censure him. The perfect man does not seek to be heard of how is it that you delight in doing so ? '

;

[40]

clause of uncertain meaning.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XX.

;' and thereupon he took Confucius said, 'Excellent his disciples, retired forsook leave of his associates,

neighbourhood of a great marsh, wore skins and hair cloth, and ate acorns and chestnuts. He went among animals without causing any confusion among their herds, and among birds without troubto the

movements.

their

line

dislike

him

;

how much

Birds and beasts did not less

would men do so

Hu\

Confucius asked 3ze-sang

twice driven from

;

the tree

was

saying, felled

was

over

I was in Sung; I was obliged to disappear from Wei reduced to extreme distress in Shang and A^au^ and I was kept in a state of siege between KJi^n and ;

;

have encountered these various calamities my intimate associates are removed from me more and more my followers and friends are more and more dispersed why have all these things befallen me?' 3ze-sang Hu replied, 'Have you not heard of the flight of Lin Hui of A'ia^; how he abandoned his round jade symbol of rank, worth a thousand pieces of silver, and hurried away with his infant son on his back ? If it be asked, "Was it because of the market value of the child ? " But that value was small (compared with the value of the jade token). If it be asked again, " Was it because of the troubles

3hai.

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Supposed

to have been a recluse. do not know the particulars of this A'au, or have forgotten them. A still more

distress in full recital

Shang and of the sage"s

misfortunes occurs in Lieh-jze, VII, 8". ^

The

said to

was

text here appears to be somewhat confused. have been a man of the Yin dynasty, and of a

called ^ia,

searched in vain. his

mouth

and

for the verification of

The

very good.

such a

Lin Hui state

which

state I

have

explanation cf his conduct put here into

PT.

II,

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF

XIII.

^\VANG-3ZE.

But the child would occasion " him much more trouble. Why was it then that, abandoning the jade token, worth a thousand pieces (of his

office)

of silver, he hurried

away with the

back ? Lin Hui (himself) said, "The union between me and the token rested on the ground of gain that between me and the child was of Heaven's appointchild on his

;

Where when the

bond of union

ment."

the

ness,

pressure of poverty, calamity, dis-

its

profitable-

and injury come, the parties abandon one another when it is of Heaven's appointment, they hold in the same circumstances to one another. Now between abandoning one another, and holding to one another, the difference is great. Moreover, tress,

;

the intercourse of superior

mean men

men

tasteless as water,

sweet as new wine.

But the tastelessness of the superior men leads on to affection, and the sweetness of the mean men to aversion. The union which originates without any cause will end in separation without any cause.' Confucius said, I have reverently received your instructions.' And hereupon, with a slow step and an assumed air of ease, he returned to his own house. There he made an end of studying and put away his books. His disciples came no more to make their bow to him (and be taught), but their affection for him increased the more. Another day Sang Hu said further to him, When Shun was about to die, he charged ^ Yii, saying, Be

while that of

The

spurious,

^^ }^ and

^ -^

follows, however,

or in

its

of the text here are allowed on

have been

from Shun

to Yii,

connexion.

substituted is

far

all

for

from being

hands

them.

to be

\Miat

clear, in itself^

THE

TEX-TS OF TAOISM.

BK. XX.

upon your guard. (The attraction of) the person is not like that of sympathy the (power of) affection ;

Where there not Hke the leading (of example). where sympathy, there will not be separation ;

be no Where there is neither separation nor toil, you toil. will not have to seek the decoration of forms to make the person attractive, and where there is no such need of those forms, there will certainly be there

(the leading of) example,

none

there will

for external things.'

A'wangize

a patched dress of coarse cloth,

and having his shoes tied together with strings, was passing by the king of Wei, who said to him, How A"wangize replied, great. Master, is your distress ? '

poverty, not distress

It is

sesses the

about

Tao and

its

While a scholar pos-

Attributes, he cannot be going

Tattered clothes and shoes tied

in distress.

and not of disnot meeting with the

on the

feet are the sign of poverty,

tress.

This

is what we call Has your majesty not seen the climbing When he is among the plane trees,

right time.

monkey

rottleras, oaks, and camphor trees, he grasps and twists their branches (into a screen),

where he reigns

quite at his ease, so that not even 1^ or

could spy him out.

among

the

Phang Mang^

When, however, he

prickly mulberry

finds himself

and date

trees,

and

he goes cautiously, casts sidelong and takes every trembling movement with apprehension it is not that his sinews and bones

other thorns, glances,

;

1 1,

;

— see

—

Book X,

par. 2.

Phang Mang was

himself be the foremost archer in the ii,

24.

contemporary

learned archery from him, and Uien slew him, that he might

kingdom

;

—

see

Mencius IV,

PT.

SECT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF

xiiT.

A'WANG-3ZE.

are straitened, and have lost their suppleness, but the situation

unsuitable for him, and he cannot

And now when

display his agility.

benighted

ruler,

and seditious

possible for

dwell under a

how

ministers,

not to be in distress

might afford an heart of Pi-kan

case

out the

illustration of the cutting !

7. When Confucius was reduced to great distress between AV^an and AV^ai, and for seven days he had no cooked food to eat, he laid hold of a decayed tree with his left hand, and with his right hand tapped it with a decayed branch, singing all the while the ode of Piao-shih ^. He had his instrument, but the notes were not marked on it. There was a noise, but no blended melody. The sound of the wood and the

voice of the

man came

together like the noise of

the plough through the ground, yet suitably to the feelings of the disciples around.

standing upright,

breast, rolled his eyes

fearing that

ni,

round

Hui would go

how he honoured

ing

Yen

with his hands

Hui,

who was

crossed

A'ung-

observe him.

to excess in manifest-

plunged

himself, or be

sorrow through his love for him, said to him, not to receive (as evils) the inflictions of

easy

is difficult.

There

interest -

Heaven

men

no beginning which was not an the Heavenly may be one

spurious paragraph, no doubt.'

cludes what he has to say its

Hui,

The Human and

end. ^

not to receive (as benefits) the favours of

;

his

and

this

Lin Hsi-X-ung thus con-

paragraph

;

but

not without

lessons.

do not know who

Lu Teh-ming

this

was, nor what his ode or air was.

read the character

and says

one of the old royal Tis who did nothing. wrongly printed with three y^.

that Piao-shih all

texts

was it

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

Who,

and the same. singing

Hui

for instance,

said,

A'ung-ni said,

Hunger,

that

is it

Heaven

thirst, cold,

how

venture to ask

receive (as evils) the inflictions of '

BK. xx.

now

not to

easy.'

and heat, and

—

these having one's progress entirely blocked up are the doings of Heaven and Earth, necessary ;

incidents

we say

occurrences of which

that

(composedly) along with them. another does not dare to refuse his

who

They

revolutions of things.

the

are

we will pass on The minister of commands and ;

discharging the duty of a minister feels

necessary to act thus, how much more should we wait with ease on the commands of Heaven^!' What do you mean by saying that not to receive (as benefits) the favours of men is difficult ? A^ungni said, As soon as one is employed in office, he it

gets forward in

all directions rank and emolument him together, and without end. But these advantages do not come from one's self; it is my appointed lot to have such external good. The

come

;

—

superior

man

filcher;

Hence

—

not a robber

said, "

Where

swallow."

not suitable for

Though

glance.

;

the

man

of worth

what am l^? no bird wiser than the eye lights on a place that is

prefer such things,

if I

There

its

it,

does not

may drop

mvQ

a second

food from

its

This question arose out of the previous statement that and Heaven might be one,— acting with the same spontaneity.

man

liis

the

Confucius recognises here, as he often does, a power beyond his appointed lot,' what we call destiny, to which the

own,

Tao

requires

submission.

This comes very near to our idea

of God. '

from

Human man

gifts

had such an

attraction, thai tlicy

his heavenly spontaneity

received only willi great caution.

;

and were

to'

tended to take

be eschewed, or

PT.

SECT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

XIIT.

abandons it, and hurries off. It is afraid of men, and yet it stealthily takes up its dwelling by his finding its protection in the altars of the Land and Grain ^ What do you mean b}- saying that there is no beginning which was not an end?' A'ung-ni said, 'The change rise and dissolution of all things (continually) goes on, but we do not know who it is that maintains and continues the process. How do we know when any one begins ? How do we know^ when he will end ? We have simply to wait for it, and nothing more -.' mouth,

;

—

'And what do you mean by saying that the Human and the Heavenly are one and the same ? A'ung-ni said, Given man, and you have Heaven given Heaven, and you still have Heaven (and nothing That man can not have Heaven is owing more). '

;

to the limitation of his nature

quietly passes

end of 8.

and there

his body,

came from the

What

wings were seven cubits

Its

said here about the swallow

X'ung says that

leave the passage with

Compare

with this

singing by the dead body

That man

— his

Book

width, and

XMII

are

own

;

but

will

as he best can.

find

not

Heaven

appointed

A'wang-^zc

simply from the limi-

lot.'

* Tiao-ling might be translated 'Eagle Mount.' was I do not know perhaps the name originated with and thus has become semi-historical. ;

Hsi-

ridiculous,

of his wife.

man and

tation of his nature,

his

reader to deal with

how

quite obscure.

the old attempts to explain

all

and then propounds an ingenious one of

man

the park of Tiao-

he saw^ a strange o bird which

south.

sagely

it.'

As A'wang A^au was rambling in

lino- 4

away with

The

Where

A wang-jze,

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XX.

It touched eyes were large, an inch in circuit. him, and lighted passed it as the forehead of A^'au its

What bird is this ? a grove of chestnut trees. said he, 'with such great wings not to go on! and '

He lifted up with such large eyes not to see me!' his cross-bow, with waiting hurried his skirts, and opportunity to shoot)

for (an

(Meanwhile) he

it.

saw a cicada, which had just alighted in a beautiful shady spot, and forgot its (care for its) body. (Just then), a preying mantis raised its feelers, and pounced on the cicada,

in its

eagerness for

care for)

its

took advantage of

its

getting

(its

body

;

its

opportunity to secure them

both, in view of that gain forgetting

of preservation) pity, said,

prey, (also) for-

while the strange bird

true (instinct

its

A'wang A'au with an emotion of it is that things bring evil on

one another, each of these creatures invited its own calamity.' (With this) he put away his cross-bow,

and was hurrying away back, when the forester pursued him with terms of reproach.

When

he returned and went into his house, he

did not appear in his courtyard

(When he came him, saying,

myself; '

A wang-jze

Lan

311

asked

A wang-^ze

and forgot

person, turbid

might now have shot the it

months ^

(his disciple)

why have you for courtjard so much ?

was guarding was looking

better for letting

for three

Master,

time avoided the replied,

out),

bird, but

this

water,

some

till

we Hke him

the

alone.

So then, masters of schools, like AVang-jze, received and taught their disciples in the courtyard of their house ;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in China as elsewhere. For three months,' it is conjectured, we should read '^

tliree '

days.'

The

disciple

elsewhere.

Lan 3u appears

here, but not, so far as I

know,

PT.

II.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

XIII.

mistook the clear pool. And moreover I have heard the Master say^ " Going where certain customs prevail, you should follow those customs." I

was walking about

forgot myself.

the park of Tiao-ling, and

strange

bird

brushed past my grove of

forehead, and went flying about in the chestnuts,

that

where

The

itself).

was a

forgot the true (art of preserving

These

fitting object for his reproach.

why

are the reasons 9.

forester of the chestnut grove thought

have avoided the courtyard.'

Yang-jze, having gone to Sung, passed the night

a lodging-house, the master of which had two

concubines

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one

beautiful, the other ugly

The

ugly one was honoured, however, and the beautiful

Yang-jze asked the reason, and a boy of the house replied, The beauty knows The ugly her beauty, and we do not recognise it. one knows her ugliness, and we do not recognise it.' Yang-^ze said, Remember it, my disciples. Act virtuously, and put away the practice of priding yourselves on your virtue. If you do this, where can you o;o to that vou will not be loved ^ ?

one contemned. little

Who

The

there

was

this

'Master?'

story here

Yang

found

ATi, against

in Lieh-jze II,

whom

*Âť>

The Yang-^ze

Mencius so often directed

his

arguments. ^

See the greater part of

Linguae

this

Sinicae,' p. 200, with his

paragraph

Prdmare's

remarks on the

style.

Notitia

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BOOK Part

BK. xxi.

XXI.

Section XIV.

II.

Thien 3ze-fang^ I.

Thien 3ze-fang,

Wan

marquis

sitting in

Wei

attendance on the

often quoted (with approba-

words of KIA Kung I The marquis said, 'Is Kh\ Kung your preceptor?' 3ze-fang rephed, No. He only belongs to the same neighbourhood.

tion) the

In speaking about the correct,

and therefore

Tao,

his

views are often

quote themi as

The

do.'

marquis went on, 'Then have you no preceptor?' '

have.'

And who is he And why, my

Shun^ze ^.' heard you quote

words

his

man who satisfies

' '

Tung-kwo

Master, have

never

3ze-fang replied,

the true (ideal of humanity)"'; a

man in appearance, but (having the mind of) Heaven. Void of any thought of himself, he accommodates himself to others, and nourishes the true ideal that belongs to him. With all his purity, he is for-

Where

bearing to others.

Tao, he stand

â&#x20AC;˘"

See

it,

and

vol. xxxix, pp. 151,

The Human and

still.

capital,

the

152.

Some well-known worthy

^ A greater worthy suburban wall of the surname.

they are without the

demeanour, so that they underconsequence their own ideas melt

rectifies his

b.c.

424-387.

of Wei.

He must and

have lived near the outside

his residence

Heavenly were blended

became

a sort of

in his personality.

PT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF ZWANG-3ZE.

SECT. XIV.

away and

to quote his

fit

When

How

disappear.

words

Wan

dumb amazement all Lung Li-/(7/an, and said

tinued in a state of

He then called How far removed

3ze-fang w^ent out, the marquis

should one like

from us

the superior

con-

the day.

him,

man

Formerly I thought the words of the sages and wise men, and the practice of benevolence and righteousness, to be the utmost we could reach to. Since I have heard about the preceptor of 3ze-fang, my body is all unstrung, and I do not wish to move, and my mouth is closed up, and I do not wish to speak what I have learned has been only complete virtue

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

a counterfeit of the truth ^

Yes, (the possession of

Wei) has been an entanglement 2.

Wan-po Hsueh-3ze

to me.'

on his way

ICM, stayed

some time

in Lii, where some persons of the state have an interview with him. He refused them, saying, I have heard that the superior men of these Middle States ^ understand the (subjects of) ceremony and righteousness, but are deplorabl)ignorant of the minds of men. I do not wish to see them.' He went on to /\/n; and on his way back (to the south), he again stayed in Lu,when the same persons begged as before for an interview. He then said, Formerly they asked to see me, and now again they seek an interviews They will afford me

begged

So the Khang-hsi dictionary defines the phrase image made of earth,' says Lu Shu-/('ih. '

Taoist of note from

A7ni, having his

and '

own

some region

in the south,

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

wooden

perhaps from

share of the Taoistic contempt for knowledge

culture.

Probably

roval domain.

Lu and

the northern states

grouped

closely

round the

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxi.

some opportunity of bringing out my sentiments.' He went out accordingly and saw the visitors, and Next day the same came in again with a sigh. thine occurred, and his servant said to him, How is it that whenever you see those visitors, you are sure I told you before,' was to come in again sighing?' '

the reply,

that the people of these

Middle States

understand (the subjects of) ceremony and righteousness, but are deplorably ignorant of the

minds of

Those men who have just seen me, came in and went out would describe, one and another a square, and in their easy would be like, one a dragon and another men.

They remonstrated with me as fathers), and laid down the way (for their sons).

was

this

as they

a circle carriage

a tieer.

sons (with for

as fathers

which made

sigh.'

A'ung-ni saw the man, but did not speak a to him.

3^e-lu said,

You have

their

wished,

word

Sir, to

see

Wan-po Hstieh-jze for a long time what is the when you have seen him, you have not spoken a word ? A''ung-ni replied, As soon as my this

;

reason that

eyes lighted on that man, the

The

rent.

situation

Tao

him was appadid not admit of a word being In

spoken.'

Yen Yuan asked /ifung-ni,

saying, Master, when you pace quietly along, I also pace along when )ou go more quickly, I also do the same when )Ou gallop, I also gallop but when you race along 3.

;

and spurn the dust, then I can only stand and look, and keep behind you '.' The Master said, Hui, what do you mean?' The reply was, 'In saying that '

"when

you, Master, pace quietly along, '

They

arc boili supposed to be

also pace

on horseback.

PT.

11,

THE WRITINGS OF ATWANG-BZE.

SECT. XIV.

mean

when you speak, I also speak. By saying, When you go more quickly, I also do that when you reason, I also the same," I mean " reason. By saying, When you gallop, I also gallop," I mean that when you speak of the Way, I also

along,"

that

speak of the Way but by saying, " When you race along and spurn the dust, then I can only stare, and ;

keep behind you,"

men

thinking

how though you do

though you are no partisan, yet all parties approve your catholicity and though you sound no instrument, yet people all move on harmoniously before you, while (all the while) I do not know how all this comes about and not speak, yet

all

believe you

;

this

is all

which

my words are intended to

express^.'

and search the Of all causes for sorrow there is none matter out. the death of orreat death of the mind as the so man's (body) is only next to it. The sun comes forth in the east, and sets in the extreme west; all things have their position determined by these two points. All that have eyes and feet wait for this (sun), and then proceed to do what they have A'ung-ni said,

But you must

try

;

When

to do.

this

comes

forth,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

they appear in their

when it sets, they disappear. It is so with They have that for which they wait, things.

places all

;

and (on its arrival) they die they have that for which they wait, and then (again) they live. When once I receive my frame thus completed, I remain unchanged, awaiting the consummation of my course. ;

In these three cases the

So Hui

thurgist,

him

;

made

and Confucius

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but

not to

of the text should be

master as a mental Thauniato try to explain the whole thing

to represent the is

made

my mind

successfully.

maintained between the mind and the body.

Still

a distinction

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

46 I

move

out

as acted on

and

cessation,

bk. xxi.

by things, day and night withdo not know when I will

an end. Clearly I am here a completed frame, and even one who (fancies that he) knows what is appointed cannot determine it beforehand.

come

long

this

way

now, as

passing on,

but

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

is it

day and

all

views to you

are shoulder to shoulder you

understand me)

You

daily

am communicating my

;

fail

(to

not matter for lamentation

are able in a measure to set forth

what I more clearly set forth but that is passed away, and you look for it, as if it were still existing, just as if you were looking for a horse in the now empty place where it was formerly exhibited for sale. You have very much forgotten my service to you, and I have very much forgotten wherein I served you. But nevertheless why should you account this such an evil? What you forget is but my old self; that ;

which cannot be forgotten remains with me.' 4.

Confucius went to see Lao Tan, and arrived he had completed the bathing of his head,

just as

and was letting his dishevelled hair get dry. There he was, motionless, and as if there were not another

man when

the world \

in a little

Confucius waited quietly and, time he was introduced, he said, 'Were ;

eyes dazed ? Is it really you ? Just now, your body, Sir, was like the stump of a rotten tree. You looked as if you had no thought of anything, as if )'ou had left the society of men, and were standing In

the solitude (of yourself).'

LaoTan

replied,

wa"^

enjoymg myself in thinking about the commencement 'lie was

the Taoistic trance, like

beginning of the second Book.

Nan-kwo

3ze-/(-//i, at

the

PT.

11.

THE WRITINGS OF

SECT. XIV.

of things

A'WANG-3ZE.

What do you mean

cramped, that I hardly know but tied that I cannot tell it

it I

;

mind

tongue

will try to describe

you as nearly as I can. When the state of Yin was perfect, all was cold and severe when the state of Yang- was perfect, all was turbulent and The coldness and severity came forth agitated. from Heaven the turbulence and agitation issued from Earth. The two states communicating together, a harmony ensued and things were produced. Some one regulated and controlled this, but no one Decay and growth fulness and has seen his form. emptiness darkness and light the changes of the these sun and the transformations of the moon are brought about from day to day but no one sees Life has its origin from the process of production. which it springs, and death has its place from which Beginning and ending go on in mutual it returns. contrariety without any determinable commencement, and no one knows how either comes to an If we disallow all this, who originates and end. it

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

presides over

Confucius

ment ^

these

said,

phenomena

beg

these thoughts.'

This

all

commencement

to ask

of things

the existence of the primary ether in also of

about your enjoy-

Lao Tan

Tan

its

Heaven and Earth,

under some regulation and control, yet

replied,

The

was not the equivalent of

our creation out of nothing,' for Lao

Yang; and

immediately supposes

twofold state, as

Yin and

as a twofold Powder working, invisible

;

that

is,

under the

In the same way the process of beginning and ending, Tao. growth and decay, life and death go on, no one knows how, or how long. And the contemplation of all this is the cause of unceasing delight to the Perfect man, the possessor of the Tao. Death is a small matter, merely as a change of feature; and

Confucius acknowledges his immeasurable

inferiority lo Lao-jze.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

comprehension of this

bk. XXI.

the most admirable and the

most enjoyable (of all acquisitions). The getting of the most admirable and the exercise of the thoughts in what is the most enjoyable, consti-

what we

tutes

Confucius

man.'

Perfect

the

call

should like to hear the method of attainThe reply was, 'Grass-eating animals ino- to it.' do not dislike to change their pastures creatures born in the water do not dislike to change their said,

;

waters. lose

They make

what

(of their nature)

change, but do not and regular requirement anger, sadness, and delight

a small

the great joy,

;

not enter into their breasts

such

Now

events).

occupied by

all

the

(in

connexion with

space under the sky

When

things in their unity.

possess that unity and equally share four limbs and hundred

but so much dust and

members dirt,

it,

they

then the

of their body are

while death and

life,

and beginning, are but as the succesday and night, which cannot disturb their enjoyment and how much less will they be troubled by gains and losses, by calamity and happiness Those who renounce the paraphernalia of rank do it as if they were casting away so much mud they know that they are themselves more honourable than those paraphernalia. The honour belonging to one's self is not lost by any change (of condition). Moreover, a myriad transformations may take place before the end of them is reached. What their ending

sion of

;

there in

all

this sufficient to trouble the

Those who have

attained to the

Tao

mind

understand

the subject.'

Confucius that of

said,

Meaven and

Master, your virtue Earth, and

still

equal to

must borrow

PT.

11.

THE WRITINGS OF X-WANG-3ZE.

SECT. XIV.

(some of your) perfect words cultivation of

men

Lao Tan

'Not

which

rises

does nothing, but

man and

the perfect

me)

the

the superior

such expression

give

replied,

spring, the water of it

Who among

mind.

of antiquity could

them?'

(to aid

so.

Look

;

at the

and overflows

naturally acts so.

his virtue

;

So with

— he does not

culti-

nothing evades its influence. it, and He is heaven which is high of itself, like earth which is solid of itself, like the sun and moon which shine what need is there to cultivate it ?' of themselves Confucius went out and reported the conversation to Yen Hui, saying, In the (knowledge of the) Tao am I any better than an animalcule in vinegar ? But for the Master's lifting the veil from me, I should not have known the grand perfection of Heaven and Earth.' vate like

;

—

At an

of Lu,

the

Learned

interview of A'wang-jze with duke Ai

duke

said,

class in

Sir.'

are few Learned

men

of the Learned -

few

have

;

There are many of the

but few of them can be com-

;

pared with you, rejoined the duke,

A'wang-.^ze in Lu.'

replied,

There

Everywhere

in Lu,'

you see men wearing the dress can you say that they are

—how

heard,' said ATwang-^ze, 'that those

them who wear round caps know the times of heaven that those who wear square shoes know and that those who the contour of the ground of

;

saunter about

with

semicircular

stones

their

A ^

Duke

birth of

Ai of

more before the on other grounds, the

died in b.c. 468, a century and

A%ang-jze.

that, as well

paragraph cannot be genuine. ^

Compare

the thirty-eighth

Book

of the Li K\, where Confucius

denies that there was any dress peculiar to the scholar. [40]

BK. XXI.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

CO girdle-pendents

matters in dispute as they But superior men who are pos-

settle

come before them.

found wearsessed of such knowledge will not be those who that follow not ing the dress, and it does

wear the dress possess the knowledge. If your Grace think otherwise, why not issue a notification through the state, that it shall be a capital offence knowledge.' to wear the dress without possessing the On this the duke issued such a notification, and in one who five days, throughout all Lu, there was no

There dared to wear the dress of the Learned. in it at stood and came who was only one old man

The duke

the duke's gate.

instantly called

him

in,

and questioned him about the affairs of the state, when he talked about a thousand points and ten thousand divergences from them. A'wang-jze said, When the state of Lu can thus produce but one man of the Learned class, can he be said to be many?' *

The

emolument did not enter Hsi\ and so he became a cattle-

ideas of rank and

mind and his cattle were all In fine condition. This Mu of A7/in forget the meanness of his duke made position, and put the government (of his state) into of Pai-li

the

feeder,

his hands.

Neither

life

nor death entered into the

mind of (Shun), the Lord of was able to influence others ^.

The

7. ^

who

ruler

Pai-li Hsi, a

Yli,

and therefore he

Yuan^ of Sung wishing

have a map

remarkable character of the seventh century

rose to be chief minister to

Mu,

last

of the five Leading Princes of the kingdom.

B.C.

621.

Mcncius has much

the earl (or duke) of A7/in, the ]\Iu

died in

to say of Pai-li Hsi.

Shun's parents wished to kill him but that did not trouble his mind his filial piety even affected them. ^ His first year as duke of Sung was B.C. 530. The point of "^

;

the story

not clear.

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF A^WANG-SZE.

SECT. XIV.

II.

drawn, the masters of the pencil take the task).

made

Having received

all

came

(to

and preparing ever, remained

under-

his instructions

their bows, they stood, licking their

and

pencils

Half their number, howThere was one who came late, with an air of indifference, and did not hurry forward. When he had received his instructions and made his bow, he did not keep standing, but proceeded to his shed. The duke sent a man to see him, and there he was, with his upper garment off, The ruler sitting cross-legged, and nearly naked. said, He is the man; he is a true draughtsman.' their ink.

outside.

King Wan was (once) looking about him at 3ang \ when he saw an old man fishing ^. But his It was not the fishina^ of one fishinof was no fishino;. whose business is fishing. He was always fishing 8.

(as

he had no object

in the

king wished to raise him

occupation). ofiice,

The

and put the

o-overnment into his hands, but was afraid that such a step would give dissatisfaction to his great ministers,

and

his uncles,

dismiss the

man

cousins.

then wished to

altogether from his mind, but he

could not bear the thought that his people should

be without (such a) Heaven (as their Protector). On this, (next) morning, he called together his great officers, and said to them, Last night, I dreamt that '

saw a good man, with a dark complexion and a ^

"Where ^^ng was cannot be

The

told.

old fisherman here was, no doubt, the

first

A7/1, after the establishment of the dynasty of A'au,

various

names,

Lii

He did much Wan and Wu is

3ze-ya.

kings

were not fishing

Shang, for the

marquis of

known by

Thai-kung Wang, and A'iang new rule, but his connexion with

mass of fables. The fishing as if he betokened in him the aimlessness of the 1 ao. a

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XXI.

beard, riding on a piebald horse, one half of whose hoofs were red, who commanded me, saying, "Lodge

your o-overnment in the hands of the old man of 3ang and perhaps the evils of your people will be ;

The

cured."'

great officers said eagerly,

King

the king, your father.'

Wan

said,

was

Let us

then submit the proposal to the tortoise-shell' They Let not It is the order of your father. replied, '

Why divine majesty think of any other. ? (The king) then met the old man of about it 3ang, and committed the government to him. )our

The

and laws were not changed by him

statutes

not a one-sided order (of his own) was issued

;

but

when the king made a survey of the kingdom after three years, he found that the officers had destroyed the plantations (which harboured banditti), and dis-

persed their occupiers, that the superintendents of the

official

departments did not plume themselves on

their successes,

and that no unusual grain measures

were allowed within the different states^ When the ofiicers had destroyed the dangerous plantations and dispersed their occupants, the highest value was set

on the

common

interests

;

when

the chiefs of de-

partments did not plume themselves on their suc-

on the common business when unusual grain measures did not enter the different states, the different princes had no jealousies. On this king Wan made the old cesses, the highest value

was

set

;

man own

his

Grand Preceptor, and asked him, with his to the north, whether his government

face

might be extended to

That

is,

that all

all

the kinodom.

combinations formed to

course of justice had been put an end

to.

resist

The

old

and warp the

PT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF i^WANG-3ZE.

srxT. XIV.

man looked

perplexed and gave no reply, but with

aimless look took his leave.

In the mornine he had

issued his orders, and at night he had gone his way; nor was he heard of again all his life. Yen Yiian

questioned Confucius, saying,

Was even king Wan ? What had he to

unequal to determine his course

do with resorting to a dream ? Be silent and do not say a word

A"ung-ni replied,

complete criticising

dream) 9.

everything.

King

What have you

Wan

him ? He only had recourse meet a moment's difficulty.'

was do with

the

(to

Lieh Yii-khau was exhibiting his archery

Po-hwan Wu-san

Having drawn the bow

its

extent, with a cup of water placed on his elbow,

full

let fly.

the arrow was discharged, another

was put in its place and as that was sent off, a third was ready on the string. All the while he stood like a statue. Po-hwan Wu-^an said, That is the shooting of an archer, but not of one who ;

shoots without thinkinp- about his shootine.

Let

go up with you to the top of a high mountain, treading with you among the tottering rocks, till we arrive at the brink of a precipice, 800 cubits deep, and (I will then see) if you can shoot.' On this they went high mountain, making their way among the up a tottering

rocks,

till

they came to the brink of a

800 cubits deep. Then Wu-ran turned round and walked backwards, till his feet were two-

precipice

This must be the meaning of the '^,

story

found

in Lieh-jze, II, p. 5.

From

learn that Lieh-.^jze's teacher in archery

Lieh's

Mentioned

Book V,

par. 2.

for.'

Book

was Yin Hsi,

of the pass famous in the history of Lao-^ze. ^

The whole VIII, p. the

warden

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxr.

and beckoned He, however, had fallen

thirds of their length outside the edge, ^'u-khall to

come forward.

prostrate on the ground, with

down

man

fect

Then

to his heels.

down

sweat pouring

the

the other said,

The

Per-

looks up to the azure sky above, or dives

to the yellow springs beneath, or soars

away

ends of the universe, without any change coming over his spirit or his breath. But now the to the eight

mind appears

trepidation of your

your inward feeling of peril A'ien

ID.

your dazed eyes extreme in

;

asked Sun-shu

saying, 'You,

were thrice chief minister, and did not feel you were thrice dismissed from that posi-

Sir,

elated tion,

was

;

without manifesting any sorrow.

first

doubt about you, (but I am not now, since) I see how regularly and quietly the breath comes through your nostrils. How is it that you exercise in

Ao replied, 'In what do I When the position came to

your mind.?'

Sun-shu

surpass other

men

me,

thought

taken away,

should not be rejected

thought

;

when

was

could not be retained. I considered that the getting or losing it did not make

me what

was, and was no occasion for any mani-

festation of sorrow

surpass other

men

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that was And

whether the honour of myself.

nothing to

;

did not

know

belonged to the dignity, or belonged to the dignity, it was

if it

belonged to me,

Sun-shQ Ao;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; see Mencius VI, ii, good and able man, chief minister '

In what did

all.

moreover,

15. to

had nothing

was, no doubt,

king iTwang of Khn.

The

legends or edifying stories about him are many but A%angthink, is the author of his being thrice raised and thrice dismissed from office. ;

.^ze,

PT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF

SECT. XIV.

A'WANG-3ZE.

do with the dignity. While occupied with these and looking round in all directions, what leisure had I to take knowledge of whether men honoured me or thought me mean ? A'ung-ni heard of all this, and said, 'The True to

uncertainties,

men

could not be fully described by the

of old

be led into excess by the most beautiful, Neither nor be forced by the most violent robber. Fu-hsi nor Hwang-Ti could compel them to be

wisest, nor

Death and

their friends.

life

are indeed great con-

make no change in their and how much less could rank and emolument do so ? Being such, their spirits might pass over the Thki mountain and find it no obstacle they might enter the greatest gulphs, and to them ^ not be ,wet by them they might occupy the lowest and smallest positions without being distressed by them. Theirs was the fulness of heaven and

siderations, but they could self;

(true)

;

earth

the

;

more that they gave

to others, the

they had.'

The

kinof of

sittinof

tooether.

of the

king

times.'

The

K/m

and the ruler of Fan

After a

said,

ruler of

Fan Fan

little

were

while, the attendants

has been destroyed three rejoined,

'The destruction what we

sufficient to destroy

of Fan has not been had that was most deserving

difficult

'spirits' of the 2

Fan was a

see

why

this

be preserved.'

Now,

should be predicated of the

True men.

small state, held at one time by descendants of the

famous duke of A'au;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; see the 3o AVnvan, I, vii, 6; V, xxiv, 2. But we do not know what had been the relations between the powerful A7m and the feeble Fan, which gave rise to and could explain the remarks made at the entertainment, more honourable to

Fan than

to AVni.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK.XXI.

Fan had not been sufficient to destroy that which it had most deserving to be preserved, the preservation of Khi\ had not been if

the destruction of

it most deserving to be Looking at the matter from this point of view, Fan had not begun to be destroyed, and Khi\ had not begun to be preserved.

sufficient to

preserved.

preserve that in

PT.

II.

SECT. XV.

THE WRITINGS OF i:WANG-3ZE.

BOOK Part

II.

A'ih Pei Yii, or

XXII.

Section

Knowledofe

XV.

Knowledge Rambling North

had rambled northwards

the

to the

Dark Water ^, where he ascended the height of Imperceptible Sloped when it happened that he met with Dumb Inaction Knowledo-e addressed him, saying, I wish to ask you some questions process of thought and anxious what By consideration do we get to know the Tao ? Where should we dwell and what should we do to find our rest in the Tao ? From what point should we start and what path should we pursue to make the Tao our own ? He asked these three questions, but Dumb Inaction^ gave him no reply. Not only did he not answer, but he did not know how to answ^er. Knowledge disappointed by the fruitlessness of region of the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

his questions, returned to the south of the Bright

See

All these

vol.

xxxix, p. 152.

names

are metaphorical, having

with the qualities of the Tao, and are used as the sonages, devoted to the pursuit of

name K/iwzug

J^/tu

Medhurst explains by

(^^ M)-

it.

It is ^^'^

or less to do

names of

per-

difficult to translate

old reading

^^,

the

which

Blurter,' Bent or Crooked Discourse.' though not an elegant Enghsh term, seems to express the idea our author would convey by it. Hwang-Ti is different from the other '

names, but we cannot regard him as here a real personage. "

These names of places are

also metaphorical

and

Taoistic.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxii.

Water \ and ascended die height of the End of Doubt \ where he saw Heedless Bkirter, to whom he put the same questions, and who repHed, Ah But while he was about I know, and will tell you.' to speak, he forgot what he wanted to say. '

Knowledge, (again) receiving no answer to his questions, returned to the palace of the Ti ^ where he saw Hwang-Ti^, and put the questions to him. Hwang-Ti said, To exercise no thought and no anxious consideration is the first step towards knowing the Tao; to dwell nowhere and do nothing is the first step towards resting in the Tao; to start from nowhere and pursue no path is the first step towards making the Tao your own.' Knowledge then asked Hwang-Ti, saying, I and you know this those two did not know it which '

;

of us

right

of being so of

;

The

reply was,

Dumb

Inaction

Heedless Blurter has an appearance and you are not near being so. (As

Those who know

those

Hence

;

said), "

it is

truly right;

;

who speak

Tao) do do not know

(the

not speak ;

it*

and

the sage conveys his instructions without

the use of speech*."

The Tao

ours by constraint

characteristics will not

;

its

cannot be

made come

Benevolence may be practised may be partially attended to by Ceremonies men impose on one another. Hence it

to us (at our

call).

;

Righteousness

with *

See note 3, on preceding page. Ti might seem to be used here

Hwang-Ti See note See the

quoting, no I

;

for

'God,' but

against our translating

its

juxtaposition

so.

on preceding page.

Tao Teh ^ing,

chaps. 56 and

iTwang-jze

doubt, these two passages, as he vaguely intimates

think by the^^^^, with which the sentence

commences.

PT.

II.

SECT. XV.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

"When the Tao was lost, its Characteristics When its Characteristics were lost, Benevolence appeared. When Benevolence was lost, Righteousness appeared. When Righteousness was is said,

appeared.

Ceremonies appeared.

lost,

Ceremonies are but

(the unsubstantial) flow^ers of the Tao, and the commencement of disorder ^" Hence (also it is further

He who doino-. He

said), "

practises the

his

diminishes

till

it,

Tao,

daily diminishes

and aeain diminishes

Having arrived

he arrives at doing nothing.

at this non-inaction, there

nothing that he does

not do ^"

something, a regularly

Here now there

fashioned utensil

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

you wanted

make

return

would it Could any but

to the original condition of its materials,

make

not be difficult to

Man

the Great Life

predecessor of

life

but

;

who knows

connexion between them)

to the collectingf of the breath. ;

when

Since death and

death.

other, '

accomplish this easily

collected, there is life is

do so

the follower of death, and death

(of this

due

why should

Therefore

life

the

the Arranger

The

life

When

that

dispersed, there

thus attend on each

account (either of) them an

thinofs

all

same experience.

evil

^o throuQfh one and the

(Life) is

accounted beautiful be-

and wonderful, and death is accounted ugly because of its foetor and putridity. But the foetid and putrid is transformed again into the spirit-like and wonderful, and the spirit-like and wonderful is transformed again into the foetid and cause

spirit-like

Tao Teh

See the

This sentence

A'ing, chaps. 38 and 48.

metaphorical of the

broken by the intrusion of Knowledge. ^

This

Arranger'

the

Tao.

Tao, whose

spell

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

Hence

putrid. is

one breath of

that unity

said,

life,

BK, XXii.

"All under the sky there

and therefore the sages prized

^"'

Knowledge 2 said to Hwang-Ti -, I asked Dumb Not only Inaction-, and he did not answer me. did he not answer me, but he did not know how to answer me. I asked Heedless Blurter, and while he wanted to tell me, he yet did not do so. Not only did he not tell me, but while he wanted to tell me, Now I have he forgot all about my questions. them) why (all about asked you, and you knew (do you say that) you are not near doing so ? Dumb Inaction ^ was truly Hwang-Ti replied, '

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

right,

know

because he did not

Heedless

the thing.

I Blurter was because he forgot it. and you are not nearly right, because we know it.' Heedless Blurter^ heard of (all this), and considered

nearly right,

that

Hwang-Tt knew how ^

express himself (on

the subject).

(The operations of) Heaven and Earth proceed in the most admirable way, but they say nothing about them the four seasons observe the clearest laws, but they do not discuss them all things have their complete and distinctive constitutions, but they 2.

;

say nothing about them^.

The

sages trace out the admirable operations of

Heaven and Earth, and reach

and understand the and thus It Is do nothing and the

distinctive constitutions of all things

that the Perfect

Man

(Is

said to)

;

Greatest Sage to originate nothing, such language

showing that they look to Heaven and Earth as '

have not been able to trace

See note

2, p.

57.

this

quotation to

its

source.

Compare Analects XVII,

xix, 3.

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF ^-WANG-SZE.

SECT. XV.

ir.

models Even they, with their spirit-hke and most exquisite intelligence, as well as all the tribes that undergo their transformations, the dead and the living, the square and the round, do not understand their root and origin, but nevertheless they all from the oldest time by it preserve their being. Vast as is the space included within the six cartheir

dinal points,

(and

it all

an autumn pletion of rising,

hair,

form.

its

now

that

contains) lies within

Heaven and Earth)

twofold root of

(this

all

;

small as

indebted to this for the com-

All things beneath the sky,

descending,

ever continue

the

now same

seasons

The Yin and Yang, and the four revolve and move by it, each in its proper

order.

Now

through

this.

continues

;

now

form, but

rished by

it,

seems to be lost in obscurity, but it it seems to glide away, and have no All things are nou-

still spirit-like.

without their knowing

it. This is what Root and Origin by it we may obtain a view of what we mean by Heaven ^.

called the

;

Nieh AV^iieh^ asked about the Tao from Phei-i ^, If you keep your body as it should be, and look only at the one thing, the Harmony of 3.

who

replied,

Heaven will come to you. Call in your knowledge, and make your measures uniform, and the spiritual (belonging to you) will come and lodge with you the Attributes (of the Tao) will be your beauty, and ;

Tao

be your dwelling-place. You have the simple look of a new-born calf, and

the will

v>^ill

Compare the Tao Teh A'ing, eh. The binomial Heaven and Earth

term ^

(itself)

Heaven,' which

often a

25.

here gives place to the one

synonym of Tao.

See his character in Book XII, par.

mentioned.

where Phei-i also

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

62 will

not seek to

you

are).'

know

Phei-i

BK. xxii.

the cause (of your being what

had not finished these words when

the other dozed off into a sleep. Phei-i was greatly pleased, and walked away, singing as he went, '

Like stump of rotten tree his frame. Like lime when slaked his mind became^ Real is his wisdom, solid, true.

Nor

cares w^hat's hidden to pursue.

dim and dark his aimless mind No one from him can counsel find. What sort of man is he ? 4.

Shun asked

attendant) AV^ang^, saying,

(his

Tao

and hold it as mine?' The is not your own to hold how then can you get and hold the Tao?' Shun resumed, If my body be not mine to possess and hold, who holds it ?' AV^ang said, It is the bodily form entrusted to you by Heaven and Earth. Life

'Can

get the

reply was,

Your body

;

not yours to hold.

the blended

It is

harmony (of Heaven

the Yin and Yang), entrusted to you by

and Earth.

Your

nature, constituted as

it is, is

not

Heaven and Earth to act in accordance with it. Your grandsons and sons are not yours to hold. They are the exuviae^ entrusted to you by Heaven and Earth. Therefore when we walk, we should not know where we are going when we stop and rest, we should not know what to occupy ourselves with yours to hold.

entrusted to you by

;

See the account of Nan-kwo 3ze-X'/n

Not

The

tlie

name

term

insects, snakes,

par.

of a man, but an ilie

text

and crabs.

Book

II,

par.

office.

denotes the cast-ofF skin or shell of

See the account of death and hfe in

THE WRITINGS OF X"WANG-3ZE.

PT.li. SECT. XV.

when we

—

we should

eat,

not

know

the taste of our

done by the strong Yang influence of Heaven and Earth \ How then can you get (the Tao), and hold it as your own ?

food;

all is

Confucius asked Lao Tan, saying,

leisure to-day,

fasting

your

and

spirit

Being at

venture to ask you about the Per-

Lao Tan

Tao.'

fect

You must, as by and purge your mind, wash white as snow, and sternly repress your replied,

vigil, clear

knowledge.

The

difficult to

describe

subject of the ;

—

will

Tao

deep, and

give you an outline of

simplest attributes.

its '

The Luminous was produced from

the Multiform from the

Tao; and

from the

After this

Unembodied

the Obscure ;

;

the Spiritual

the bodily from the seminal

things produced one another from their bodily organisations. Thus it is that those which have nine apertures are born from the womb, and those with eioht from e^os ^ But their coming leaves no trace, and their going no monuessence.

ment

they enter by no door

;

apartment all

—they are

in this are

;

in a vast

They who

directions.

Tao)

all

they dwell

arena reaching

no in

search for and find (the

strong in their limbs, sincere and

far-reaching in their thinking, acute in their hearing,

and clear

in their seeing.

without being toiled aright without

Without

;

They

exercise their minds

they respond to everything

regard to

place

circumstance.

heaven would not be high, nor earth

this

It is an abstruse point why only the and described as strong.' ^

Yang

mentioned here,

It is

away

not easy to see the pertinence of this iUustration.

Wan-ying

says,

With

this

one word our author sweeps

the teaching of Purgatorial Sufferings.'

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM,

64 broad

would

nothino-

moon would

sun and

the

;

flourish

—such

BK. XXII.

not move, and

the operation of

Tao.

the

Moreover, the most extensive knowledge does reasoning will not make not necessarily know it *

;

men

wise in

;

—the

sages have decided against

However you

both these methods.

admits of no increase

from

however you

admits of no diminution

it,

;

the sages maintain about

How

the sea!

grand

things,

all

it is,

;

—

it,'

try to take

this

deep

what

is,

beginning again when

carried along

weary, that would be like the

way

of the superior

man, merely an external operation when to it, and find their dependence in it ;

the true character of the

Here

and suswithout being overburdened or

has come to an end tained

How

it.

add

try to

man

all ;

—

things this

Tao.

one of the middle states \ He feels himself independent both of the Yin and Yang 2, and dwells between heaven and earth only for the present a mere man, but he will return to his original source. Looking at him in his origin, when his life begins, we have (but) a gelatinous substance in which the breath is collecting. Whether his life be long or his death early, how short is the space between them It is but the name '

(born) in

;

moment of time, insufficient to play the part of Yao or a bad ATieh in. The fruits of trees and creeping plants have

for a

a good '

their distinctive characters,

and thouorh the

The commentators suppose

intended

a sage

Compare

;

that by and they would seem

the second sentence in the

the

man

relation-

here there

to be correct.

Tao Teh

A'ing, ch. 42.

PT. n. SECT. XV.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-SZE.

ships of men, according to which they are fied, are troublesome, the sage, when he

with them, does not set himself

classi-

meets

opposition

them, and when he has passed through them, he does not seek to retain them he responds to them ;

their regular

harmony according

to his virtue

;

and even when he accidentally comes across any of them, he does so according to the Tao. It was thus that the Tis flourished, thus that the kings arose.

Men's

between heaven and earth is like a white colt's passing a crevice, and suddenly disappearing. As with a plunge and an effort they all come forth easily and quietly they all enter again. '

life

;

a transformation they

formation they

live,

and by another

trans-

Living things are made sad (by death), and mankind grieve for it but it is (only) the removal of the bow from its sheath, and the emptydie.

;

ing the natural satchel of

its

There may

contents.

be some confusion amidst the yieldine to the change but the intellectual and animal souls are takino- their leave, and the body will follow them This is the Great Returning home. ;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

That the bodily frame came from incorporeity, will return to the same, is what all men in common know, and what those who are on their way to (know) it need not strive for. This is what the multitudes of men discuss tOQ^ether. Those whose '

and

(knowledge)

complete do not discuss

discussion shows that their (knowledge)

Even

plete.

Why

pression

is it

his

white?

speedy disappearing

adoption of the phrase from the Shih, [40]

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; such

not com-

the most clear-sighted do not meet

the colt here

made by

II, iv,

it ?

2 ?

heighten the imis

merely the

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

Tao)

(with the

reason about the ears

;

—

and hear

;

—

The Tao cannot be heard

it.

with

better to shut the ears than to try

This

it.

better to be silent than to

BK. xxil.

what

the

called

Great

Attainment.'

Tung-kwo 3ze^ asked A^vang-jze, saying, 'Where is what you call the Tao to be found?' 6.

A'wang-jze replied, '

Specify an instance of

factory.'

instance.' still '

in this

lower instance.'

Surely that

excrement

other said,

be more satisGive a lower this ant.' Give me a panic grass.' is in this earthenware tile.'

That

will

the lowest instance

^.'

it.

here in

It is

'It

The

Everywhere.'

' '

It is in that

Tung-kwo 3ze gave no reply. Your questions, my master, do

this

A'wang-jze said,

not touch the fundamental point (of the Tao).

remind

of the questions addressed

They

by the super-

intendents of the market to the inspector about examining the value of a pig by treading on it, and testing

its

weight as the foot descends lower and

lower on the body^. particular thing.

out (the Tao).

You

should not specify any

There is not a single thing withSo it is with the Perfect Tao. And

we call it the Great (Tao), it is just the same. There are the three terms, "Complete," "All" embracing," the Whole." These names are differ-

—

Perhaps the Tung-kwo Shun-jze of Bk. XXI, par.

A comcmpluous

reply,

terrogation as to

where the

being as to what

•''

Tao

was

in-

be found, the only question

was.

do not know the practices from which our author draws

his illustrations here sufficiently to

The

provoked by Tung-kwo's repeated

signification of the characters

indeed from the 1 Li, Books 7-9

;

make

J£

out his meaning clearly.

and

but that

^M may

is all.

be gathered

PT.

II.

ent,

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

SECT. XV.

but the reality (sought

referrinor to the

One

them)

the

same

;

thinof^

'Suppose we were to tr)^ to roam about in palace of No-where when met there, we might discuss (about the subject) without ever coming to an end. Or suppose we were to be tothe

;

gether

(the region of)

say that (the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Non-action

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; should

Tao

was) Simplicity and Stillness ? or and Purity ? or Harmony and Ease ? My will would be aimless. If it went nowhere, I should not know where it had got to if it went and came again, I should not know where it had stopped if it went on going and coming, I should not know when the process would end. In vague uncertainty should I be in the vastest waste. Though I entered it with the greatest knowledge, I should not know how inexhaustible it was. That which makes things what they are has not the limit which belongs to things, and when we speak of things being limited, we mean that they are so in themselves. (The Tao) is the limit of the unlimited, and the boundlessness of the unbounded. We speak of fulness and emptiness of withering and decay. It produces fulness and emptiness, but Indifference

;

neither fulness nor emptiness

;

produces wither-

ing and decay, but

is neither withering nor decay. produces the root and branches, but is neither root nor branch it produces accumulation and dispersion,

;

but 7.

is itself

neither accumulated nor dispersed.'

A-ho Kan

and Shan Nang studied together

The meaning of this other illustration is also very obscure to and much of what follows to the end of the paragraph. ^ We can hardly be said to know anything more of the first and third of these men than what is mentioned here. ^

;

F 2

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

bk. xxil.

under Lao-lung K\. Shan Nangi was leaning forward on his stool, having shut the door and gone At midday A-ho Kan to sleep in the day time.

pushed open the door and entered, saying, 'LaoShan Nanor leant forward on his lung is dead.' hold of his

stool, laid

staff

and

Then he

rose.

the staff aside with a clash, laughed and said,

laid

That

Heaven knew how cramped and mean, how arrogant and assuming I was, and therefore he has cast me Now that there is no Master to off, and is dead. correct my heedless words, it is simply for me to !

die

Yen Kang, (who had come

heard these words, and

in)

to condole,

him who em-

said, 'It is to

Tao that the superior men everywhere Now you who do not understand so much

bodies the cling.

as the tip of an

autumn

hair of

thousandth part of the Tao,

it,

still

not even the ten-

know how

hidden your heedless words about

much more might he who embodied

and die the

it, and there is no form and there is no sound. When discuss it, we call them dark indeed. discuss the Tao, they misrepresent it.'

look for

for

;

it,

;

keep

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; how

Tao

do so we hearken

men

try to

When

they

Hereupon Grand Purity^ asked Infinitude ^, sayDo you know the Tao?' I do not know it,' was the reply. He then asked Do-nothing -, who replied, I know it.' Is your knowledge of it deing,

Shan Nang

known, as coming in the chronological list and we are surprised that a higher place is nol given to him among the Taoist patriarchs than our author assigns to him here. between

well

Fu-hsi and IIwang-Tt;

'I'hese

names,

like those in

are metaphorical, intended,

Tao, and

the

no doubt,

first

paragraph of the Book,

to set forth attributes of the

suggest to the reader what

or what

it is

not.

PT.

II.

SECT. XV.

THE WRITINGS OF X'WANG-SZE.

It is.' 'What are know that the Tao and may be considered

termined by various points?'

Do-nothing^

they?'

said,

may be considered noble, mean, that it may be bound and compressed, and that it may be dispersed and diffused. These are the marks by which I know it.' Grand Purity took the words of those two, and asked No-beginning ^ saying, Such were their repHes which was right ? and which was wrong? Infinitude's saying that he did not know^ it ? or Do-nothing's saying that he knew^ it ? No-beginning said, The " I do not know it" was profound, and the "I know it" was shallow. The former had reference to its internal '

;

nature

;

the latter to

its

external conditions.

Purity looked up and sighed, saying,

Grand

Is " not to

know it" then to know it ? And is " to know it" not to know it ? But who knows that he who does not know it (really) knows it?' No-beginning replied, 'The Tao cannot be heard; what can be heard is The Tao cannot be seen what can be not It. seen is not It. The Tao cannot be expressed in ;

words

be expressed in words is not It. Do we know the Formless which gives form to form ? In the same way the Tao does not admit ;

wdiat can

of beine named.'

No-beginning

(further) said, 'If

one ask about the

Tao and another answer him, neither of them knows it. Even the former who asks has never learned anything about the Tao.

asks what does not

admit of being asked, and the latter answers where answer is impossible. When one asks what does not admit of being asked, his questioning is in (dire)

See note

last

page.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XXII.

When

one answers where answer is impossible, he has no internal knowledge of the subject. When people without such internal knowledge wait extremity.

by others

to be questioned

in dire extremity,

they

that externally they see nothing of space and

show

and internally know nothing of the Grand Commencement ^ Therefore they cannot cross over the

time,

Khwan-lun

nor roam

Grand

in the

Void.'

Starlight^ asked Non-entity^, saying,

Master,

He got no do you exist? or do you not exist looked question, however, and stedhis answer to fastly to the appearance of the other, which was that .'^

All day long he looked to

of a deep void.

could see nothing

nothing

he listened

;

he clutched at

;

Starlight then said, this

for

it,

but

but could hear

it,

but got hold of nothing ^

it,

Perfect

Who

can attain to

can (conceive the ideas of) existence and

non-existence, but

cannot (conceive the ideas of)

non-existing non-existence, and existing existence.

How

still

there be a non-

possible to reach to

this?' 9.

The

forger of swords for the Minister of

had reached the age of eighty, and had not hair's-breadth of his ability ^ ^

The

War

lost a

Minister said to

The first beginning of all things or of anything. The Khwan-lun may be considered the Sacred Mountain of

Taoism. ^

The

characters

over the sky,

Kwang Yao

dusted with

stars.'

denote the points of light I

tion for them, as personified here, than 'starlight.' is

a personification of the

Tao;

all

can think of no better transla-

no existing

'Non-entity'

thing, but the idea

of the order thai pervades and regulates throughout the universe. * A quotation from the Tao Teh A'ing, ch. 14. "

Compare

passages.

the case of the butcher in Bk. Ill,

and other

similar

PT.

II.

him,

THE WRITINGS OF

SECT. XV.

You

method

are indeed

Sir. Have you any The man said, 'Your

skilful,

makes you

that

A'WANG-3ZE,

When I was was fond of forging swords. I looked at nothing else. I paid no attention to anything but swords. By my constant practice of it, I came to be able to do the work without any thought of what I was doing. By length of time one acquires ability and how much more one who is ever at at any art work on it What is there which does not depend on this, and succeed by it ? servant has (always) kept to his work.

twenty,

;

10. Zan AV/iu^ asked A'ung-ni, saying, 'Can it be known how it was before heaven and earth ?' The

reply was,

Zan

It can.

day, however, he '

A7/iu asked no

Yesterday

was the same of old as now.' Next more and withdrew.

had another interview, and

asked whether

was before heaven and

could be

said,

known how

and you. Master, it was of old." Yesterday, I seemed to understand you clearly, but to-day it is dark to me. I venture to ask you for an explanation of this.' A'ung-ni said, Yesterday you seemed to understand me clearly, because your own spiritual nature had anticipated my reply. Today it seems dark to you, for you are in an unspiritual mood, and are trying to discover the meaning. (In this matter) there is no old time and no present no beginning and no ending. Could it be that there were grandchildren and children before there were (other) grandchildren and children - ? it

said,

"It can.

earth,

now, so

;

One

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Analects VI, 3. Before there can be grandsons and sons there must be grandfathers and fathers to transmit them, so before of the disciples of Confucius

Wan-ying

says,

;

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

Zan went

A7/iu had not

on,

swering (on your to death

life

life.

made any

;

when A'ung-ni an-

cannot with Hfe give cannot with death give death to

part).

reply,

There can be no

Let us have done.

BK. xxii.

death and

wait (for each other)?

life

There one com-

them both in its was produced before Heaven and Earth a thing ? That which made things and gave to each its character was not itself a thing. Things came forth and could not be before things, as if there had (previously) been things as if there had been things (producing one anthat which contains

Was

prehension ^

that which

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

other) without end.

The

love of

and never coming taken from this -.' others,

ir.

Yen

the

an end,

sages for is

an idea

Yiian asked A"ung-ni, saying, 'Master,

have heard you say, " There should be no demonstration of welcoming there should be no movement to meet ;" I venture to ask in what way this ;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

mind may be shown.' The reply The ancients, amid (all) external changes, did

affection of the

was,

not

change

now-a-da)s men change no note of external changes. When one only notes the changes of things, himself continuing one and the same, he does not change. internally

internally, but

How

should

;

take

there be

difference

changing and not changing.? himself

contact with (and

How

between)

his

should he put

come under the

influence

of) those external

changes

there were (the present)

heaven and earth, there must have been But I am not sure that he has in this

sure,

however,

another heaven and earth.'

remark exactly caught our audior's meaning. '

Meaning

the

Tao.

obscure remark.

PT.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

SECT. XV.

keep his points of contact with them from being many. The park of Shih-wei\ the garden of Hwangto

Ti, the palace of the

Thang and this

;

—

was done).

Lord of

(these

all

Yii, and the houses of were places in which

But the superior men

(so called, of such as the masters of the Literati and of Mohism, were bold to attack each other widi their

later days),

and how much more so are the men of Sages in dealing with others do not wound them and they who do not wound others cannot be wounded by them. Only he whom others do not injure is able to welcome and meet men. Forests and marshes make me joyful and glad but before the joy is ended, sadness comes and succeeds to it. When sadness and joy come, I cannot prevent their approach when they go, I cannot controversies

;

the present day

;

How sad it is that men should only be as lodging-houses for things, (and the emotions which they excite) They know what they meet, retain them.

but they do not

know what they do

use what power they have, but strong where they are powerless.

not meet

;

they

they cannot be

Such ignorance and powerlessness is what men cannot avoid. That they should try to avoid what they cannot avoid, is not this also sad ? Perfect speech is to put speech away; perfect action is to put action away to digest all knowledge that is known is a thing to be despised.' ;

—

^ This personage has occurred before in Bk. VI, par. 7, at the head of the most ancient sovereigns, who were in possession of the Tao. His park as a place for moral and intellectual inquiry is here mentioned so early was there a certain quickening of the '

;

mental faculties

—

China.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM,

BOOK Part

XXIII. Section

III.

Kang-sang

Among

BK. xxiil.

Khu'^.

of Lao Tan there was a Kang-sang K/m, who had got a greater knowledge than the others of his doctrines, and took up his I.

the disciples

residence with

the north at the

of Wei-lei

hill

His servants who were pretentious and knowing he who were officious and kindly he kept at a distance living (only) with those who were boorish and rude, and employing (only) the bustling and ill-mannered *. After three sent away, and his concubines

;

years there was great prosperity^ in Wei-lei, and

When

Mr. Kangand we thought him strange our estimate of him after a short acquaintance was that he could not do us much good but now that we have known him for years, we find him a more than ordinary benefit. Must he not be near being a sage ? Why should you not the people said to one another,

sang

first

came

he alarmed

here,

us,

;

See

The term

vol. xxxix, p. 153.

in the text

seem here simply =*

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a

hill in

commonly denotes '

That

is,

vi,

servants.'

would

disciples.'

Probably the mount

the present department of

The same phraseology

the Shih, II, ^

mean

Assigned variously.

of Yii,' *

in the

Tribute

Tang-Mu, Shan-tung.

occurs in Bk. XI, par. 5

;

and

also in

q. v.

abundant harvests.

should, probably, be

%M-

The

of the

common

text

PT.

SECT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

him

unite in blessing

departed (whom

him as we do

as the representative of our

worship), and raise an altar to

to the spirit of the grain

Kang-

sang heard of it, kept his face indeed to the south '\ but was dissatisfied. His disciples thought it strange in him, but he said to them, Why, my disciples, should you think '

this strange in

When

}

vegetation grows

forth, all

arrives,

the

all

matured.

Great Tao have been within

its

man

of the

earth

autumn have these

without any adequate cause that the Perfect

and,

;

previous fruits

spring and

come when the autumn

the airs of spring

The

are

effects

processes of the

in operation.

have heard apartment

dw^ells idly in his

surrounding walls ^, and the people get wild

and

crazy, not

him.

Now

knowing how they should

repair to

these small people of Wei-lei in their

way want to present their offerings to me among such men of ability and But am I a man to be set up as such a

opinionative

me, and place virtue.

model

when 2.

It is

? I

this

account that

think of the words of

His

disciples

said,

Lao Tan

Not

so.

dissatisfied

*.'

In ditches eight

cubits wide, or even twice as much, big fishes can-

not turn their bodies about, but minnows and eels find ^

I find

A7m, I

them it

sufficient for difficult to tell

them

^ ;

on hillocks

six or

what these people wanted to make of

further than what he says himself immediately to his disciples.

cannot think that they wished to make him their ruler. ^ This is the proper position for the sovereign in his court, and

for the sage as the teacher of the world. latter capacity, but ^

* *

Compare the Li A'l, Bk. XXXVIII, As if he were one with the Tao. I

K/m

accepts

in the

with dissatisfaction. par. 10, et al.

do not see the appropriateness here of the ^(j

in the text.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxiii.

seven cubits high, large beasts cannot conceal themselves, but foxes of evil omen find it a good place

And

moreover, honour should be paid to the wise, offices given to the able, and preference for them.

shown to the good and the beneficial. From of old Yao and Shun acted thus how much more may people of Wei-lei the do so O Master, let them have their way!' Kang-sang replied, Come nearer, my little child;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; !

If a beast that could

ren.

mouth leave

its

hill

the danger that awaits

hold a carriag-e in

itself,

its

not escape

will

from the net or if a fish that could swallow a boat be left dry by the flowing away of the water, then (even) the ants are able to trouble it. Thus it is that birds and beasts seek to be as high as possible, and fishes and turtles seek to lie as deep as possible. In the it

same way men who wish and

;

to preserve their bodies

keep their persons concealed, and they do And moreover, what was there in those sovereicrns to entitle them to your laudatory mention ? Their sophislives

so in the deepest retirement possible.

tical

reasonings (resembled) the reckless

breaking

down of walls and enclosures and planting the wild rubus and wormwood in their place or makino- the hair thm before they combed it or counting the ;

;

grains

of rice

before they cooked them \ They would do such things with careful discrimination but what was there in them to benefit the world ? ;

you

raise the

create disorder '

All

these

eminently

;

men

of talent to

you

will

strive with

one

office,

making the people

condemnatory descriptions of Yao and Shun are

Taoistic,

appreciate them.

but so metaphorical that

not easy to

PT.

III.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF

another for promotion

wisdom, the people

;

will

A'\VANG-3ZE.

']^

you employ men rob one another

(of their

These various things are make the people good and honest.

reputation) ^ to

very eager for gain

;

—a

a minister his ruler (for

and

will rob,

son

for their

insufficient

They

will kill his father,

midday break through

walls.

and

men

In broad daylight

it).

are

tell

you that the root of the greatest disorder was planted in the times of Yao and Shun. The branches of it will remain for a thousand a^es and after a thousand ages men will be found eating one another ^!

(On

Nan-yung Khi\ ^ abruptly sat right up and said, What method can an old man like me adopt to become (the Perfect man) that you have described ? Kang-sang 3ze said, Maintain your body complete hold your life in close embrace and do not let your thoughts keep working anxiously: do this for three years, and you may become the 3.

this) '

;

—

man

whom

Eyes are

The

have spoken.'

other rejoined,

same form, I do not know any difference between them yet the blind have no power of vision. Ears are all of the same form I do not know any difference between them yet the deaf have no power of hearing. Minds are all of the same nature, I do not know any difference between them yet the mad cannot make the '

all

of the

—

;

—

minds of other men their own. indeed like (yours), but things

Compare

KltVi

very

the

much

Tao Teh

A'ing,

in all this too violent.

disciple of to

—

Kang-sang A7/u

;

(My) personality is seem to separate

ch. 3.

—

a sincere seeker of the Tao,

be pitied/ says Lin Hsi-/C'ung.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

between

iis^

but

in you,

said to me,

wish to find

bk. xxiil.

myself what there

not able to do so \

You have now

Maintain your body complete

;

hold

and do not let your in close embrace With all my anxiously." working keep thoughts eftbrts to learn your Way, (your words) reach only my ears.' Kang-sang replied, I can say nothing more to you,' and then he added, Small flies cannot transform the bean caterpillar^; Ylieh ^ fowls canIt not hatch the eggs of geese, but Lu fowls ^ can. your

life

;

not that the nature of these fowls

different

the ability in the one case and inability in the other arise

small.

from their different capacities as large and My ability is small and not sufficient to

Why

transform you. see Laoize 4.

should you not go south and

Nan-yung AV/u hereupon took with him some and after seven days and seven nights

rations,

arrived at the abode of Lao-jze,

who

said to him,

'I am,' was the Are you come from AV/u's ? reply. 'And why, Sir, have you come with such a multitude of attendants ^ ? Nan-yung was frightened, '

and turned

head round

his

look behind him.

'Do you not understand my meaning ?' The other held his head down and was ashamed, Lao-jze said,

and then he got at

The

in the

and sighed, saying, I forthe moment what I should reply to your

lifted

in the

sense of

and read

Comj)are the Shih,

I believe the

up,

former of these sentences

^ih-Xiang or

II, v,

difficult.

take

pht.

Ode

2, 3.

fowls of Shan-tung are

still

larger than those of

Ffi-X'icn.

good instance of Lao's metaphorical

style.

PT.

III.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF ZWANG-3ZE.

and in consequence I have lost what I What do you mean ? wished to ask you.' If I have not wisdom, men say that I am stupid \ while question,

have

occasions distress to myself.

it,

have not benevolence, then

charged) with

have it, I distress have not righteousness, I (am charged with) injuring others, while if I have it, I distress How can I escape from these dilemmas ? myself. doing hurt to others, while myself.

if I

These are the three perplexities that trouble me and I wish at the suggestion of A7/u to ask you about them.' Lao-^ze replied, A little time ago, when I saw you and looked right into your eyes ^ I understood you, and now your words confirm the judgment which I formed. You look frightened and amazed. You have lost your parents, and are try;

ing with a pole to find

them

at the (bottom of) the

You have gone astray you are at your wit's You wish to recover your proper nature, and know you not what step to take first to find it. You sea.

;

end.

are to be pitied

Nan-yung

KJm

asked to be allowed to enter and have an apartment assigned (There) he sought to realise the qualities to him^. which he loved, and put away those which he hated. For ten days he afflicted himself, and then waited again on Lao-^ze, who said to him, You must purify yourself thoroughly But from your symptoms of 5.

(the establishment),

In the text

or probably

it is

The

-%i must be an erroneous addition,

a mistake for the speaker's

between the eye-brows and

Literally,

Thus we

are as

how he

were

name j^. eye-lashes.'

in the school of Lao-^ze,

deals with his pupils.

and can see

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxiii.

and signs of impurity about you, I see there still seem to cling to you things that you dislike. When the fettering influences from without become distress,

numerous, and you try to seize them (you it

difficult task)

inner

man

;

the better plan

get

intertwined,

similar

influences

difficult

task to grasp (and hold

better plan exit.

Even

istics will

them

Tao and

a master of the

check)

the is

it ;

the

door against their

to bar the outer

will find

bar your

And when

agfainst their entrance.

within

its

character-

not be able to control these two influences

how much less can one who is only Tao do so Nan-yung KJiix said, villager got an illness, and when his neigh-

together, and

a student of the

certain

he was able to describe the malady, though it was one from which he had not When I ask you about the Grand suffered before. Tao, it seems to me like drinkinof medicine which

bours asked about

it,

(only serves to) increase to

illness.

should like

hear from you about the regular method of

guarding the

;

life

— that

will

sufficient for me.'

Lao-^ze replied, (You ask me about) the regular method of guarding the life can you hold the One thing fast in your embrace ? Can you keep from losing it ? Can you know the lucky and the unlucky '

;

—

without having recourse to the tortoise-shell or the

Can you

you ought to rest) ? Can you stop (when you have got enough) Can you give over thinking of other men, and seek what you want in yourself (alone) ? Can you flee (from the allurements of desire) ? Can you maintain an entire simplicity? Can you become a little child ? divining stalks

rest (w^iere

.-*

The

child will cry

becoming hoarse

;

all

— so

the day, without perfect

the

its

throat

harmony

(of

PT.

its

SECT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF XWANG-3ZE.

physical constitution). all

such

the concentration of

its

eyes fixed unaffected

fingers

its

the day without relaxing their grasp

closed is

keep

It will

its

powers.

day, without their

all

by what

external to

keep

It will

moving; it.

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;so

walks

it knows not whither it rests where it is placed, it knows not why it is calmly indifferent to things, and follows their current. This is the regular method ;

;

of oruardino- the

Nan-yung

life \'

KJiix

said,

characteristics of the Perfect

And man

are these ? '

all

the

Lao-^ze replied,

These are what we call the breaking up of the ice, and the dissolving of the cold. The Perfect '

No.

man, along with other men, gets his food from the earth, and derives his joy from his Heaven (-conferred

But he does not like them allow himself be troubled by the consideration of advantage or injury coming from men and things he does not like them do strange things, or form plans, or enter on undertakings he flees from the allurements of desire, and pursues his way with an entire simplicity. Such is the way by which he guards his nature). to

;

life.' '

Not

And

quite.

little child.

what

this w^hat constitutes his perfection

asked you whether you could become

The

little

child

moves unconscious of

doing, and walks unconscious of whither

body is like the branch of a rotten tree, and its mind is like slaked lime -. Being such, misery does not come to it, nor happiness. It has is

going.

this

Its

long reply there are

passages in the

Tao Teh

many

A'ing;

evident

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;compare

recognitions of

chapters

10,

55, 58*

See the description of 3ze-X'/n's Taoistic trance

ning of the second Book. [40]

at the

begin-

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

neither misery nor happiness

from

the calamities incident to

He whose mind

Heavenly

men

light

BK. XXIII.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;how

;

men

suffer

thus grandly fixed emits a

In him who emits

light.

can

When

see the (True) man.

heavenly

this

man

has

cultivated himself (up to this point), thenceforth

When he is thus conremains constant in himself. stant in himself, (what is merely) the human element Heaven

leave him*, but

will

Those

help him.

will

we call the whom their human Those whom Heaven helps people of Heaven^. we call the Sons of Heaven. Those who would by element has

learning attain to this^ seek for

Nan-yung Khii disappears

here.

Kh\\, disappeared in paragraph 4.

name

by Sze-ma K/nen

written

ductory note on

p. 153.

His

The is

left

what they cannot

first

master,

different

mentioned

way

Kang-sang

which

his

in the brief intro-

should have been further stated there

Book of Lieh-^ze (IV, 2^-'^^) some account of his name as written by Kfntn. A great officer of

that in the Fourth

him

Kh^n

given with

introduced as boasting of him that he was a sage, and,

through his mastery of the principles of Lao Tan, could hear with

and see with

his eyes

to the court of the

his ears.

marquis of

him which he had heard was

Hereupon Khang-jhang

false,

whom

brought

he says that the report of

adding that he could dispense

with the use of his senses altogether, but could not alter their several

This being reported

functions. it,

but ^

to Confucius,

he simply laughs

makes no remark. suppose that from

this

to the

sentiments of ^wang-^^ze himself.

end of the Book we have the Whether we consider them his,

the teachings of Lao-jze to his visitor, they are among the depths of Taoism, which I will not attempt to elucidate in the

notes here. ^

The

meaning

character which '

Tlic

have translated 'mind' here

and metaphorically used

'^^

for 'the

house of the mind. Hu explains it by i^ gjxj). emancipated from the human as contrary to the heavenly.

breast,' as the

the side walls of a house,'

Tao.

PT,

III.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

8'3

Those who would by effort attain to this, attempt what effort can never effect. Those who aim by reasoning to reach it reason where reasoning learn.

has no place.

To know

to stop

by means of knowledge ment. Those who cannot do on the lathe of Heaven.

arrive

body

Where

things are

where they cannot the highest attain-

this will

be destroyed

adjusted to maintain the

all

where a provision against unforeseen dangers life of the mind where an inward reverence is cherished to be exhibited (in all intercourse) with others where this is done, and yet all evils arrive, they are from Heaven, and not from the men themselves. They will not be sufficient to confound the established (virtue of the character), or be admitted into the Tower of Intelligence. That Tower has its Guardian, who acts unconsciously, and whose care will not be effective, if there be any conscious purpose in it ^ If one who has not this entire sincerity in himself make any outward demonstration, every such demonstration will be incorrect. The thing will enter into him, and not let go its hold. Then with every fresh demonstration there will be still greater failure. If he do what is not good in the light of open day, men will have the opportunity of punishing him if he do it in darkness and secrecy, spirits- will inflict the punishment. Let a man understand this his relation both to men and spirits, and then he will do what is good in the solitude of himself. ;

kept up to maintain the

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

This Guardian of the Mind or Tower of Intelligence

the

TAao. ^

One

of the rare introductions of spiritual agency in the early

Taoism.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

He whose

rule of life

He whose

the sake of a name.

for

himself does not act

BK. XXIII.

rule

outside

himself has his will set on extensive acquisition. He who does not act for the sake of a name emits a light even in his ordinary conduct; he

set

Men

how he

see

that he

extensive acquisition

who

exhaustively (acquainted

make himself w^th them), while when one (tries to)

do not

indifferent to them, they

ment

will

Things enter (and

overtopping others.

whose

but a trafficker.

stands on tiptoe, while he thinks

take possession of) him

And how

in his person.

find

can other

any lodg-

men

find

But when one denies lodgment to men, there are none who feel attachment to him. In this condition he is cut off from other men. There is no weapon more deadly than the wilP; even Mu-ye^ was inferior to it. There is no robber greater than the Yin and Yang, from whom nothing can escape of all between heaven and earth. But it is not the Yin and Yang that play the robber; it is the mind that causes them to do so. such lodo^ment

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The Tao

be found in the subdivisions (of be found) in that when comand when broken up. What I dislike in con-

subject)

its

plete,

sidering

;

(It

as subdivided,

to the multiplication of

that multiplication of)

the

effort

to secure

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;and

that it.

that the division leads

what

Therefore when

That is, the will, man's own human element, Heavenly element of the Tao.

Wu.

One

of the two famous swords

Sec the account of

their

dislike in

leads to the (thought

made

making in

man)

in opposition to

for Ho-lu, the

king of

the seventy-fourth chapter

of the 'History of the Various States;' very marvellous, but evidently,

and acknowledged

to be, fabulous.

PT.

III.

SECT.

comes

THE WRITINGS OF

forth (and

born),

A'\VANG-3ZE.

he did not return

we should have

his previous non-existence),

(to

(only)

when he comes forth and gets this (as we say). He is extinguished, (this is another way and yet has a real existence of saying that in life we have) only man's ghost. By taking the material as an emblem of the immaterial do we arrive at a settlement of the case of seen his ghost (return),

;

he dies

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

man.

comes forth, but from no root he reby no aperture. He has a real existence, has nothing to do with place he has con;

enters, but

but

;

tinuance, but

end.

do with

has nothing to do with beginning or

has a real existence, but

place, such

continuance, but or end, such

has death

;

All

things

has nothing to

he has

has nothing to do with beginning he has life he

he comes forth ;

his relation to space;

his relation to time

not see his form of Heaven.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

all this is

The door

come from

;

he enters

what

Heaven

is is

;

but

we do

called the door

Non-Existence.

non-existence.

existences could not bring themselves

The

(first)

into exist-

ence they must have come from non-existence. And non-existence is just the same as non-existing. ;

Herein

the secret of the sages.

Amonof the ancients there were those whose knowledge reached the extreme point. And what was that point ? There were some who thought This was that in the beginning there was nothing. 10.

extreme point, the completest reach of their knowledge, to which nothing could be added. Again, there were those who supposed that (in the beginning) there were existences, proceeding to consider life to be a (gradual) perishing, and death a returnthe

ing (to the original state).

And

there they stopped,

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxiil.

making, (however), a distinction between life and Once again there were those who said, In death. the beginning there was nothing by and by there '

;

was Hfe and then in a Httle time life was succeeded hold that non-existence was the head, by death. But life the body, and death the os coccygls. ;

of those

who acknowledge

existence, death and

Keeper, we are the

life,

that existence

are

all

Though

friends.'

and non-

under the One those

who

maintained these three views were different, they

were so as the different branches of the same ruling Family (of Khi\) \ the A'aos and the /v'ings, bearing the surname of the lord whom they honoured as the author of their branch, and the A'ias named

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

from their appanage

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

(all

one, yet seeming) not to

be one.

The

possession of

under a the

boiler.

life is

life is like

When

spoken of as

that

differently distributed,

But to say that life and better in one than

different.

different in different lives,

another,

there

the soot that collects

an improper mode of speech. And yet may be something here which we do not know, is

(As

for instance), at the la sacrifice the

the

divided hoofs

may be

set

paunch and forth on separate

dishes, but they should not

be considered as parts of different victims (and again), when one is inspecting, a house, he goes over it all, even the adytum for the shrines of the temple, and visits also the most private apartments; doing this, and setting a different estimate on the different parts. Let me try and speak of this method of appor;

' Both Lao ami A'wang belonged was natural to them.

K/m, and

this illustration

PT.

SECT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF ATWANG-SZE.

tioning one's

approval

consideration

From

this

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

life

knowledge

the is

fundamental

the instructor.

they multiply their approvals and

approvals, determining

what

They go on

is real.

dis-

merely nominal and

to conclude that to

them-

must the appeal be made in everything, and make others adopt them as their model prepared even to die to make good their views on every point. In this way they consider being employed in office as a mark of wisdom, and not being so employed as a mark of stupidity, success as entitling to fame, and the want of it as disgraceful. The men of the present day who follow this dlfferentiatlngf method are like the cicada and the little there is no difference between them. dove selves

to try to

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

When

one treads on the foot of another In the market-place, he apologises on the ground of the If an elder tread on his younger brother, he bustle. If a parent tread on a proceeds to comfort him II.

;

child, '

he says and does nothing.

The

politeness

greatest

respect to others

;

the greatest

wisdom

the greatest benevolence

said,

special

the greatest righteousness

take no account of things lay no plans

Hence it show no

make

the greatest good no demonstration of affection faith is to give no pledge of sincerity.' unravel the Repress the impulses of the will to entanglements errors of the mind put away the virtue and clear away all that obstructs the free course of the Tao, Honours and riches, distinctions ;

;

and austerity, fame and profit duce the impulses of the will. ^

See

Bk.

;

these six things pro-

Personal appearance

par. 2.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxiii.

and deportment, the desire of beauty and subtle reasonings, excitement of the breath and cherished these six things produce errors of the thoughts Hatred and longings, joy and anger, grief mind. and delight these six things are the entanglements Refusals and approachments, receiving to virtue. and ability these six things knowledge giving, and ;

;

with

conditions,

the

rect,

still

pellucid,

;

do not Being cor-

correct.

still,

pellucid

from pre-occupation

free

mind

being

these four

of each,

causes

six

agitate the breast, the

When

Tao.

obstruct the course of the

;

being

;

being free

from pre-occupation, it is in the state of inaction, which it accomplishes everything.

The Tao

the

Life

virtues.

object of reverence to

what gives opportunity

play of the virtues. character of the is

life.

that

the

for the dis-

The nature is the substantive The movement of the nature

When

called action.

we say The

all

has lost

action

(its

becomes

hypocritical,

proper attribute).

wise communicate with what is external to them and are always laying plans. This is what with all their wisdom they are not aware of they ;

When

look at things askance. nature) is

from external constraint, we have what

called virtue

what to

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the action (of the

;

when

one's own,

all

we have

government. These two names seem be opposite to each other, but in reality they are mutual accord.

called

was skilful

stupid in wishing end.

The

sage

in hitting the

men

go on praising him without Heavenwards, but stupid

skilful

minutest mark, but

See on V, par.

PT.

III.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

manwards. It is only the complete man who can be both skilful Heavenwards and good manwards. Only an insect can play the insect, only an insect

show the hates

Even

insect nature.

attempt

the

the complete

exemplify the

man

nature

Heaven. He hates the manner in which men do so, and how much more would he hate the doino- so by himself before men !

When

way of I, he was sure mastery with his bow. the world were to be made a cage, birds would

to obtain If all

a bird came it

;

— such

the

was

his

have nowhere to escape to. Thus it was that Thang caged I Yin by making him his cook ^ and that duke Mu of A7/in caged Pai-li Hsi by giving

him ^. But cage men by anything but what they the skins of five rams for

you try to you will

like,

never succeed.

man, one of whose feet has been cut off, discards ornamental (clothes) his outward appearance will not admit of admiration. A criminal under sentence of death will ascend to any height without fear he has ceased to think of life or death. When one persists in not reciprocating the gifts (of friendship), he forgets all others. Having forgotten all others, he may be considered as a Heaven-like man. Therefore when respect is shown to a man, and it awakens in him no joy, and when contempt awakens no anger, it is only one who shares in the Heaven-like harmony that can be thus. When he would display anger and yet is not angry, the anger comes out in that repression of it. When he would put forth action, and yet does not do so, ;

;

—

See IMencius V,

JMencius V,

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxiil.

Desiring to be quiesis in that not-acting. he must pacify all his emotions desiring to be spirit-like, he must act in conformity with his mind. When action is required of him, he wishes that it may be right and it then is under an inevitable the action

cent,

;

constraint.

Those who

act

evitable constraint pursue the

according to that

way

of the sage.

in-

PT,

SECT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF

II.

A'WANG-,=!ZF..

BOOK XXIV. Part

Hsii

Wu-kwel

Hsli

Section

III.

II.

Wu-kwei^

havinor

obtained throuoh

Nii

Shang an introduction to the marquis of Wei ^ the marquis, speaking to him with kindly sympathy^, ^

You

you have suffered from your ^ in the forests, and still you have been willing to come and see poor me^.' Hsii Wu-kwei replied, It is I who have to comfort your lordship what occasion have you to comfort me ? If your lordship go on to fill up the measure of your sensual desires, and to prolong your likes and said,

are

Sir

ill.

hard and laborious

;

toils

;

then the condition of your mental nature

dislikes,

be diseased, and

will

you discourage and repress

those desires, and deny your likings and dislikings, that

will

See

vol.

be an

affliction

your ears and eyes

xxxix, pp. 153, 154.

and minister of the marquis Wu. This was the second marquis of Wei, one of the three principalities into which the great state of 3in had been broken up, and ^

favourite

which he ruled as the marquis

His son usurped the

whom Mencius had

title

for sixteen years, b. c.

of king, and was the

interviews with.

Wu,

386-371.

king Hui of Liang,'

martial,' Nvas A'l's

honorary, posthumous epithet. *

The

character

second and fourth. next,

it is

fort or

reward for

The

which

thus translate, has two tones, the

Here and elsewhere in

this

paragraph and the

with one exception in the fourth tone, meaning

occurrence, ^

(^)

toils

endured.'

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; hard and laborious '

The one exception

com-

its

toils.'

appropriate and humble designation of himself by the

ruler of a state.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxiv.

—

it is for (deprived of their accustomed pleasures) me to comfort your lordship, what occasion have ;

The marquis looked conyou to comfort me ? temptuous, and made no reply. After a little time, Hsli Wu-kwei said, Let me tell '

—

I look at dogs and judge your lordship something: One of the lowest of them by their appearance ^

quality seizes his food, satiates himself,

— he has the attributes of a seems

and stops

;

One of a medium sun. One of the

fox.

be looking at the highest quality seems to have forgotten the one thing, himself. But I judge still better of horses than I do quality

—

of doofs.

When

forward, as off,

so,

find that

following a line

so as to describe a

hook

;

one

oroes straio-ht-

that another turns

that a third describes a

a fourth describes a circle

and that as exactly as a compass

would make

all

square as

following the measure so called

it.

These are

;

horses of a state

but

His

they are not equal to a horse of the kingdom. qualities are complete.

;

Now he looks anxious now ;

way now to be forgetting himself. Such a horse prances along, or rushes on, spurning the dust and not knowing where he is.' The marquis was greatly pleased and laughed.

to be losing the

When

;

Wu-kwei came out. Nil Shane said to was it. Sir, that you by your counsels produced such an effect on our ruler ? In my coun-

him,

Hsli

How

sellings of him,

now

indirectly, taking

subjects

from the Books of Poetry, History, Rites, and Music now directly, from the Metal Tablets ", and the six Bow-cases 2, all calculated for the service (of the ;

Literally,

The names

physiognomise dogs.' of two Books, or Collections of Tablets, the former

PT.

III.

State),

SECT.

and

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

II.

be of great benefit

—

in these counrepeated times without number, I have never seen the ruler show his teeth in a smile by ;

sellings,

—

what counsels have you made him so pleased to-day?' Hsu Wu-kwei replied, I only told him how I judged of dogs and horses by looking at their appearance.' 'So?' said Nil Shang, and the other rejoined, 'Have you not heard of the wanderer ^ from Yiieh ? when he had been gone from the state several days, he was glad when he saw any one whom he had seen in it when he had been gone a month, he was glad when he saw any one whom he had known in it and when he had been gone a round year, he was glad when he saw any one who looked like a native of it. The longer he was gone, the more longingly did he think of the people was it not so ? The men who withdraw to empty valleys, where the hellebore bushes stop up the little paths made by the weasels, as they push their way or stand amid the waste, are glad when they seem to hear the sounds of human footsteps and how much more would they be so, if it were their brothers and relatives talking and laughing by their side How long it is since the words of a True- man were heard as he talked and laughed by our ruler's side !' '

;

—

;

(another) interview of

the marquis

Wu,

been dwelling

Hsu Wu-kwei

with

You,

have

the latter said,

in the forests for

Sir,

a long time, living

containing Registers of the Population, the latter treating of military subjects. ^

Kwo

Hsiang makes

this

a banished criminal.'

This

not

necessary. ^

Wu-kwei then had

a high opinion of his

own

attainments in

Taoism, and a low opinion of Nii Shang and the other

courtiers.

BK. xxiv.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

C)4

on acorns and chestnuts, and satiating onions and chives, without thinking Now (that you are here), is it because or because you wish to try again the

and meat

yourself with

of poor me. you are old ? taste of wine

or because (you wish that)

may

enjoy

the happiness derived from the spirits of the altars of the

Hsu Wu-kwei replied, poor and mean condition, and have

Land and Grain?'

I was born in a never presumed to drink of your lordship's wine, My object in coming was or eat of your meat. under your troubles.' to comfort your lordship Yes, troubles ? my under me What ? comfort '

both your lordship's spirit and body.' The marquis said, 'What do you mean?' His Heaven and Earth have one and visitor replied,

to comfort

the

same purpose

In the

production (of

However hieh one man be

all

men).

exalted, he should not

and however low may be the position of another, he should not

think that he

favourably dealt with

;

unfavourably dealt with.

You

are

Indeed the one and only lord of the 10,000 chariots (of your state), but you use your dignity to embitter (the lives of) all the people, and to pamper your

But your spirit does The spirit (of man) loves to not acquiesce in this. be in harmony with others and hates selfish indulgence \ This selfish Indulgence is a disease, and ears, eyes, nose,

and mouth.

would comfort you under It. How Is It that your lordship more than others brings this The marquis said, I have disease on yourself ? wished to see you, Sir, for a long time. I want to love my people, and by the exercise of righteous-

therefore

Wii-kwei had a high idea of the constitution of

human

nature.

PT.

III.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

II.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

make an end of war will that be sufficient ?' Hsu Wii-kwei replied, By no means. To love the By the people is the first step to injure them\ exercise of riohteousness to make an end of war is ness to

;

the root from which war

produced \ If your lordship try to accomplish your object in this way, you are not likely to succeed. All attempts to accomplish what we think good (with an ulterior Although your lordend) is a bad contrivance. is

ship practise benevolence and righteousness (as you

be no better than hypocrisy. You may indeed assume the (outward) form, but successful accomplishment will lead to (inward) contention, and the change thence arising will produce Your lordship also must not outward fighting. mass files of soldiers in the passages of your galleries and towers, nor have footmen and horsemen Do not let in the apartments about your altars ^. hidden your success lie in your contrary to thoughts propose),

will

mind do not think of conquering men by artifice, If I kill the or by (skilful) plans, or by fighting. officers and people of another state, and annex its ;

territory, spirit

where

to satisfy

selfish desires, while in

do not know whether the fighting be good, is

best plan

the victory that is

gain

Your

abandon (your purpose).

lordship's If

you

will

cultivate in your breast the sincere purpose (to love

Heaven

the people), and so respond to the feeling of

and Earth, and not people will

(further)

already have

vex

yourself, then

escaped death

Taoistic teaching, but questionable.

;

your

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; what

need more information about the customs of the feudal

princes fully to understand the language of this sentence.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XXIV.

occasion will your lordship have to

make an end

of war

Hwang-Ti was going to see Ta-kwel at the of A'u-jhze. Fang Ming was acting as charioteer, ^

hill

and K/iding Yli was occupying the third place in the carriage. A^angZo and Hsi Phang went before the horses and Khwan Hwun and Kii Kk\ followed the carriage. When they arrived at the wild of Hsiangk/i^ng, the seven sages were all perplexed, and could Just then find no place at which to ask the way. and asked tending some horses, with boy a they met Do you know,' they said, the the way of him. and he replied that he did. He A'u-jhze?' hill of also said that he knew where Ta-kwei was living. A strange boy is this said Hwang-Ti. He not only knows the hill of A^iiihze, but he also knows where Ta-kwei is livinof. Let me ask him about The boy said, The the government of mankind.' ;

kingdom

administration of the

doing)

When all

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;what

difficulty

was young,

like this (which

should there be

it ?

enjoyed myself roaming over

within the six confines of the world of space, and

then

began

to suffer

from

A wise

indistinct sight.

elder taught me, saying, " Ride in the chariot of the

person.

(or Thai)-k\vei (or Avei) appears here as the It

cannot be the name of a

be.

The whole paragraph

kwei

interpretation.

the character

it is

;

lesson of the paragraph

other places.

it,

Tao

itself,

though

to justify this

further supposed to be a per-

Great Simplicity,' which

the spontaneity of

of a

said

kwei can be adduced

The horseherd boy

sonification of the

many

probably a personification of the Great

no meaning of

Tao,

name

by some to parabolic or allegorical and Tahill,

characteristic of the

unvexed by the wisdom of man. The that taught in the eleventh Book, and

PT.

SECT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

II.

and roam

sun,

the trouble in

the wild of Hsianor-A7^anof.

eyes

little

Now

and

better,

again enjoying myself roaming outside the six conof the kingdom,

what

world of space.

fines of the

difficulty

it is

like this

to the

(which

should there be

doing);

Hwang-Ti

in it?'

'The administration of the world

said,

government

am is

indeed not

your business, my son nevertheless, I beg to ask you about it' The little lad declined to answer, but on Hwang-Ti putting the question again, he ;

said,

differ

who

In what does the governor of the kingdom

from him who has the tending of horses, and has only to put away whatever in him would '

injure the horses

Hwang-Ti bowed the ground, called

him twice with his head to him his Heavenly Master',' and to

withdrew. 4. If officers of wisdom do not see the changes which their anxious thinking has suggested, they have no joy if debaters are not able to set forth ;

have no joy; it critical examiners find no subjects on which to exercise their powers of vituperation, they have no joy they are all hampered by external restrictions. Those who try to attract the attention of their age (wish to) rise at court those who try to win the regard their views in orderly style, they

;

of the people- count holding office a glory

who

This

those

;

themselves ^

the

who

are bold and daring exeri;

times of calamity

title

;

those

who

the

Taking the first

tone, the

[nO]

are able

borne to the present day by the chief or pope

of Taoism, the representative of A'ang Tao-ling of our ^

those

possess muscular strength boast of doing what

difficult

;

initial

/('ung in the third tone.

meaning

different. II

first

century.

we take

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxiv.

swordmen and spearmen delight in fighting those whose powers are decayed seek to rest in the name ;

(they have gained)

seek

laws

who

those

the

enlarge

who

those

;

are skilled in the

scope of government

are proficient in ceremonies and music

pay careful attention to their deportment and those who profess benevolence and righteousness value ;

opportunities (for displaying them).

The husbandmen who do weeded are not equal

well

not keep their fields

to their business, nor are

who do not thrive in the markets. When common people have their appropriate employ-

traders

the

ment morning and another to diligence of their

implements

evening,

they stimulate one

the mechanics

;

feel

who

greedy are

dis-

their wealth does not increase, the

tressed

;

their

are masters

strong for their work.

power and influence

not growing,

the ambitious are sad.

Such creatures of circumstance and things delight in changes, and if they meet with a time when they can show what they can do, they cannot keep themThey all pursue selves from taking advantage of it. their own way like (the seasons of) the year, and do not change as things do. They give the reins to their bodies and natures, and allow themselves to sink beneath (the pressure of) things, and all their lifetime do not come back (to their proper selves) :

is it

not sad

/v"wang-jze

said,

archer, without taking

aim beforehand, yet may hit the mark. If we say that he is a good archer, and that all the world may '

All

the parties in

this

paragraph disallow the great principle

of Taoism, which does everything by doing nothing.

PT.

III.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF

II.

this allowable

continued,

K'vja.ng-^ze

Hui-^ze replied,

men do

All

A'\VANG-3ZE.

is.'

not agree in

counting the same thing to be right, but every one

own view to be men may be Yaos, is this

maintains his all

(again) '

Very

'It

replied,

well

(Ti),

is;'

Yang

(A'li),

(different schools).

(if

;

allowable

say) that

Hui-^ze

and A'wang-jze went

there are the

;

right

literati,

and of Ping

on,

the followers of "

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; making four

Including yourself, Master, there

Which of your view^s is really right ? Or you take the position of Lu A'ii ^ ? One of his disciples said to him, " Master, I have got hold of your method. I can in winter heat the furnace under my tripod, and in summer can produce ice." LCi ATi said, " That is only with the Yang element to call out the same, and with the Yin to call out I will show you the yin that is not my method. what my method is." On this he tuned two citherns, placing one of them in the hall, and the other in one of the inner apartments. Striking the note Kung"*

are

five.

will

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the one, the

same note vibrated

in the

other,

and so it was with the note A'io'*; the two instruments being tuned in the same way. But if he had differently tuned them on other strings different

The famous

century '*

par.

archer of the Hsia dynasty, in the twenty-second

b. c.

The name

Kung-sun Lung,

the

Lung

Li-/7/an of Bk.

XXI.

' Only mentioned here. The statement of his disciple and his remark on it are equally obscure, though the latter is partially illustrated from the twenty-third, twenty-fourth, and other hexagrams

Yih A'ing. The sounds of

of the *

scale,

the

first

corresponding to our

and third notes of the Chinese musical and E. I know too litde of music

myself to pronounce further on Lij II

A'ii's illustration.

BK. XXIV.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

lOO

from the normal arrangement of the

would

strings

five-and-twenty

five notes, the

have vibrated,

all

without any difference of their notes, the note to which he had tuned them ruling and guiding all the Is

others.

your maintaining your view to be right

just like this ?' literati, and that Suppose and Ping. the followers of Mo, Yang, They put they have come to dispute with me.

Hui-jze replied,

Here now are the

conflicting

their

forth

statements

me down proved me wrong

ferously to put

;

they try voci-

but none of them have

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;what

do you say to A'wang-jze said, There was a man of Kh\ this ? who cast away his son in Sung to be a gatekeeper there, and thinking nothing of the mutilation he would incur the same man, to secure one of his sacrificial vessels or bells, would have it strapped and secured, while to find his son who was lost, he would so not go out of the territory of his own state forgetful was he of the relative importance of things. If a man of KJm, going to another state as a lame gate-keeper, at midnight, at a time when no one was nigh, were to fight with his boatman, he would not be able to reach the shore, and he would have done \' what he could to provoke the boatman's animosity ever

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

6. As ATwang-jze was accompanying a funeral, when passing by the grave of Hui-jze^, he looked

'riie illustrations in this last

are defective to

member

Lin Ilsi-^'ung says that

obscure.

;

his

own

all

of the paragraph are also

the old explanations of

explanation has failed to

make

them

itself clear

me. 2

The

Master,'

expression in the

makes

friend with

whom

last

sentence of the paragraph, 'the

certain that this

he had had so

was the grave of ^wang-^ze's conversations and arguments.

many

PT.

SECT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

11.

lOI

round, and said to his attendants, 'On the top of the

man

nose of that

of Ying-^ there

like a fly's wing.'

cut

(little) bit

man

of Ying^ standing undisturbed.

ruler Yiian of

Sung

artisan Shih,

and said

thing on me.'

The

been able on which

heard of the

artisan

have worked has been dead

Kwan A'ung him, and

very severe

said,

will

A^ung

;

for a long

Since the death of the

duke

ill,

work upon.

said,

talk.'

Hwan went

to ask

A^mg, is should you not speak out your mind this

Your

father

illness,

prove the great

illness, to

me to entrust my State To whom does your grace wish

be best for

trust it?'

'To Pao

not do.

will

being

said,

Should

called the

feat,

Try and do the same said, Your servant has

to him,

Master, I have had no material have had no one with whom to

The

to trim things in that way, but the material

A'wang-.^ze

time.'

en-

leaving the nose uninjured, and the (statue

tirely,

of) the

mud

a wind, wdiich immediately carried off the

for

Shih whirled his axe so as to produce

away.

sent for the artisan Shih to

Shii-ya

^,'

was the

an admirable

reply.

officer,

whom Kwan to en-

'He

pure and

who are not like himAnd when he once hears

incorruptible, but with others self

Ymg

will

not associate.

was the

capital of

Kim.

graves of wealthy and distinguished

have seen in China about the

men many

men somehow connected wiih them. 2 Yiian is called the ruler of Sung. '

time a mere dependency of Kfn.

The

life-sized statues of

That duchy was by

this

sacrifices of its old ruling

House were finally extinguished by Kfn in b. c. 206. 3 Pao Shu-ya had been the life-long friend of the dying premier, and to him in the first place had been owing the elevation of Hwan to the marquisate.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

102

BK. xxiv,

If of another man's faults, he never forgets them. you employ him to administer the state, above, he will

take the leading of your Grace, and, below, he

will

come

time you

duke was,

said,

do.

into collision with the people

Who,

and

who

man who

whom

ashamed

pities those

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Hsi Phang^;

forgets his

no long

The

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he

own high

will

position,

those below him wall not revolt.

that he

who

not equal to Hwang-Ti,

Him

are not equal to himself.

call

imparts of his wealth to others

of worth.

offender.'

man

the

imparts of his virtue to others

him who

man

then,

must speak, there

and against

be holding him as an

will

He who by

a sage

call

would preside winning them he

his w^orth

over others, never succeeds

;

w^ho w'lth his worth condescends to others, never

Hsi Phang has not been (much) heard of in the state he has not been (much) distinguished in his own clan. But as I must

but succeeds

winning them.

;

speak, he

the

The king

man of

for you.'

Wu,

floating

about on the ATiang,

(landed and) ascended the Hill of monkeys, which

when they saw him, scampered themselves

among

however, w^hich,

all,

and hid There was one, an unconcerned way, swung about off In terror,

the thick hazels.

on the branches, displaying

Its

cleverness to the king,

who thereon discharged an arrow

at It. With a nimble motion it caught the swift arrow, and the king ordered his attendants to hurry forward and shoot It and thus the monkey was seized and killed. ;

The '

king then, looking round, said to his friend

For a long time a great

)ear as

Kwan

-ATung himself.

officer of

Kid, but

lie

Yen

died in the same

PT.

III.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF A:WANG-3ZE.

II.

Pu-i\ 'This

monkey made

a display of

I03

its

artful-

and trusted in its agility, to show me its arrothis it was which brought it to this fate. gance Take warning from it. Ah do not by your looks give yourself haughty airs !' Yen Pu-i \ when he returned home, put himself under the teaching of Tung Wu^ to root up- his pride. He put away what he delighted in and abjured distinction. In three years the people of the kingdom spoke of him ness,

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

with admiration.

Nan-po 3ze-/C'//i^ was seated, leaning forward on and sighing gently as he looked up to heaven. (Just then) Yen AV/ang-jze ^ came in, and said, when he saw him, Master, you surpass all others. Is it right to make your body thus like a mass of withered bones, and your mind like so 9.

his stool,

much

slaked lime

The

lived in a grotto on a

hill.

once came to see me, and

other said,

all

that time

formerly

Thien

the multitudes of

Kh\

congratulated him thrice (on his having found the I must first have shown myself, and was that he knew me I must first have been selling (what I had), and so it was that he came to buy. If I had not shown what I possessed, how should he have known it; if I had not been selling (myself), how should he have come to buy me ? I pity

proper man). so

;

^ We know these names only from their occurrence here. \Vu must have been a professor of Taoism.

The

a hoe.'

text here

is ]|)[j,

The Khang-hsi

the character, but ^

See the

first

find

but

explained as

dictionary does not give this it

in that of

paragraph of Bk.

'^"^^ ^^ ^^^

marquis of A7n

'to help

in b. c. 389.

Yen

Tung

'^},

meaning of

Yiian.

II.

of Sze-ma A7nen,

who became

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

I04

men who

the

who

lose themselves

pity others (for not being

pity the

men who

;

also pity the

known)

men who

pity the

BK. xxiv.

pity others.

But since then the time I

in the state in

and

also

pity those that

by; (and so

;

men

is long gone which you have

found me)^. lo. A'ung-ni, having gone to Khix, the king ordered wine to be presented to him. Sun Shu-ao stood, =*

holding the goblet

having received

sacrificial libation,

an occasion as

in his

(a cup),

and

this,

hand.

poured

said,

!-liao of its

Shih-nan ^ contents out as a

'The men of

made some

old,

on such

A'ung-ni

speech.'

have heard of speech without words but I have never spoken it; I will do so now. f-liao of said,

;

Shih-nan kept (quietly) handling his

spheres,

In seeking for worldly honours.

That sire

little

is,

have abjured

attainment in the

Tao

all

desire for worldly honour,

and de-

alone.

See Mencius VI,

iOwang who

ii, 15. Sun Shu-ao was chief minister to king died in b.c. 591, and died, probably, before Confucius

was born, and

I-liao (p. 28, n. 3)

the death of the sage.

The

appears in public

three

men

life

only after

could not have appeared

together at any time.

This account of their doing so was devised by our author as a peg on which to hang his own lessons in the rest of the

found

The two historical events referred to I have They are instances of doing nothing, accomplishing what is very great. The action of

paragraph.

diflicult to discover.

and yet thereby

i-liao in quietly handling his balls recalls my seeing the same thing done by a gentleman at AV/ii-fau, the city of Confucius, '

in 1873.

Being

there with a companion, and not knowing Grand Canal, many gentlem.en came to advise with us how we should proceed. Among them was one who, while

how

left

to get to the

tendering his advice, kept rolling about two brass balls in one palm with tlic fingers of the other hand. When I asked the meaning of his action, I was told, To show how he is at his ease and master of the situation.' I mention the circumstance because I have nowhere found the phrase in the text adequately explained. '

PT.

III.

SECT.

and the

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

II.

IO5

between the two Houses were Shu-ao slept undisturbed on his

difficulties

resolved

;

Sun

couch, with his (dancer's) feather in his hand, and

men

of Ying enrolled themselves for the w^ar. had a beak three cubits lone ^' In the case of those two (ministers) we have what is called The Way that cannot be trodden ^ ;' in (the case of A'ung-ni) we have what is called the Argument without words -.' Therefore when all attributes are comprehended in the unity of the Tao, and speech stops at the point to which knowledge the I

wish

does not reach, the conduct there

(not)

But where

complete.

Tao, the

the unity of the

attributes

cannot (always) be the same, and that which is beyond the reach of knowledge cannot be exhibited by

any reasoning. There may be as many names as those employed by the Literati and the Mohists, but (the result

is)

Thus when

evil.

reject the streams that flow into

course,

we have

the sea does not it

in their

eastward

the perfection of greatness.

sage embraces in his regard both

The

Heaven and Earth

;

under the sky

;

his beneficent influence extends to all

and we do not know from whom it comes. Therefore though when living one may have no rank, and when dead no honorary epithet though the reality (of what he is) may not be acknowledged and his name not established we have in him what is called The Great Man.' A dog is not reckoned good because it barks well and a man is not reckoned wise because he speaks ;

;

This strange wish concludes the speech of Confucius. is from A'wang-jze.

follows "^

Compare the opening chapters of The Tao is greater than any and

the all

Tao Teh of

its

A'ing.

attributes.

What

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

I06 skilfully

;— how much

less

BK. xxiv.

can he be deemed Great

one thuiks he is Great, he is not fit to be achow much less is he so from the counted Great Now none practice of the attributes (of the Tao)M If

;

—

Heaven and Earth but do they seek for anything to make them so grandly complete ? He who knows this grand completion are so grandly complete as

does not seek for

;

he loses nothing and abandons

;

he does not change himself from regard to he turns in on himself, and finds (external) things nothing

;

there an inexhaustible store

and does not

feel

about

perfect sincerity of the

;

he follows antiquity

(for its lessons)

;

— such

the

Great Man.

had eight sons. Having arranged them before him, he called A'iu-fang Yan ^, and said to him, Look at the physiognomy of my sons for II. 3ze-/'/^i

me — which Khwan is ;

the

be the fortunate one fortunate

and joyfully

startled,

replied,

will

Khwan

said,

Yan

life.'

The

uneasy, burst into tears, and said,

When

Yan

meals of the ruler

father looked

What

son done that he should come to such a fate replied,

looked

^z^-Ichi

one.'

said.

'In what way?'

will share the

of a state to the end of his

has ? '

my Yan

one shares the meals of the ruler

of a state, blessings reach to

all

within the three

how much more to and mother But you. Master, weep when you hear this you oppose (the idea of) such happiness. It is the good fortune of your son, and

branches of his kindred^, and his

father

;

—

See note 3 on previous page.

This can hardly be any oiher but Nan-kwo ^ze-kh\. A famous physiognomist some say, of horses. Hwai-nan 3ze

calls ^

;

him A'iu-fang Kao

(ffi.).

See Mayers's Manual,

303.

PT.

SECT.

III.

II.

THE WRITINGS OF ATWANG-SZE.

IO7

you count it his misfortune.' ^7,Q-kk\ said, O Yan, what sufficient ground have you for knowing that this will be Khwan's good fortune ? (The fortune) that is summed up in wine and flesh affects only the nose and the mouth, but you are not able to know how it will come about. I have never been a shepherd, and yet a ewe lambed in the south-west corner I have never been fond of hunting, of my house. and yet a quail hatched her young in the south-east If these were not prodigies, what can be corner. accounted such } Where I wish to occupy my mind with my son is in (the wide sphere of) heaven and I wish to seek his enjoyment and mine in earth (the idea of) Heaven, and our support from the Earth. I do not mix myself up with him in the affairs (of the world) nor in forming plans (for his advantage) nor in the practice of what is strange. I pursue with him the perfect virtue of Heaven and Earth, and do not allow ourselves to be troubled by outward things. I seek to be with him in a state of undisturbed indifference, and not to practise what affairs might indicate as likely to be advan'

;

tageous.

And now

vulgar recompense.

there

Whenever

come

there

this

a strange

must have been strange conduct. Danger threatens not through any sin of me or of my son, but as brought about, I apprehend, by Heaven. It is this which makes me weep Not long after this, ^zQ-k/ii sent off Khwan to go to Yen\ wdien he was made prisoner by some robbers on the way. It would have been difficult to sell him if he were whole and entire, and they thought realisation, there

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The

state so called.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

I08

their easiest plan

They

first.

was

cut off (one of his) feet

did so, and sold

became Inspector of roads theless he had flesh to eat

BK. XXIV.

him

Kh\, where he

for a Mr. Kh\x^. till

Never-

he died.

Nieh AVmeh met Hsli Yu (on the way), and said to him, Where, Sir, are you going- x.q}' 'I am 'What do you fleeing from Yao,' was the reply. ? mean Yao has become so bent on his benevolence that I am afraid the world will laugh at him, and that in future ages men will be found eating 12.

Now

one another^. without

difliculty.

with affection

;

the people are collected together

Love them, and they respond and they come to you

benefit them,

;

and they are stimulated (to please you) make them to experience what they dislike, and they disperse. When the loving and benefiting proceed from benevolence and righteousness, those who forget the benevolence and righteousness, and those who make a profit of them, are the many. In this way the practice of benevolence and righteousness comes to be without sincerity and is like a borrowing of the instruments with which men catch birds ^ In all this the one man's seekino; to benefit the world by his decisions and enactments (of such a nature) is as if he were to cut through (the nature of all) by one operation Yao knows how wise and

praise them,

;

superior

men

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

can benefit the world, but he does not

One

expert supposes the text here to mean duke Khxa;' but was no such duke of Kh\. The best explanation seems to be Khn was a rich gentleman, inspector of the roads oiKhX, or of '

there that

the streets of

its

capital,

who bought Khwan

for him. ^

Compare

scheming

Bk. XXIII, par. for one"s

own

advantage.

to take his duties

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

PT.Ill.SECT.il.

IO9

know how they injure it. It is only those w^ho stand outside such men that know this \' There are the pliable and weak the easy and hasty the grasping and crooked. Those who are called the pliable and weak learn the words of some

also

;

one master,

which they freely yield their assent,

being secretly pleased with themselves, and thinking that their knowledge

is sufficient, while they do have not yet begun (to underIt is this which makes them stand) a single thing. The easy and hasty are like so pliable and weak. lice on a pig. The lice select a place w^iere the bristles are more wide apart, and look on it as a great palace or a large park. The slits between the toes, the overlappings of its skin, about its nipples and its thighs, all these seem to them safe apartments and advantageous places they do not know that the butcher one morning, swinging about his arms, will spread the grass, and kindle the fire, so that they and the pig will be roasted together. So do they appear and disappear with the place where they harboured this is why they are called the easy and hasty. Of the grasping and crooked we have an example in Shun. Mutton has no craving for ants, but ants have a craving for mutton, for it is rank. There was a rankness about the conduct of Shun, and the people were pleased with him. Hence w^hen he thrice changed his residence, every one of them became a capital city ^. When he came to the wild

not

know

that they

—

;

tence,

—

suppose that the words of Hsii

and

that

from

the sentiments of

this

the

^wang-jze

end of

himself.

but sometimes coarse. ^

—

See note on Mencius V,

2, 3.

stop with

the paragraph

The

style

his,

this

sen-

we have

—graphic

BK. xxiv,

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

jlO

of Tang', he had 100,000 famiUes about him. Yao having heard of the virtue and abiHty of Shun, appointed him to a new and uncultivated territory,

look forward to the benefit of his coming When Shun was appointed to this new terri-

saying,

here.'

were advanced, and his intelligence was decayed; and yet he could not find a place This is an example of being of rest or a home. grasping and wayward.

tory, his years

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Therefore

(in

opposition to such) the spirit-like

dislikes the flocking of the multitudes to him.

man

and from results benefit no not agree, do when they Hence there are none whom he their coming. near to himself, and none whom he brings very

When

the multitudes come, they do not agree

;

He keeps his virtue in keeps at a great distance. (the spirit of) nourishes warmly and close embrace, harmony, so as to be in accordance with all men. This

called the

True man

of the ant he puts

of the fishes

away

;

hearing that of the ear its

general

its

his plans are simply those

;

level as

every change

simply that of the eye; his

mind

his

;

Beino-

exercises.

and

straight

the knowledge

even the notions of the sheep he

His seeing

discards.

Even

such,

governed by his

marked out by a

course line,

and

accordance (with the circum-

stances of the case).

The True men

13.

of old waited for the issues

of events as the arrangements of Heaven, and did

human efforts The True men

not by their

Heaven. ' "^

â&#x20AC;˘''

Situation

The

try to take the place of

of old (now) looked on

unknown.

spirit-like

man and

the true

Fishes forget everything in

llie

man

water.

are the same.

PT.

SECT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF A:WANG-3ZE.

II.

success as

and on

life

failure as

on success as death and on

death

failure

I I I

and (now)

;

operation of medicines will illustrate this:

The

life.

— there are

monk's-bane, the /-ieh-kang, the tribulus fruit, and each of these has the time and case for

china-root

;

which

supremely suitable

Kau-/w'ien^

took his

and all such plants and be mentioned particularly. station on (the hill of) Kwai-/f7?i

with 3,000

men with

their buff-coats

it is

;

their suitabilities cannot

Kung knew how

minister)

and shields:

—

(his

the ruined (Yiieh) might

be preserved, but the same man did not know the sad fate in store for himself. Hence it is said, The eye of the owl has its proper fitness the leg still

;

of the crane has

would

its

proper

limit,

distress (the bird).'

(further) said,

volume of the

When

river

to cut off

Hence

(also)

the wind passes over

the sun passes over

and

diminished, and so

it.

But

let

it is

any it

it,

the

w^hen

the wind and sun

keep a watch together on the river, and it will not begin to feel that they are doing it any injury: it relies on its springs and flows on.' Thus, water does its part to the ground with undeviating exactness and so does the shadow to the substance and one

—

;

thing to another.

Therefore there

danger from

the power of vision in the eyes, of hearing in the

and of the inordinate thinking of the mind yea, there is danger from the exercise of every power of which man's constitution is the depository. ears,

;

between Kau-X'ien of Yiieh and and some following chapters of the History of the various States of the Eastern A'au (Li eh Kwo A'ih).' We have sympathy with Kau-X-ien, till his ingratitude to his two great ministers, one of whom was Wan ATung (the Aung ^

See the account of the

Fu-y('/^ai

struQ:trle

in the eightieth

of the

text),

shows the baseness of

his character.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

112

When

the danger has

come

averted, and the calamity

increasing.

security)

The

BK. XXIV.

to a head,

perpetuated, and goes

return from this (to a state of

the result of (great)

effort,

and success and yet

can be attained only after a long time

men

;

consider (their power of self-determination) as

their precious possession: this

cannot be

way

that

we have

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

not sad?

the ruin of states and the

slaughtering of the people without end

one knows how to ask how 14.

Therefore,

the

It is in

comes about.

man on

feet

while no

;

the earth

tread but on a small space, but going on to where he has not trod before, he traverses a great distance

knowledge is but small, but going on what he does not already know, he comes to know what is meant by Heaven^ He knows it as The Great Unity; The Great Mystery; The Great Illuminator; The Great Framer The Great Boundlessness The Great Truth The Great Determiner. This makes his knowledge complete. As The Great Unity, he comprehends it as The Great Mystery, he unfolds it; as the Great Illuminator, he contemplates it; as the Great P>amer, it is to him the Cause of all as the Great Boundlessness, all is to him its embodiment; as The Great Truth, he examines it; as The Great Determiner, he holds easily; so his

;

it fast.

Thus Heaven

him

all

the brightest intelligence.

its

pivot

;

in this is

Tao

Obscurity has

sets forth the

as leading to the

and the means by which

may be

in this

culmination of

knowledge of

attained

Such being the

the beginning.

This paragraph grandly

quiries into the

accordance with

;

to.

all

in-

Heaven;

PT.

III.

SECT.

case, the explanation of

planation

;

{At

the knowledge of

knowledge.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

II.

if it is

were no exwere no

if it

he does not know

first)

afterwards he comes to

know

it.

it,

but

In his inquiries,

he must not set to himself any limits, and yet he Now ascending, now cannot be without a limit. slipping from the grasp, (the Tao) descending, then is yet a reality, unchanged now as in antiquity, and may it not be called what always without defect is capable of the greatest display and expansion ? :

Why

should

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

not inquire into

it ?

Why

should

With what does not it ? perplexes, till we cease what us explain

we be perplexed about perplex to

let

be perplexed.

freedom from

[40]

all

So may we perplexity

arrive

great

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

114

BOOK XXV. Part

Section

III.

BK. xxv.

III.

3eh-yang^ 3Gh-yang having travelled to AV/u, I A'ieh ^ spoke of him to the king, and then, before the king had granted him an interview, (left him, and) returned home. 3^h-yang went to see Wang Kwo ", and said to him, Master, why do you not mention I.

to the king

Wang Kwo

? '

replied,

not

so good a person to do that as Kung-ylieh Hsiu '

What

sort of

reply was,

and

man

mountain.

asked the other, and the

In winter he spears turtles in the A'iang,

summer he

When

rests

A'ieh

shady places on the

passers-by ask him (what he

doing there), he says, "This 1

*.'

was not able

abode."

Since

to induce the king to see you,

should I, who am not equal to him, be able to do so I A'ieh's character is this he has no (real) virtue, but he has knowledge. If you

how much

less

do not

freely yield yourself to him, but

to carry

on his

will certainly

get upset and benighted in the region

His help

virtuous character, but will go to

See

employ him you

spirit-like influence (with you),

of riches and honours.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

will

not be of a

make your

virtue

xxxix, pp. 154, 155. Khu, and, j)robably, a parasite of the court. officer of AVni, 'a worthy man.' vol.

native of

reckise of

K/m, but not keeping

quite aloof

from the court.

PT.

III.

less

SECT.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

III.

will

heaping on clothes

II5 spring

as a protection against cold, or bringing back the cold winds of winter as a protection against heat

summer).

(in

Now

king of

the

domineering presence and

stern.

giveness for offenders, but It is

only a

man

KJi\\

has no

for-

merciless as a tiger.

of subtle speech, or one of correct

who can bend him from his purpose ^ But the sagely man ^, when he is left in obscurity,

virtue, '

causes the

members of when he

poverty; and,

his family to forget

their

gets forward to a position

of influence, causes kings and dukes to forget their

rank and emoluments, and transforms them to be

With the

inferior creatures, he shares and they enjoy themselves the more with other men, he rejoices in the fellowship of the Tao, and preserves it in himself. Therefore though he may not speak, he gives them to drink of the harmony (of his spirit). Standing in association with them, he transforms them till they become in their feeling towards him as sons with a father. His wish is to return to the solitude of his own mind, and this is the effect of his occasional inter-

humble.

their pleasures,

course with them.

;

far-reaching

on the minds of men and therefore "Wait for Kung-yiieh Hsiu." ;

his influence

said to you,

The

sage comprehends the

connexions be-

tween himself and others, and how they all go to constitute him of one body with them, and he does not know how it is so he naturally does so. In fulfilling his constitution, as acted on and acting, he ;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

INIuch of the description of I A'ieh

Kung-yiieh Hsiu. I

is difficult

to construe.

TEXTS OF TAOISM.

TiiE

Heaven

(simply) follows the direction of in

consequence of

this that

bk. xxv.

men

style

and

;

him

(a sage).

he were troubled about (the insufficiency of) his knowledge, what he did would always be but small, how and sometimes would be arrested altogether If

;

would he in this case be (the sage) ? saee) is born with all his excellence, it

who

see

for him.

they did not

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

When

(the

other

men

tell

him, he

would not know that he was more excellent than And when he knows it, he is as if he did others. not know it when he hears it, he is as if he did His source of joy in it has no end, and not hear it. all this takes men's admiration of him has no end ;

;

place naturally ^

receives

its

The

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

love of the sage for others

name from them.

If they did not tell

him of it, he would not know that he loved them and when he knows it, he is as if he knew it not when he hears it, he is as if he heard it not. His love of others never has an end, and their rest in all this takes place naturally \ him has also no end ;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

When

one sees at a distance his old country and old city, he feels a joyous satisfaction ^. Though it be full of mounds and an overgrowth of trees and grass, and when he enters it he finds but a tenth part remaining, still he feels that satis3.

How much

faction.

more when he sees

saw, and hears what he heard before

him

That

requires

the

men.

all

is,

w'hat he

All this

tower eighty cubits high exhibited

like a

sight of

he does so the

The

in the spontaneity of his nature.'

employment of

the

term

nature

here,

not

according to any abstract usage of the term, but meaning the natural constitution. ^

So does he

Compare

the j'^

rejoice in attaining to the

in ^Mencius VII,

knowledge of

30.

his nature.

PT. in. SECT.

(The

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-HZE.

III.

I] 7

Zan-hsiangi was possessed of that central principle round which all things revolve-, and by it he could follow them to their sovereig;n)

His accompanying them had neither and was independent of impulse or time. Daily he witnessed their changes, and himself underwent no change and why should he not have rested in this? If we (try to) adopt completion.

ending

nor beginning,

;

Heaven

our Master,

incapacitate ourselves

Such endeavour brings us under the power of things. If one acts in this way, what is to be said of him ? The sage never thinks of men. Heaven nor of He does not think of takings from doing

so.

the initiative, nor of anything external to himself.

He moves or

fail.

along with his age, and does not vary

Amid

the completeness of his doings,

all

For those who wish

never exhausted.

accord with him, what other course

pursue

there to

When Thang

got one to hold for him the reins

of government,

namely, Man-yin Tang-hang 3, he

employed him as

his

teacher.

followed his

master, but did not allow himself to be

by him, and so he succeeded

The master had

their completion.

that

name was

and the

the utmost ^

See

as the *

but

was

A'ung-ni's

same phraseology

Task

three

Book

;

but

government was )

our thoughts to

Hwang

August ones.

II, par. 3.

taking these four cliaracters

of one man.

There was a human element

some

tlie

have followed Lin Hsi-/'un2:

name

his expression of the duties of a

sage sovereign prior to tlie

the

a superfluous addition to his laws,

tw^ofold character of his

made apparent

hampered

in following things to

critics

think the text here

instead of the Heavenly only;

erroneous or defective.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

Il8

Take

BK. XXV.

master.

Yung-khang

and there

without what will be no year be nothing external ^'

there will

Wei made

away

the days

internal

;

(King) Yung^ of

said,

a treaty with the

marquis Thien Mau^ (of /v/ii), which the latter The king was enraged, and intended to violated.

man to assassinate him. When the Minister of War^ heard of it, he was ashamed, and said (to the king), 'You are a ruler of 10,000 chariots, and by means of a common man would avenge yourself send a

I beg you to give me, Yen, the on your enemy. command of 200,000 soldiers to attack him for you. I will take captive his people and officers, halter

oxen and horses, kindling a fire I will within him that shall burn to his backbone. and when he shall run then storm his capital away in terror, I will flog his back and break his Al-jze ^ heard of this advice, and was spine.' ashamed of it, and said (to the king), We have (and lead

off) his

;

been raising the wall (of our capital) to a height of eighty cubits, and the work has been completed. If we now get it thrown down, it will be a painful It is now seven years toil to the convict builders. Said

have

been employed by Hwang-Ti

make

the

calendar. 2 ''

370-317do not find the name

B.C. I

The name

rulers of A'/n.

been before

us,

was -^, \Vu,

mistake; or 'the marquis Literally,

War

Wei,

memoir of him Â°

Mau

as belonging to

any of the

of the successor of Thien for

Mau' may

which

INIau,

at this

may be

the Minister of

time a Kung-sun Yen.

Sze-ma AVnen, Book IX of do not know that anything more can be in

than that they were ofiicers of Wei.

be a creation of our author.

the Rhinoceros' Head,' the tide of

who was

Thien

Ho, who has

See the

his Biographies.

said of A'l

and

Hwa

PT.

III.

SECT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

since our troops

were called

and this is the Yen would introduce

out,

foundation of the royal sway.

— he should not be listened

Hwa-jze ^ heard of this advice, and, greatly disapproving of it, said (to the king), He who shows his skill in sayand ing " Attack KJA " would produce disorder disorder

;

to.'

;

he who shows his skill in saying it" would also produce disorder. (merely) say, "

should

The

Do not attack And one who

counsellors

attack

Kh\ and not

to attack it would both produce diswould himself also lead to the same result.' The The king said, Yes, but what am I to do ? reply was, You have only to seek for (the rule of)

order,"

the

Tao

(on the subject).'

Hui-jze, having heard of this counsel, introduced

Tai Sin-san^, who said, There is the ?' creature called a snail does your majesty know it On the left horn of the snail there is a I do.' kinodom which is called Provocation, and on the to the king

;

right horn another which

These

called Stupidity.

two kingdoms are continually striving about their The corpses that lie on territories and fighting. The army the ground amount to several myriads. but in flight, of one may be defeated and put to The king said, Pooh fifteen days it will return.' '

that

empty

talk

The

other rejoined,

Your

servant begs to show your majesty its real signifiWhen your majesty thinks of space east, cance. west, north, and south, above and beneath— can

—

you kino;

any limit to it ? and his visitor went '

set ;

'It on,

is illimitable,' '

See note 5 on preceding page.

Evidently a

man

said the

Your majesty knows

of considerable reach of thought.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

I20

how

BK. xxv.

mind thus travel through the illimitcompared with this) does it not seem whether the kins^doms that communi-

to let your

and yet

able,

insienificant

(as

cate one with another exist or replies,

'Among

does so;' and Tai

not

The

Sii'^-'^'an

king

said, finally,

those kingdoms, stretching one after an-

other, there

this

Wei

;

Wei

there

this (city

Liang ^ and in Liang there is your majesty. Can you make any distinction between yourself, and (the king of that kingdom of) Stupidity?' To this the king answered, There is no distinction,'

of)

;

went out, while the king remained disconcerted and seemed to have lost himself. When the visitor was gone, Hui-jze came in and saw the king, who said, That stranger is a Great man. An (ordinary) sage is not equal to him.' Hui-jze replied, If you blow into a flute, there come out its pleasant notes if you blow into a sword-hilt, there is nothing but a wheezing sound. Yao and Shun are the subjects of men's praises, but if you speak of them before Tai 5in--ÂŁ^an, there will be but the wheezing sound.'

and

his visitor

;

A7m, was lodging in Congee at Ant-hill. On

Confucius, having gone to

the house of a seller of

the roof of a neighbouring house there appeared the

husband and female 2.

state ^

his wife, with their servants,

3^e-lu said,

What

are those people doing,

Liang, the capital, came to be used also as the as in Mcncius. ;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

They were on

the roof, repairing

got on the roof, to get out of the

male and

it,'

way of

say some.

name '

of the

They had

Confucius,' say others.

The sequel shows that this second interpretation is correct but we do not see how the taking to the roof facilitated their departure ;

from the house.

PT. in. SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF ATWANG-HZE.

III.

collected there as '

see

them

121

A'ung-ni replied,

The man is a disciple of the sages. le is burying among the people, and hiding among the 1

himself

Reputation has become

fields.

little in

his e3'es, but

no bound to his cherished aims. ThouLdi he may speak with his mouth, he never tells what is in his mind. Moreover, he is at variance with the age, and his mind disdains to associate with it he is one who may be said to lie hid at the bottom of there

;

the water on the dry land. I

Liao of Shih-nan

? '

3^e-l^i

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Is he not a sort of asked leave to go and

Stop. He knows that He knows that am come to Khi\, and thinks that T am sure to try and get the king to invite him (to court). He also thinks that am a man swift to speak. Being such a man, he

him, but Confucius said,

call I

understand him well.

would

fee]

ashamed

to listen to the w^ords of

voluble and flattering tongue, and

come himself and see

think that he will remain here

went 6.

to see

how

The Border-warden

government be

how much more to And why should '

3^e-lLi,

however,

was, but found the house empty.

ing 3ze-lao^, said, his

his person!

one of

of A'/^ang-wu \

Let not a ruler

(like the farmer)

question-

the exercise of

who

leaves the

clods unbroken, nor, in regulating his people, (like

one)

who

recklessly plucks

ploughing

and

my my

up the shoots. Formerly,

corn-fields,

left

the

clods

un-

recompense was in the rough and in weeding, I destroyed and tore up (many good plants), and my recompense was in the scantiness of my harvests. In subsebroken,

unsatisfactory crops

;

Probably the same as the A7;ang-wu 3ze

See Analects IX,

vi, 4.

Book

II, par. 9.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

122 years

quent

changed

BK. xxv.

ploughing

methods,

and deeply and carefully covering up my harvests were rich and abundant, so that all the

the year

had more than

could

seed

;

When

eat.'

A'wangize heard of his remarks, he said, Now-adays, most men, in attending to their bodies and '

regulating their minds, correspond to the descrip-

They

tion of the Border-warden.

Heaven (-given being)

selves their

care of) their (proper) nature

Thus

who

;

they leave

(all

they extinguish their

and they leave abandoning themselves to what (proper) feelings

tice.

hide from them-

their spirit to die is

the general prac-

dealine with their nature like the farmer

neelieent of the clods in his

soil,

the

illeoriti-

and dislikings become reeds, and rushes, sedges, bushy The which seem at first to spring up to support our bodies, gradually eradicate our nature, and it becomes like a mass of running sores, ever liable to flow out, with scabs and ulcers, discharging in flowSo indeed ing matter from the internal heat.

mate

results of their likings

their nature.

is!'

Po A^u^ was studying with Lao Tan, and asked go and travel everywhere. Lao Tan

his leave to said,

Nay

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; elsewhere

it is

would you go

first ?

replied the disciple.

look at the

just as here.'

peated his request, and then Lao

Tan

said,

re-

Where

would begin with

A7ii,'

Having got

there, I would had been exewould raise (one of) them

criminals (who

With my arms I up and set him on his feet, and, taking off my court robes, I would cover him with them, appealing at cuted).

can only say of Po

A'ii that

he was a disciple of Lao-jze.

PT.

the

SECT.

III.

same time

while

of the

said \ " first

son,

2." '

son,

123 his

lot,

you have been one

from the great calamities that (Lao Tan) said\ '(It is said),

to suffer

not rob.

up of

Heaven and bewailing

the world

afflict

THE WRITINGS OF i^WANG-SZE.

III.

not

cause of those evils

and disgrace, we see the the accumulation of pro-

;

(But) in the setting-

kill."

(the ideas of) glory

we see the causes of strife and now you set up the things against

perty and wealth, contention.

which men fret if you accumulate what produces strife and contention among them if you put their persons in such a state of distress, that they have no rest or ease, although you may wish that they should not come to the end of those (criminals), can your wish be realised ? ;

;

The

superior

men

(and rulers) of old considered

that the success (of their government)

found

the people, and

in (the state of)

be soucrht

themselves

;

was

its

failure to

that the rioht mioht be

with the people, and the wrong in themselves.

Thus

was that if but a single person lost his life, they and blamed themselves. Now% however, it (Rulers) conceal w^hat they want done, is not so. and hold those who do not know it to be stupid they require what is very difficult, and condemn those who do not dare to undertake it they impose heavy burdens, and punish those who are unequal they require men to go far, and put them to them it

retired

;

to death

When ^

when they cannot accomplish the distance. know that the utmost of their

the people

There are two P[

here,

and the

difficulty in translating is to

determine the subject of each. ^

The

of the text here

taken as

= ^^.

TME TEXTS OF TAOISM.'

124

BK. xxv.

Strength will be Insufficient, they follow deceit.

When

how

crisy, tical ?

(the rulers) daily exhibit

up with

much hypo-

can the officers and people not be hypocri-

Insufficiency of strength produces hypocrisy;

knowledge produces deception inmeans produces robbery. But in this case against whom ought the robbery and theft to insufficiency of

;

sufficiency of

be charged 8.

When KW

Po-yil

was

views became changed

his sixtieth year, his

the course of

had never before done anything but consider the views which he held to be right, but now he came to condemn them as wrong he did not know that M^hat he now called right was not what for fifty-nine years he had been calling wrong. All things have ;

life (which we know), but we do not see its root; they have their goings forth, but we do not know

the

Men

the door by which they depart.

honour lies within the sphere of their knowledge, but they do not know their dependence on what lies without that sphere which would be their (true) knowledge may we not call their case one of great perplexity ? Ah Ah there is no escaping all

that which

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

from

this

dilemma.

it is

9. A'ung-ni asked the Grand Historiographer' Ta Thao, (along with) Po A7/ang-/'//ien and A7/ih-wei,

saying, ^

'Duke Ling

Wei was

addicted

Confucius thought highly of this All Po-yii, and they were

friends (Analects,

XIV, 26; XV,

6).

would seem from

this

paragrajih ihat, in his sixtieth year, he adopted the principles of

Taoism.

Book IV, ^

Whether he

really

did

we cannot

tell.

See also Analects, XIV, 22.

but rather the contrary, that Confucius ever received a

Thien or

A'/zan

[40]

Han

2;.

gift

from

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

In this

them.

abased themselves before way their words and actions must

conduct they

their

BK. XXIX.

—

was it war together in their breasts not a contradiction and perversity? As it is said in The a book, " Who is bad ? and who is good ? successful is regarded as the Head, and the unhave been

;

successful as the Tail."

you do not follow the usual course of what is held to be right, but observe no distinction between the near and remote degrees of kin, no difference between the noble and the mean, no order between the old and the young, then how shall a separation be made of the fivefold arrangement (of the virtues), and the six parties Man Kau-teh replied, (in the social organisation)?' Yao killed his eldest son, and Shun banished his 3ze-/^ang said,

half-brother^

— did they observe the rules about the of kin

different degrees

Thang deposed

A"ieh

;

—did

they observe the

riofhteousness that should obtain

between the noble

king

overthrew

Kau

and the mean ? King Ki took the place of his elder did they brother-, and the duke of A"au killed his ^ observe the order that should obtain between the The Literati make hypoelder and the younger ? :

critical all

speeches

;

the followers of

should be loved equally:

— do

—

hold that

find in

them

the separation of the fivefold arrangement (of the

Exaggerations or misrepresentations.

was the so-called king ^i-li, the father of king Wan. state of ^au might descend to him, left and withdrew south to what was then the wild region of Wu.

King

A'l

His elder brother, that the it,

See Analects, VIII, ^

Who

;

the Shih King, III,

Ode

7. 3, 4.

had joined with Wu-kang, son of the tyrant of Yin,

rebellion, thus threatening the stability of the

new dynasty of A'au.

THE WRITINGS OF

PT, in. SECT. VII.

and the

virtues)',

And am all

tion)^

and

A'WANG-3ZE.

six parties (in the social organisa-

further, you, Sir, are all for reputation,

but where the actual search for reputation and gain may not be in accordance with principle and will not bear to be examined in I

for gain

;

the light of the right way,

let

me and you

refer the

matter to-morrow^ to the decision of Wu-yo^'

The small man pursues after man pursues after reputation.

(This Wu-yo) said,

wealth

the superior

;

The way

which they change their feelings and is different but if they were to cast away what they do, and replace it with doing nothing, they would be the same. Hence it is said, " Do not be a small man return and pursue after the Heavenly in you. Do not be a superior man follow in

alter their nature

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

the rule of the Heavenly in you.

view the thing

straight,

vealed in you.

Look

the light of

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

crooked, be

Heaven

as re-

round on every side of it, and cease your endeavours. Be it

all

as the time indicates, right,

wrong, hold

fast the ring in yourself in

Alone by yourself, ponder over the right way. Do not turn your course do not try to complete your righteousness. You will fail in what you do. Do not haste to be rich do not follow after your perfection. If you do, you will lose the heavenly in you." which

all

conditions converge.

carry out your idea

;

Probably what are called

The

parties in the

the five constant virtues.'

Three Bonds of

Society,' or

Three Cardinal

Objects of Duty. '

So Lu

Shu-yl-ih

(0 =

Wu-yo

name, which is the simplest construction, we must still recognise its meaning as denoting 'one who is unbound by the conventionalities of opinion.' Much of what he is made to say is in rhyme, and might also be so translated. *

take

as a

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

l8o *

Pi-kan had his heart cut out

eyes gouged out

— such

;

were the

3ze-hsu had his

consequences

evil

The upright person bore father Wei Shang was drowned

of their loyalty. against his

BK. XXIX.

;

witness :

—such

were the misfortunes of good faith. Pao-^ze stood till he was dried up Shan-^ze would not defend himself^: such were the injuries brought on by disinterestedness. Confucius did not see his mother ^ Khwang-^ze'* did not see his father: such were the ;

—

of the righteous. These are instances handed down from former ages, and talked about failures

in these later times.

They show

how

superior

men, in their determination to be correct in their words and resolute in their conduct, paid the penalty of these misfortunes, and were involved in these distresses.'

Mr. Dissatisfied^ asked Mr. Know-the-Mean ^ saying, 'There is no man after all who does not strive 3.

and pursue after gain. When men are rich, then others go to them. Going to them, they put themselves beneath them. In that position they do honour to them as nobler than themselves. But to for reputation

^ '^

See the Analects, XIII, 18. The reading of the name here

identification perhaps

with Shan Shang

not certain.

(E^ /jrY

The

best

the eldest son

of duke Hsien of ^'m,

who was put to death on a false charge of having put poison into his father's food, from which he would not defend himself. ^

The Khwang^ang

false charge.

of Mencius, IV,

ii,

30, q.v.

Both of these names are fictitious. About the meaning of the first, there can be no difference of opinion. I have given that of ^

the second according to my understanding of Ki, Book XXVIII, section I.

it,

—

see in the Li

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF

SECT. VII.

III.

A'WANG-3ZE.

l8l

see others taking that position and doing honour to us

way

the

prolong

and

Hfe,

to secure the rest

You

of the body and the satisfaction of the mind. alone, Sir, however,

have no idea of

your knowledge

deficient

this.

that

you have

the knowledge, but want the strength to carry into practice

is it

do what you consider

man judging

now

and

living in the

that

jured

right,

mind

made up

and never allow yourreplied, 'Here

us, his

contemporaries,

same neighbourhood

consider ourselves scholars

all

Know-the-Mean

self to forget it?' this

that your

as himself,

who have

ab-

vulgar ways and risen above the w^orld.

entirely without the thought of submitting to

the rule of what ancient

right.

therefore studies

the present, and

times and

the

differing

questions about the right and wrong, and agrees

with the vulgar ideas and influences of the age, abandoning what is most important and discarding

most honourable, in order to be free to act But is he not wide of the mark when as he does. he thinks that this is the w^ay to promote long life, and to secure the rest of the body and the satisfaction of the mind ? He has his painful afflictions and

what

he does not inquire how his body is so variously affected he has his apprehensive terrors, and his happy joys, but he does not his quiet repose, but

;

how his mind has such different experiences. He knows how to pursue his course, but he does not know why he does so. Even if he had the dignity inquire

of the Son of Heaven, and all the wealth of the kingdom were his, he would not be beyond the reach of '

misfortunes

But riches are

and in

evils.'

Dissatisfied

rejoined,

every w^ay advantageous to man.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

l82

With them

his

BK. xxix.

attainment of the beautiful and

mastery of every art become what the perfect cannot obtain nor the sagely

man

reach to

man his

;

appropriation of the bravery and strength of others

enables him to exercise a powerful sway

;

his avail-

wisdom and plans of others makes him be accounted intelligent and discriminating his taking advantage of the virtues of others makes him be esteemed able and good. Though he may not be the holder of a state, he is looked to with awe as a ruler and father. Moreover, music, beauty, with the pleasures of the taste and of power, are appreciated by men's minds and rejoiced in without any previous learning of them the body reposes in them without waiting for the example of others. Desire and dislike, avoidance and pursuit, do not ing himself of the

;

require any master;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

this

Though

the world

of them,

who can refrain from The action of the

replied,

the

good

the nature of man.

may condemn

the

it ?

wise

one's indulgence

Know-the-Mean is

directed

for

but they do not go and degree. Therefore when they have enough, they do not strive (for more) they have no further object, and so they do not seek for one. When they have not enough, against

people,

the (proper) rule

;

they

seek for

will

;

they will strive for

every

and yet not think of themselves as greedy. they have (already) a superfluity, they will de-

quarter, If

cline (any

more) they will decline the throne, and yet not think of themselves as disinterested the con;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

ditions of disinterestedness

and greediness are (with them) not from the constraint of anything external.

Through

may be

their exercise of introspection, their

power

that of the sovereign, but they will not in

PT.

III.

SECT.

their nobility

may be

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-aZE.

VII.

be arrogant to others

their wealth

;

that of the whole kingdom, but they will

not in their possession of

They

183

make

mock of

others.

estimate the evils to which they are exposed,

and are anxious about the reverses which they may

They

experience.

think

how

their possessions

may

be injurious to their nature, and therefore they will decline and not accept them but not because they seek for reputation and praise. Yao and Shun were the sovereigns, and harmony ;

—

prevailed.

did so, not because of their benevolence

towards the people

;

—they would

what was Shan ATlian

not, for

(deemed) admirable, injure their lives. and Hsil Yii might have been the sovereigns, but they would not receive the throne not that they ;

its

—

without purpose, but they would not by occupancy injure themselves. These all followed

declined

was advantageous to them, and declined what was injurious, and all the world celebrates their superiority. Thus, though they enjoy the distinction, they did what they did, not for the sake of the reputation and praise.' after W'hat

Dissatisfied '

(continued

In thus thinking

his

argument),

saying,

necessary for their reputation,

they bitterly distressed their bodies, denied themselves

what was

pleasant,

and

restricted themselves

to a bare sustenance in order to sustain their life; but so they had life-long distress, and long-continued

pressure replied, is

till

injurious

it is

so,

their death arrived.'

Tranquil ease :

— so

it is

with

Know-the-lNIean

happiness things,

all

where the superfluity

;

a superfluity

and

of wealth.

especiall)'

The

of the rich are provided with the music of

drums, flageolets and

flutes

;

and

their

ears

bells,

mouths are

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

184

Stuffed with the flesh of fed beasts

the richest flavour

BK. XXIX.

and with wine of

so are their desires satisfied,

;

till

—

theirs may be pronounced a condition of disorder. Sunk deeply in their self-sufficiency, they resemble individuals ascending a height with a heavy burden on their their condition may be pronounced one of backs

they forget their proper business

—

They covet

bitter suffering.

comfort from them fain

monopolise

they covet power, and would

;

riches, thinking to derive

when

quiet and retired, they

drowned in luxurious indulgence their persons they seem to shine, and they are full of boasting are

;

may be

said to be in a state of disease.

desire to be rich stores, and,

and striving

deaf to

—

In their

for gain, they

fill

their

admonition, refuse to desist

all

from their course. They are even more elated, their conduct may be proand hold on their way nounced disgraceful. When their wealth is amassed :

they cannot use

till

and

it,

not part with

will

—

they clasp it

;

when

to their breasts

their hearts are dis-

tressed with their very fulness, they

more and said to

will

not desist

—

still

their condition

seek for

may be

be sad. In-doors they are apprehensive of and begging thieves, and out-of-doors they

pilfering

are afraid of being injured by plundering robbers in-doors they have

many chambers and

;

partitions,

and out-of-doors they do not dare to go alone they may be said to be in a state of (constant) :

alarm.

These

most deplorable in the world, but they forget them all, and have lost their faculty of judgment. When the evil comes, though they begged it with all the powers of their nature, and by the sacrifice of all their wealth, they could '

six conditions are the

PT.

III.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

VII.

not bring back one day of untroubled peace.

they look for their reputation,

when they seek

for their wealth,

185

When

not to be seen

it is

;

not to be got.

task their thoughts, and destroy their bodies,

striving for (such an p^reat

delusion

end

as) this

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

is it

not a case of

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. xxx.

BOOK XXX. Part

YUeh

A'ien, or

Delight

Wan

Formerly, king

in the

Sword-fight

of A"ao^ delighted in the

More than

sword-fight. ters of the

Section VIII.

III.

three thousand men, mas-

weapon, appeared as

his guests, lining the

way on either side of his gate, and fighting together before him day and night. Over a hundred of them would die or be (severely) wounded in the course of a year, but he was never weary of looking on (at

was he of them. The three years, when the kingdom

their engagements), so fond

thing continued for

began

and other

to decay,

against

The

states to plan

measures

it.

crown-prince Khwei^ was distressed, and laid

the case before his attendants, saying,

any one

can persuade the king, and put an end to these

swordsmen, 'See

will

give him a thousand ounces of

vol. xxxix, pp. 158, 159.

Probably king Hui-wan

298-265) of A'ao, one of the 3in was subdivided, and which afterwards all claimed the sovereignty of the kingdom. In this Book A'wang-jze appears as a contemporary of king Wan, which ^

states into

which the great

makes

the

formerly

(b. c.

state of

commences seem

with which the paragraph

strange. ^

Sze-ma

fight,

nor of

ceeded by young.

K/mn this

his

says nothing of king

son Khwei.

son

Tan

(;|^'),

Wan's

love of the sword-

says that in 265

who appears

Wan

was

suc-

have been quite

THE WRITINGS OF i:WANG-3ZE.

PT, ni. SECT.viil.

187

His attendants said, (Only) A'wang-jze is Thereupon the prince sent men this,' do able to with a thousand ounces of silver to offer to /iwangjze, who, however, would not accept them, but went When he saw the prince, he wdth the messengers. said, O prince, w^hat have you to say to A'au, and The prince w^hy would you give me the silver?' replied, I have heard that you, master, are sagaI sent you respectfully the thoucious and sage. sand ounces of silver, as a prelude to the silks and But as you decline to receive them, other gifts ^ tell you (w^hat I washed from you)?' I now how dare ATwang-^ze rejoined, I have heard, O prince, that what you wanted me for was to wean the king from what is his delight. Suppose that in trying to persuade his Majesty I should offend him, and not fulfil your expectation, I shall be punished with death and could I then enjoy this silver ? Or suppose that I shall succeed in persuading his Majesty, and silver.'

;

accomplish what you desire, what

kingdom of A'ao not get

The

that

might ask

there in the

for

which

crowii-prince said,

Yes

but

;

the king, will see none but sw^ordsmen.' replied,

would

know

;

but

expert

(father),

A'wang-jze

the use of the

That is w^ell,' observed the prince the swordsmen wdiom his Majesty sees all have sw^ord.'

hair in a

tangle, with whiskers projecting out.

w^ear slouching caps with coarse tassels,

and

This,

think,

talk

the meaning.

but

their

They

and unornamented

their coats are cut short behind.

have staring eyes, and

;

They

about the hazards of

presents to your followers in attendance

may on

possibly

you.'

mean

for

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XXX.

game. The king is dehghted with all this but now you are sure to present yourself to him in your scholar's dress, and this will stand greatly in the way of your success.' A^vang-^ze said, I will then, with your leave, get me a swordsman's dress.' This was ready in three days, and when he appeared in it before the prince, the latter went with him to introduce him to the king, who then drew his sword from its scabbard their

and waited

for him.

When

/iTwang-jze entered the

he did not hurry forward, nor, when he saw the king, did he bow. The king asked him, What do you want to teach me, Sir, that you have got the prince to mention you beforehand?' The door of the

hall,

have heard that your Majesty is fond of the sword-fight, and therefore I have sought an interview with you on the ground of (my skill in the Wliat can you do with your use of) the sword.' Let me meet with sword against an opponent ? an opponent every ten paces, my sword would deal with him, so that I should not be stopped in a march reply was,

of a thousand

li.'

The king was

delighted with

him, and said, You have not your match in the kingdom.' /I'wang-jze replied, A good swordsman '

makes a feint (against his opponent), then seems to give him an advantage, and finally gives his thrust, reaching him before he can return the blow. I should like to have an opportunity to show you my skill.' The king said, Stop (for a little), Master. Go to your lodging, and wait for my orders. I will make arrangements for the play, and then first

call you.'

The

king accordingly

for seven

days,

till

made

trial

more than

swordsmen of them were

of his

sixty

rr.

III.

SECT.

THE WRITINGS OF

VIII.

made them

or six men, and

wounded.

killed, or (severely)

A'WANG-3ZE.

189

then selected five

bring their swords and

take their places beneath the

after

hall,

which he

To-day I am going to make (you and) these men show what you can do with your swords.' I have long been called TTwang-^ze,

and said

to him,

looking for the opportunity,'

replied

A'wang-jze.

The

king then asked him what would be the length of the sword which he would use and he said, Any '

;

have three swords, any one of which I will use, as may please your Majesty. Let me first tell you of them, and then go to the

length will suit me, but

arena.'

hear about the three and A%ang-5ze went on,

should like to

swords,' said

the

king

;

'There is the sword of the Son of Heaven; the sword of a feudal prince and the sword of a ;

common man.' What about '

the sword of the

'This sword has its

point

Yen-/c/ii'^

and

A7/i and (Mount) Tai

;

Son of Heaven ^

Shih-zC'/^ane^ for

for

its

edge

;

3if^

and Wei for its back A^au and Sung for its hilt Han and Wei for its sheath. It is embraced by the wild tribes all around it is wrapped up in the four seasons it is bound round by the Sea of Po'* and its girdle Is the enduring hills. It is regulated by the five elements its wielding is by means of Punishments and Kindness its unsheathing is like that of ;

;

Some

near the -

noted place in the state of Yen, the capital of ^vh^ch was

site

of the present Peking.

wall, north of

northern

Yen,

built as

a barrier of defence against the

tribes.-

Mount

Thai.

region lying along the present gulf of ^ih-li, between the

Pei-ho and the J^/i'mg-ho in Shan-tung.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

igO

Yin and Yang summer it is put in

the

;

When of

it is

laid

action in the

thrust forward, there

when

;

when

Hfted up, there

down, there

wheeled round, there of

above,

;

held fast in the spring and

;

BK. xxx.

autumn and

nothing above

nothing below

nothing

winter.

nothing in front

left

when

;

on any side and

cleaves the floating clouds

;

penetrates to every division of the earth. sword be once used, and the princes are all reformed, and the whole kingdom submits. This is the sword of the Son of Heaven \' King Wan looked lost in amazement, and said again, 'And what about the sword of a feudal lord ?' (TTwang-^ze) replied, This sword has wise and brave officers for its point pure and disinterested officers for its edge able and honourable officers for its back loyal and sage officers for its hilt valiant and eminent officers for its sheath. When this sword is thrust directly forward, as in the former

below,

Let

this

;

case, there

nothing

upwards, there there is

in front of

nothing above

nothing below

;

nothing on any side of

the three luminaries

its

seasons

;

between,

of the people, and in

below, is

all

;

Above,

it.

;

when directed when laid down, ;

when wheeled

from the round heaven, and the square earth, and

in in

its

round, there

law

taken

accordance with

law

taken from

accordance with the four

harmony with the minds

the parts of the state there

Let this sword be once used, and you seem to hear the crash of the thunder-peal. Within peace.

sword ^wang-jze evidently means the power of the and directed by good government. ^

this

sovereign, supported by the strength of the kingdom,

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF

SECT. VIII.

III.

the four borders there are none fully submit,

who do

and obey the orders of the

the sword of the feudal

And what about the

I9I

isTWANG-SZE.

not respectruler.

This

lord.'

sword of the common man

asked the king (once more).

{A'wang-5ze) replied,

The sword of the common man (is wielded by) who have their hair in a tangle, with whiskers projecting out who wear slouching caps with coarse *

those

;

and unornamented short behind

;

tassels,

who have

and have

their coats cut

staring e}es, and talk (only)

They

about the hazards (of their game).

hit at

one

xA-bove, the sword slashes and below, it scoops out the liver and luno-s. This is the sword of the common man. (The users of it) are not different from fighting cocks any morning their lives are brought to an end they are of no use in the affairs of the state. Your Majesty occupies the seat of the Son of Heaven, and that you should be so fond of the swordsmanship of such common men, is unworthy,

another before you.

through the neck

;

venture to think, of your Majesty.'

king drew AVang-jze with him, and

this the

where the cook set forth a meal, which the king walked round three

went up

to the top of the hall,

times (unable to him, self

Sit I

down

sit

quietly.

have said

King Wan,

down

all I

it).

A'wang-^ze said to

Great King, and calm yourwished to say about swords.'

thereafter, did not quit the palace for

three months, and the swordsmen selves in their

all

killed

them-

own rooms \

AVang-jze's parables had had their intended effect. It was The commennot in his mind to do anything for the swordsmen. 'Indignant at not being treated as they had been tators say: ^

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

before, they

all killed

themselves.'

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

192

BK. xxxi.

BOOK XXXI. Part

Section IX.

III.

Yii-fu, or

The Old Fisherman

Confucius, rambling in the forest of 3ze-wei^ stopped

and sat down by the Apricot altar. The disciples began to read their books, while he proceeded to play on his lute, singing as he did so. He had not half finished his ditty when an old fisherman stepped ^

See

vol. xxxix, p. 159.

forest or grove in the

neighbourhood of the capital of Lu. I do not know why the forest was so denominated. That I have correctly determined its position, however, may be inferred from a quotation in the Khang-hsi dictionary under the character than (=' altar') to the

3ze-wei means

black silken curtains;' and

Confucius, leaving (the capital of) Lu by the eastern on passing the old apricot altar, said, "This is the altar reared by 3ang Wan-y('ung to solemnise covenants." Dr. Morrison under the same than defines the second phrase hsing effect that

gate,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

thanâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; as The

place where Confucius taught,' which Dr. Williams, under hsing, has amplified into The place where Confucius had '

But the text does not justify so definite a conclusion. The picture which the Book raises before my mind is that of a his school.'

with a row or clump of apricot trees, along which was

forest,

a terrace, having on

the altar of

lake or at least a stream near to

Bang Wan-Z'ung, and

with a

which the ground sloped down. Here the writer introduces us to the sage and some of his disciples, on one occasion, when they were attracted from their books and music by the appearance of the old fisherman. I visited

1873,

called

i^ot far

it,

from the Confucian cemetery, a ruined building which was pointed out as the site of

the College of Au-Sze,'

the School of Confucius.

The

of the situation in this Book.

place would suit

all

the

demands

PT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

SECT. IX.

I93

down from

his boat, and came towards them. His beard and eyebrows were turning white his hair ;

was

uncombed

and his sleeves hung idly down. He walked thus up from the bank, till he got to the dry ground, when he stopped, and, with his left hand holdino: one of his knees, and the riirht hand at his chin, listened. When the ditty was finished, he beckoned to 3^e-kung and 3^G"1'-\ who both responded and went to him. Pointing to Confucius, he said, 'Who is he ?' 3ze-lu replied, He is the And of what family is he ?' Superior Man of Lii.' And what is the 'He is of the Khung family.' all

;

Khung?'

occupation of this Mr.

this question

3ze-lu gave no reply, but 3ze-kung replied, scion of the

Khung family

devotes himself

This

in his

own

nature to leal-heartedness and sincerity; in his con-

duct he manifests benevolence and righteousness

;

he cultivates the ornaments of ceremonies and music he pays special attention to the relation;

ships of society

;

above, he would promote loyalty

to the hereditary lords

formation of beinsf to

Khung The

all

below, he seeks the trans-

;

people

classes of the

kingdom

benefit the

devotes himself

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

this

his object

;

what Mr.

to.'

stranger further asked, 'Is he a ruler pos-

sessed of territory

No,'

was 3ze-kung's

reply.

No he the assistant of any prince or king ? lauoh retrace and to and on this the other began to his steps, saying as he went, Yes, benevolence is '

;

benevolence (the

evils

But

afraid he will not escape

incident to humanity).

embittering

his mind and toiling his body, he is imperilling his true (nature) Alas how far removed is he from !

the proper [4C]

way

(of

life)

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

1^4

BK. XXXI.

3ze-kung returned, and reported (what the man had said) to Confucius, who pushed his kite aside,

and

arose, saying,

he not a sage

slope he went in search of him.

and down the he reached

When

the edge of the lake, there was the fisherman with

dragging the boat towards him. Turning round and seeing Confucius, he came back towards Confucius then drew back, him and stood up. What do bowed to him twice, and went forward. his pole,

you want with me, Sir reply was,

little

asked the stranger.

while ago,

The

Master, you broke

your remarks and went away. Infedo not know what you wished to say, and have ventured here to wait for your instructions, fortunate if I may but hear the sound of your words off the thread of

rior to you,

to complete the assistance that

you can give

'Ah!' responded the stranger, 'how great love of learning

till

'Since

am now

your

Confucius bowed twice, and then rose said,

was young,

have cultivated

sixty-nine years old

;

but

up,

and

learning-

have not

had an opportunity of hearing the perfect teaching dare I but listen to you with a humble and unprejudiced mind ? The stranger replied, Like seeks to like, and (birds) of the same note respond to one Allow me to another this is a rule of Heaven. explain what I am in possession of, and to pass over (from its standpoint) to the things which occupy What you occupy yourself with are the affairs you. of men. When the sovereign, the feudal lords, the great officers, and the common people, these four classes, do what is correct (in their several positions), we have the beauty of good order and when they ;

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

leave their proper duties, there ensues the greatest

PT.

III.

SECT. IX.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

When

disorder.

the

officials

I95

attend to their duties,

and the common people are anxiously concerned about their business, there is no encroachment on one another's rights. Fields running to waste leaking rooms insufficiency of food and clothing taxes unprovided for want of harmony among wives and concubines and these are want of order between old and young '

;

common

the troubles of the

Incompetency

people.

for their charges

their official business

;

—

inattention to

;

want of probity

carelessness and idleness in subordinates

merit and excellence

emolument

their

articles

;

want of

skill

officers.

the clans in

;

their

of bad

quality

spring and

autumn

of tribute

appearances at court

;

and uncertainty of rank and

;

states rebellious ;

conduct

failure of

— these are the troubles of great

loyal ministers at their courts

chanics

;

the dissatisfaction of the sovereign

;

melate

and

— these are the

troubles of the feudal lords. '

Want

the Yin and Yang and heat, affecting all oppression and disorder among their presuming to plunder and

harmony between

;

unseasonableness of cold things injuriously;

the feudal princes,

one another, to the injury of the people ceremonies and music ill-regulated the resources

attack

;

for expenditure

relationships

doned

exhausted or deficient

uncared for

;

to licentious disorder

;

the social

and the people aban-

:— these

are the troubles

Son of Heaven and his ministers. Now, Sir, you have not the high rank of a

of the '

ruler,

a feudal lord, or a minister of the royal court, nor are you in the inferior position of a great minister,

with his departments of business, and yet )ou take

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

196 it

BK. XXXI.

on you to regulate ceremonies and music, and to

give special attention to the relationships of society, with a view to transform the various classes of the

people

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

not an

your business

multiplication of

excessive

And moreover men are liable to eight defects, and (the conduct of) affairs to four evils of which we must by all means take account. To take the management of affairs which do not concern him is called monopolising. To bring forward a subject which no one regards is called loquacity. To lead men on by speeches made to '

;

please

them

without regard to

sycophancy. right or wrong is

called

praise

men

called flattery.

be fond of speaking of men's wickedness

called

To part friends and separate relatives mischievousness. To praise a man deceitfully, or in the same way fix on him the characterof being bad, is called depravity. Without reference to their being good or bad, to agree with men wdth double face, in order to steal a knowledge of what they w^ish, is called being dangerous. Those eight defects produce disorder among other calumn3\ called

men and not make

injury to one's self

superior

man

wall

a friend of one w-ho has them, nor will an

intelligent ruler

make him

his minister.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

speak of what I called the four evils To be fond of conducting great affairs, changing and *

altering

what

of long-standing, to obtain for one's

self the reputation of meritorious service,

ambition

called

wisdom and intrude into affairs, encroaching on the work of others, and representing it as one's own, is called greediness to ;

claim

all

;

see his errors without changing them, and to go on

PT.

III.

SECT. IX.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

resolutely in his

with,

own way when remonstrated when another agrees

obstinacy

called

197

;

with himself, to approve of him, and, however good

may

be,

when he

disagrees, to disapprove of him,

boastful conceit. These are the four one can put away the eight defects, and allow no course to the four evils, he begins to be capable of being taught.' Confucius looked sorrowful and sighed. (Again) he bowed twice, and then rose up and said, I was I had to flee from Wei the twice driven from Lu. tree under v/hich I rested was cut down in Sung I was kept in a state of siege between AV/an and I do not know what errors I had committed 3hai. that I came to be misrepresented on these four is

called

When

evils.

;

occasions (and suffered as

looked grieved

(at

did).'

The

stranger

these words), changed counte-

Very difiicult it is, Sir, to make you understand. There was a man who was friehtened at his shadow and disliked to see his nance, and said,

footsteps, so that

he ran

to escape

from them.

But

frequently he lifted his feet, the more

the more

numerous his footprints were and however fast he shadow did not leave him. He thought he was going too slow, and ran on v/ith all his speed without stopping, till his strength was exhausted and he died. He did not know that, if he had stayed in a shady place, his shadow would have disappeared, and that if he had remained still, he his stupidity was would have lost his footprints And you. Sir, exercise your judgment excessive on the questions about benevolence and righteousness you investigate the points where agreement and difference touch you look at the changes from ;

ran, his

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

198

movement

and from

BK. XXXI.

movement

you have mastered the rules of receiving- and giving you have defined the feehngs of hking and dishking you have harmonised the Hmits of joy and and yet you have hardly been able to anger: escape (the troubles of which you speak). If you to rest

rest to

;

—

own

earnestly cultivated your

person, and carefully

guarded your (proper) truth, simply rendering to others what was due to them, then you would have escaped such entanglements. But now, when }ou do not cultivate }our own person, and make the cultivation of others your object, are you not occupying yourself with what is external ? Confucius with an air of sadness said, Allow me to ask what it is that you call my proper Truth.' The stranger replied, 'A man's proper Truth is pure sincerity in its highest degree without this pure sincerity one cannot move others. Hence if one (only) forces himself to wail, however sadly he ma)do so, it is not (real) sorrow if he forces himself to be angry, however he may seem to be severe, he excites no awe if he forces himself to show affection, however he may smile, he awakens no harmo'

;

—

;

nious reciprocation. is

yet sorrowful

stration, yet

smile,

yet

Given

this

efficacy

valuable.

;

True

produces a

without,

without a sound,

true anger, without any

awakens awe truth

grief,

;

harmonious

within,

and

this

demon-

true affection, without a reciprocation.

exercises

why we count

a spiritual

In our relations with others,

appears

—

according to the requirements of each case in the service of parents, as gentle, filial duty; in the service of rulers, as loyalty and integrity in festive :

;

drinking, as pleasant enjoyment; in the performance

PT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF

SECT. IX.

A'WANG-3ZE.

of the mourning rites, as sadness and sorrow. loyalty

and

thing

in festive

;

mourning

good

integrity,

rites,

service

the sorrow

;

the principal

drinking, the enjoyment

the giving them pleasure.

;

the

in the service of parents,

The beauty

of the ser-

vice rendered (to a ruler) does not require that

always be performed

one way

;

the service of

parents so as to give them pleasure takes no account

how

the festive drinking which done ministers enjoyment does not depend on the appliances for it the observance of the mourning rites with the proper sorrow asks no questions about the

;

rites

themselves.

tice

of the

Rites are prescribed for the prac-

common

people; man's proper

Truth

what he has received from Heaven, operating

spontaneously, and

unchangeable.

Therefore the

sages take their law from Heaven, and prize their (proper) Truth, without submitting to the restricThe stupid do the reverse of this. tions of custom. They are unable to take their law from Heaven,

and are influenced by other men

they do not

;

know

proper Truth (of their nature), of ordinary things, and dominion but are under the change according to the customs (around them) Alas for you. always, consequently, incomplete.

how

to prize the

you were early steeped in the hypocrisies of men, and have been so late in hearing about the Great Way (Once more), Confucius bowed twice (to the fisherman), then rose again, and said, That I have met Sir,

that

had the happiness of getting to If you, Master, are not ashamed, but will heaven. let me be as your servant, and continue to teach me, will let me venture to ask where your dwelling is. I

you to-day

if I

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

200

BK. XXXI.

then beg to receive your instructions there, and finish my learning of the Great Way.' The stranger re-

have heard the saying, " If It be one with whom you can walk together, go with him to the If It be one with subtlest mysteries of the Tao. whom you cannot walk together and he do not know^ the Tao, take care that you do not associate with him, and you will yourself Incur no responsiDo your utmost. Sir. I must leave you, bility." With this he shoved off his boat, I must leave you and w^ent away among the green reeds. phed,

Yen

Yiian (now) returned to the carriage, where

him the strap but Confucius did not look round, (continuing where he was), till the wavelets were stilled, and he did not hear the sound

3ze-lu

handed

of the pole,

when

take his seat.

;

at last

he ventured to (return and)

by his side in the carriage, have been your servant for a

5ze-lu,

asked him, saying,

have never seen you, Master, treat another with the awe and reverence which you have long time, but

now shown.

have seen you in the presence of a Lord of ten thousand chariots or a Ruler of a thousand, and they have never received you In a different audience-room, or treated you but with the courtesies due to an equal, while you have still carried yourself with a reserved and haughty air but I

;

to-day this old fisherman has stood erect in front of

you with his pole in his hand, while you, bent from your loins In the form of a sounding-stone, would bow twice before you answered him was not your ;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

reverence of him excessive ? Your disciples will all think It strange in you, Master. Why did the old fisherman receive such

homage from you

Confucius leant forward on the cross-bar of the

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF

SECT. IX.

III.

20I

A'\VAXG-3ZE.

heaved a sig-h, and said, Difficidt indeed is it to change you, O Yu You have been trained and propriety righteousness in for long, and yet your servile and mean heart has not been taken from you. Come nearer, that I may speak fully to If 3^ou meet one older than yourself, and do you. If you not show him respect, you fail in propriety. see a man of superior wisdom and goodness, and do not honour him, you want the great characteristic of carriage,

If that (fisherman) did not possess

humanity.

the highest degree,

how

could he

make

others sub-

And if their submission to him be not not attain to the truth (of their do sincere, they nature), and Inflict a lasting Injury on their persons. Alas there is no greater calamity to man than the and you, O Yu, you want of this characteristic mit to him

;

alone, would take such vvant on

'Moreover, the

Tao

;

to observe

it,

life.

to conform tice Is ruin wherever the sagely man ;

it.

And

it,

To is

to fail In this

oppose

success.

finds the

all is

in prac-

Therefore

Tao, he honours

that old fisherman to-day might be said

to possess

reverence

the course by which

For things

things should proceed.

death

yourself.

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; dared

presume not

show him

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

202

BK. xxxii.

BOOK XXXII. Part

Section X.

III.

Lieh Yii-khau^ I.

Lieh Yu-khau had started to

to KJA, but

o-o

came back when he was half-way to it. He met Po-hwan Wu-^an^, who said, 'Why have you come back ?' His reply was, I was frightened.' What frightened you 'I went into ten soup-shops^ to get a meal, and in five of them the soup was set before me before (I had paid for it)'*.' But what was there in that to frighten you ?' (Lieh-^ze) said, Though the inward and true purpose be not set forth, the body like a spy gives some bright display '

.-^

it. And this outward demonstration overawes men's minds, and makes men on light grounds treat one as noble or as aged, from which evil to him will

be produced. Now vendors of soup supply their commodity simply as a matter of business, and however much they may dispose of, their profit is but little, ^

See

The same

vol. xxxix, pp.

and XXI, there

par.

160-162.

no doubt, who

though the

mentioned

Wu-zan

in II, par. 2,

here

and

and congee shanties, I suppose, which a traveller on the road-side. * The meaning is not plain. There must have been something the respect and generosity of the attendants which made Lieh^

teacher,

Lil<.e

China

the tea

finds

^ze feel that

Taoism.

still

his

manner was

inconsistent with his profession of

FT.

Ill,

and

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

SECT. X.

203

power is but slight and yet they treated as I have said how much more would the lord of ten thousand chariots do so His body burdened with (the cares of his) kingdom, and his knowledge overtasked by its affairs, he would entrust those affairs to me, and exact from me the successful conduct (of its government). It was this which frightened me/ Po-hwan Wu-^an replied, 'Admirable perspicacity But if you carry yourself as you do, men will flock to you for protection.' Not long after, Po-hwan Wu--san went (to visit Lieh-jze), and found the space outside his door full of shoes \ There he stood with his face to the north, holding his staff upright, and leaning his chin on it till the skin was wrinkled. After standing so for some time, and without saying a word, he was going away, when the door-keeper^ went in, and told Lieh-3ze. The latter (immediately) took up his shoes, and ran barefoot after the visitor. When he overtook him at the (outer) gate, he said, Since you, Sir, have come, are you going away without their

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

me some

giving

medicine

^ ?

The

other replied,

you that men would It is not flock to you, and they do indeed do so. that you can cause men to flock to you, but you of what use cannot keep them from not so coming What influences them and is (all my warning) ? makes them glad is the display of your exti-aordinary (qualities) but you must also be influ'

of no use.

did

tell

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

See the Li A'i

Japan

soil the 2 ^

(vol. xxvii,

pp. 70, 71).

still

the

custom

for visitors to leave their shoes outside, in order not to

mats.

Whose business Good advice.

was

to receive

and announce the

guests.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

204

bk. xxxii.

your turn, and your proper nature be shaken, and no warning can be addressed to you. Those who associate with you do not admonish you The small words which they speak are of this. poison to a man. You perceive it not you under-

enced

stand

not

them

;

—how can you

;

separate yourself from

The clever toil on, and the wise are sad. Those who are without ability seek for nothing. They eat to the full, and wander idly about. They drift like '

a vessel loosed from

wander about 2.

A man

its

moorings, and aimlessly

^.'

of A'ang, called

Hwan, learned ^

his

books in the neighbourhood of A7/iu-shih^ and in no longer time than three years became a Confucian scholar, benefiting the three classes of his kindred*

as the

extends

its

enriching influence for nine

He made

his younger brother study (the prinMo°, and then they two the scholar and the Mohist disputed together (about their respecli.

—

ciples of)

—

tive systems),

and the father took the side of the

younger «. After ten years Hwan killed himself. (By and by) he appeared to his father in a dream, saying, 1

Was

was

then Wu-san's idea of

this

From

himself?

who made your son become a

who

those

how

the Taoist should carry

associate with you' Wu-san's address

might be rhymed. ^

Read them

aloud, and so committed

Chinese schoolboys do ''

them

memory;

—

still.

The name

of a place, or, perhaps, of Hwan's schoolmaster. Probably, the kindred of his father, mother, and wife ;— through his getting office as a scholar. *

•"'

I\Iih

Ti ;— Mencius's

Literally,

brother, as

of Ti,' as

was

heresiarch.

that

had been the name of

that of the heresiarch.

the

younger

PT.

III.

SECT. X.

Mohist vice^

;

why I

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

apportioning the

awards of men, does not recompense

own

ser-

(but) the fruit of a cypress in

But the Creator ,

autumn-.'

good

did you not recognise that

am become

205

them

for their

them for the (use of was thus that Hwan's the) Heavenly brother was led to learn Mohism. When this Hwan thoueht that it was he who had made his brother different from wdiat he would have been, and proceeded to despise his father, he was like the people of AV/i, w'ho, while they drank from a w^ell, tried to keep one another from it. Hence it is said, Now-doings, but recompenses

them.

men are Hwans*.' From this we perceive that those who possess the characteristics (of the Tao) consider that they do not know them how much more is it so wath those who possess the Tao The ancients called such (as Hwan) 'men itself! who had escaped the punishment of Heaven.'

a-days

all

;

The

rest

;

he does not

men

tude of

A'wangize

not to say (that it

and not

The

rests

rest in

in their

what

rest in w^iat

they do not rest 4.

man

sagely

not so

'To know

said,

speak of

it)

a grave,' with special reference to

the

character for this in the text

his proper

;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

multi-

not their proper rest

proper rest

you know

the

Tao

difficult.

way

(^)

this

''.

easy;

know^

to attain to the

explained as meaning

passage, in the Khang-hsi

dictionary. â&#x20AC;˘^

The

idea of a grave

not try to find ^ *

The

suggested by the

cypress,'

and we need

^^.

creator was, in ^wang-jze's mind, the

Tao.

Arrogating to themselves what was the work of the Tao. The best editions make this sentence a paragraph by itself.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

2o6

BK. XXXII.

Heavenly to know and to speak of it, is the way The ancients pursued the to show the Human. Heavenly (belonging to them), and not the Human.' ;

Ki\ Phing-man^ learned

dragon

from

A'ih-li Yi,

how

expending

wealth of a thousand ounces of

his

exercised his

The

(in

doing so)

silver.

all

In three

perfect in the art, but he never

became

years he

to slaughter the

skill.

sage looks on what

deemed necessary

and therefore is not at war^ (in himThe mass of men deem what is unnecessary self). to be necessary, and therefore they are often at war

as unnecessary,

Therefore those

themselves).

(in

method seek 7.

of (internal) war, resort to

who pursue in

But reliance on such war leads

for.

The wisdom

of the small

man

this

whatever they to ruin.

does not go

beyond (the minutiae of) making presents and writing memoranda, wearying his spirits out in what is trivial and mean. But at the same time he wishes to aid in guiding to (the secret of) the Tao and of (all) things in the incorporeity of the Grand Unity. In this way he goes all astray in regard to (the mysteries of) space and time. The fetters of embodied matter keep him from the knowledge of the Grand Beginning. (On the other hand), the perfect man directs the energy of his spirit to what was before the Beginning, and finds pleasure in the mysteriousness These are names .fashioned by our aiiihor. Slaughtering the dragon' means 'learning the Tao,' by expending or jmtting away all doing and knowledge, till one comes to the perfect state of knowing the Tao and not speaking of it. ^ Being at war here is not the conflict of arms, but of joy, anger, and desire in one's breast. See 3i^o Hung in loc. ^

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

SECT. X.

III.

207

belonging to the region of nothingness. He is Hke the water which flows on without the obstruction of

and expands into the Grand Alas for what you do, (O men)

matter,

Purity.

You occupy

yourselves with things trivial as a hair, and remain ignorant of the Grand Rest

There was a man of Sung, called 3hao Shang, sent by the king of Sung on a mission to K/i'm. On setting out, he had several carnages with him and the king (of Kk'm) was so pleased with him that he gave him another hundred. When he returned to Sung, he saw A'wang-jze, and said to him, To live in a narrow lane of a poor mean hamlet, wearing sandals amid distress of poverty, with a weazen neck and yellow face^ that is what I should find it difficult to do. But as soon as I come to an understanding with the Lord of a myriad carriages, to find myself with a retinue of a hundred 8.

who was ;

;

— that

carriages, replied,

whom

When

wherein

—

-/ifwang-jze

excel.'

the king of A'/zan

ill,

the doctor

open an ulcer or squeeze a boil receives a carriage and he who licks his piles recalls to

;

ceives five.

The

lower the service, the more are

the carriages given.

Did you. Sir, lick his piles you have got so many carriages

How

Yen Ho,

else should

Begone 9.

Duke Ai

of Lii asked

employ A'ung-ni as the support of will the evils of

The

saying,

face

generally

means

government,

the state be thereby cured

character for

ears

? '

; '

The but

the

Khang-hsi dictionary, with special reference to this paragraph, explains it by face.' The whole paragraph is smart and bitter, but Lin Hsi-X'ung thinks it too coarse to be from A'wang-jze's pencil. '

—

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

208

BK. xxxii.

(Such a measure) would be perilous J^ung-ni, moreover, would be full of hazard reply was,

will

ornament a feather and paint it in the conduct of affairs he uses flowery speeches. A (mere) branch is to him more admirable (than the root); he try to

;

can bear to misrepresent their nature in instructinois not conscious of the unreality of

the people, and his words.

receives (his inspiration) from his

own mind, and

rules his course

—

has he to be set over the people

Vvdiat fitness

man

such a

from

his

own

spirit ?

you (as your minister) ? Could you give to him the nourishment (of the people) ? You would do so by mistake (but not on Is

suitable for

purpose, for a time, but not as a permanency). To make the people leave what is real, and learn what is

hypocritical

shown

— that

them

not the proper thing to be

you take thought for future ages, your better plan will be to give up (the idea of emto

;

What makes government diffiwith men without foreettine your-

ploying Confucius). cult, is

the dealing;

self; this is

not according to the example of

in diffusing its benefits.

Merchants and

Heaven

traffickers

are not to be ranked (with administrative officers) if on an occasion you so rank them, the spirits (of

the people) do not acquiesce in your doing so. The instruments of external punishment are made of

metal and wood; those of internal punishment are agitation (of the mind) and (the sense of) transgres-

When small men become subject to the external punishment, the (instruments of) metal and wood deal with them when they become liable to sion.

;

the internal punishments, the

Yin and Yano-i

con-

Compare the use of 'the Yin and the Yang in XXIII, par. 8.— ' leu Ho does not flatter Confucius in his description of hii nm. ^

PT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF TTWANG-BZE.

SECT. X.

2O9

sume them. It is only the true man who can escape both from the external and internal punishment.' 10.

said, 'The minds of men are more of approach than (the position defended by)

Confucius

difficult

mountains and rivers, and more difficult to know than Heaven itself. Heaven has its periods of spring and autumn, of winter and summer, and of

morning and evening but man's exterior is thickly veiled, and his feelings lie deep. Thus the demeanour of some is honest-like, and yet they go to excess (in what is mean) others are really gifted, and yet look to be without ability some seem docile and impressible, but yet they have far-reaching schemes others look firm, and yet may be twisted about others look slow, and yet they are hasty. In this way those who hasten to do what is right as if they were thirsty will anon hurry away from it as if it were fire. Hence the superior man looks at them when employed at a distance to test their fidelity, and when employed near at hand to test their reverence. By employing them on difficult services, he tests their ability by questioning them suddenly, he tests their knowledge by appointing them a fixed time, he tests their good faith by entrusting them with wealth, he tests their benevolence by telling them of danger, he tests their self-command in emergencies by making them drunk, he tests their tendencies^; by placing them in a variety of society, ;

;

tests

inferior 11.

their chastity

man

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;by

these nine tests

the

received the

first

discovered.'

When Khao-fu,

the Correct

adage 'In vino Veritas?' famous ancestor of Confucius in the eighth century

Is this equivalent to the

[40]

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

2IO

BK.xxxil.

grade of official rank, he walked with head bowed down on receiving the second, with bent back on receiving the third, with body stooping, he ran and who would presume not to hurried along the wall ;

;

—

But one of those ordinaryappointment, goes along with a haughty stride on receiving his second, he looks quite elated in his chariot and on receiving the third, he calls his uncles by their personal how very different from Hsli (Yii) in the names take him as a model

men, on receiving his

first

;

—

time (of

Yao

of)

Thang

all

that injure (men)

things

there

none

greater than the practising of virtue with the pur-

pose of the mind,

When

till

the mind becomes supercilious.

becomes so, the mind (only) looks inwards (on itself), and such looking into itself leads to its ruin. This evil quality has five forms, and the chief What do we of them is that which is the central. mean by the central quality ? It is that which appears in a man's loving (only) his own views, and reviling whatever he does not do (himself). Limiting (men's advance), there are eight extreme it

conditions; securing (that advance), there are three

things necessary; and the person has

Elegance a (fine) beard strength beauty bravery daring

tories.

;

excelling

others

;

— (these

are

;

the

its

six reposi-

tallness

and

;

size

;

in all these

eight

extreme

by which advance is limited. Depending on and copying others stooping in order to rise and being straitened by the fear of not equalling others: conditions)

;

before the

with

some

Khung

family fled from Sung.

verbal alterations, in the

year of duke A'ao.

—

See the account of him,

3o AVAvan, under

the seventh

PT.

SECT. X.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

211

these are the three things that lead to advancinof.

Knowledge seeking to reach to all that is external movement producing many resentments be-

bold

;

nevolence and righteousness leading to sitions

many

understanding the phenomena of

;

extraordinary degree

;

understanding

so as to possess an approach to

;

all

requi-

an knowledge life

understanding

the great condition appointed for him, and following

and the smaller conditions, and meeting them as

it,

they occur

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (these

are the six repositories of the

person) \ 12. There was a man who, having had an interview with the king of Sung, and been presented by him with ten carriages, showed them boastfully to Kwsing-^ze, as if the latter had been a boy. A'wang^ze said to him, Near the Ho there was a poor man '

who supported

his family

by weaving rushes

(to

form screens). His son, when diving in a deep pool, found a pearl worth a thousand ounces of silver. The father said, " Bring a stone, and break it in

must have been in a pool nine k/iung deep^, and under the chin of the Black Dragon. That you were able to get it must have been owing to your finding him asleep. Let him awake, and the consequences to you will not be small " Now the kingdom of Sung is deeper than any pool of nine /V/ung, and its king is fiercer than the Black Dragon. That you were able to get the pieces.

pearl of this value

These

eight

the paragraph

way '

;

words are suppHed

the predicates in the six clauses that precede can be called

the stores, or repositories of the -

to complete the structure of

but I cannot well say w^hat they mean, nor in what

= in

pression

body or person/

a pool deeper than any nine pools.

^ g ^. P 2

Compare

the ex-

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

212 chariots asleep.

BK.XXXII.

must have been owing to your finding him Let him awake, and you will be ground to

powder\' 13.

Some

having sent a message of

(ruler)

invita-

tion to him, A^wang-jze replied to the messenger,

Have you

seen, Sir, a sacrificial

It is

robed

with ornamental embroidery, and feasted on fresh But when it is led into the grand grass and beans.

though it wished to be would that be possible for it ^

ancestral temple, solitary calf,

(again) a ?

When

iTwangize was about to die, his diswush to give him a grand burial. for my I shall have heaven and earth,' said he, two for my and moon sun shell the and its coffin round symbols of jade the stars and constellations and all things assisting for my pearls and jewels 14.

ciples signified their

;

Will not the provisions for my burial be complete? What could you add to them?' are afraid that the crows The disciples replied,

as the mourners.

and kites will eat our master.' A'wang-jze rejoined, Above, the crows and kites will eat me below, the to take from mole-crickets and ants will eat me those and give to these would only show your par'

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

tiality^.'

The

attempt, with what

not even, to produce

only produce an uneven result the attempt, with what is uncertain, to make the uncertain certain will leave the uncertainty as it

what

even

will

Compare paragraph

But Lin again denies the genuineness

this. ^ "

his

Compare XVII, par. 11. We do not know whether A'wang-jze was buried according to own ideal or not. In the concluding sentences we have a

strange descent from the grandiloquence of what precedes.

PT.

III.

was.

SECT. X.

THE WRITINGS OF ^WANG-3ZE.

He who

uses only the sight of his eyes

acted on by what he sees spirit,

;

it is

the sight of the eyes is

the (intuition of the)

that gives the assurance of certainty.

of the spirit

That

not equal to that intuition

a thing long acknowledged.

And

yet stupid people rely on what they see, and will

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

be the sentiment of all men all their success being with what is external is it not sad ?

have

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

'^^^

214

TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BOOK Part

BK. XXXTII.

XXXIII.

III.

Section XI.

Thien Hsla^ The methods employed in the regulation of the world are many and (the employers of them) think each that the efficiency of his own method I.

;

leaves nothing to be added to

But where

it.

what was called of old the method ? of the Tao We must reply, It is everywhere.' But then whence does the spiritual ^ in it come down ? and whence does the intelligence ^ in it come forth ? There is that which gives birth to the Sage, and that which gives his perfection to is

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

King: the origin of both is the One^ Not to be separate from his primal source constitutes what we call the Heavenly man; not to the

be separate from the essential nature thereof constitutes what we call the Spirit-like man; not to be separate from its real truth constitutes what we call the Perfect man*^. *

See

vol.

xxxix, pp. 162, 163.

methods of educational training and schemes of policy, advocated by 'the hundred schools' of liuman wisdom in contradistinction from the method or art of the Tao. Fa ng Sh u has little more meaning than our word nostrum.' -

All

the

governmental

' * ''

â&#x20AC;˘=

Which forms Which forms

the sage. the sage kincr.

Or, one and the same.

Compare

the three defmitions in

Book

par. 3.

PT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF X-WANG-3ZE.

SECT. XI.

To regard Heaven

21 5

as his primal Source, Its Attri-

Tao

butes as the Root (of his nature), and the

the Gate (by which he enters into this inheritance),

(knowing also) the prognostics given

what we

transformation, constitutes

call

change and

Sagely

the

man \

regard benevolence

source

(the

kindness, righteousness as (the source of

all)

dis-

and harmony, thus diffusing a fragrance of gentleness and goodness, constitutes what we call the Superior man ^.

tinctions, propriety as (the rule of) all conduct,

music as (the idea

of) all

regard laws as assigning the different

conditions, their

names

(social)

as the outward expression

(of the social duties), the comparison of subjects as

supplying the grounds

of evidence,

investigation

as conducting to certainty, so that things can be

numbered

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the basis of government).

(this is

first,

offices are thus

course

second, third, fourth (and so on)

arranged

;

hundred

Its

business has

regular

its

the great matters of clothes and food are

;

provided for

cattle are fattened

;

the (government) stores

weak, orphans and sideration

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

are

filled

ways

;

the

after

old

and

receive anxious con-

solitaries,

in all these

and looked

provision

made

for

the nourishment of the people.

How the

complete was (the operation of the Tao)

It made them of old and subtle and all-embracinor as heaven and They nourished all things, and produced

men

beinofs,

earth.

Here we have

Still

above.

the equals of spiritual

five definitions

of the

within the circle of the

Man

Tao, but

of Tao.' inferior

the

five

the texts of TAOISM.

2T6

harmony

all

under heaven.

BK. XXXIII.

Their beneficent

in-

They

fluence reached to all classes of the people.

fundamental principles, and followed them out to their graduated issues in all the six understood

all

;

went

directions

quarters

their penetration,

and

things were open to them.

all

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

in the

four

Great and

all felt their presence and and coarse Their intelligence, as seen in all their operation. regulations, was handed down from age to age in their old laws, and much of it was still to be found in the Historians. What of it was in the Shih, the Shu, the Li, and the Yo, might be learned from the scholars of 3au ^ and Lii ^, and the girdled

small, fine

;

members of the various

courts.

The Shih

de-

what should be the aim of the mind the Shu, the course of events; the Li is intended to direct the conduct; the Yo, to set forth harmony; the Yi, to show the action of the Yin and Yang; and the K/mn Kkm, to display names and the scribes

;

duties beloncrinor to them.

Some

of the regulations (of these

scattered

Middle

all

men

of old),

under heaven, and established

states, are (also) occasionally

our

mentioned and

described in the writings of the different schools.

There ensued great disorder in the world, and sages and worthies no longer shed their light on it.

The Tao and its characteristics ceased to be regarded as uniform. Many in different places got These scholars were pre-eminently Confucius and Mencius. is the one recognition, by our author, of the existence and work of Mencius, who was 'the scholar of 3au.' But one is not prepared for the comparatively favourable judgment passed on those scholars, and on what we call the Confucian ^

In this brief phrase

classics.

The

reading

3au has

be understood of JMencius.

not been challenged, and can only

PT.

III.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

SECT. XI.

the

and plumed themselves on posThey might be compared to the eye, the nose, or the mouth. Each

one glimpse of sessing

it,

as a whole.

ear,

sense has

its

own

faculty,

but their different faculties

was with the many Each had its peculiar excellence, and there was the time for the use of it but notwithstanding no one covered or extended over the whole (range of truth). The case was that of the scholar of a corner who passes his judgment on all the beautiful in heaven and earth,

cannot be interchanged.

branches of the various schools.

;

discriminates the principles that underlie

and attempts

things,

to estimate the success arrived at

Seldom

the ancients.

embrace

all

that such an one can

the beautiful in heaven and earth, or

all

ways of the spiritual and intelligent; and thus it was that the Tao, which inwardly forms the sage and externally the king\ became obscured and lost its clearness, became repressed and lost its development. Every one in the world did whatever he wished, and was the rule to himself. Alas the various schools held on their several ways, and could not come back to the same rightly estimate the

point, nor agree

The

together.

students of that

age unfortunately did not see the undivided purity of heaven and earth, and the great scheme of

later

truth

Tao

The system

held by the ancients.

was about

be torn

fragments

all

of the

under

the sky. 2.

leave no example of extravagance to future

generations

;

show no wastefulness

Compare the spiritual and mencement, and the notes 3 and ^

in the use

the intelligence

near the com-

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

2l8 anything

;

make no

display in

their (ceremonial) observances

;

BK. XXXIII.

the degree of keep themselves

under the restraint of strict and exact rule, so as to be prepared for occurring such regulations formed part of the emergencies system of the Tao in antiquity, and were appreciated by Mo Ti, and (his disciple) Khm. Hwa-li ^ When (in

their expenditure)

—

;

they heard of such ways, they were delighted with

them but they enjoined them in excess, and followed them themselves too strictly. (Mo) made the treatise 'Against Music,' and enjoined the subject of another, called Economy in Expenditure,' on his followers. He would have no singing in life, and no wearinQf of mourning on occasions of death. He inculcated Universal Love, and a Common Participation in all advantages, and condemned Fighting. His doctrine did not admit of Anger. He was fond also of Learning, and with it all strove not to appear different from others. Yet he did ;

not agree with the former kings, but attacked the

ceremonies and music of the ancients.

Hwang-Tt had his Hsien-/C'//ih Yao, his Ta A'ang; Shun, his Ta Shao; Yii, his Ta Hsia; Thang, his Ta Hu; king Wan, his music of the Phi-yung2; and king Wu and the duke of ;

A'au

made

the

Wu.

Thus Mohism appears as an imperfect Taoism. Mo (or Meh) Ti was a great officer of the state of Sung, of the period between Confucius and Mencius. He left many treatises behind him, of ^

which only a few, but the most important, survive. A7/in Hwa-li seems to have been his chief disciple. He says, in one place, '•Khm Hwa-li and my other disciples, 300 men.' ^

The name

—

of the great hall built by king

Wan, and

still

applied to the examination hall of the Han-lin graduates in Peking.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

PT.in.SECT.xr.

219

In the mourning rites of the ancients, the noble

and mean had their several observances, the higfh and low their different degrees. The coffin of the Son of Heaven was sevenfold; of a feudal lord, fivefold

of a great

;

officer,

threefold

of other

;

But now Mo-^ze alone, would have no singing during life, and no wearing of mourning after death. As the rule for all, he would have a coffin of elaeococca wood, three inches thick, and without any enclosing shell. The teachinor of such lessons cannot be regfarded as officers,

twofold.

affording a proof of his love for

them

in his

own

men

;

case would certainly

his practising

show

that he

did not love himself; but this has not been sufficient to

overthrow the views of Mo-^ze.

men

Notwithstanding,

and he condemns singing men will wail, and he condemns w^ailing men will express their joy, and he condemns such expression: is this truly in accordance with man's nature ? Through life toil, and at death niggardliness his way is one of great unkindliness. Causing men sorrow and melancholy, and difficult to be carried into practice, I fear it cannot be regarded as the way of a sage. Contrary to the minds of men everywhere, men will not endure it. Though Mo-jze himself might be able to endure it, how can the aversion of the world to it be overcome ? The world averse to it, it must be far from the way of the (ancient) kings. will sing,

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Mo-jze, in praise of his views, said,

when

Yti

was draining

off the

Anciently,

waters of the flood,

he set free the channels of the A'iang and the Ho, and opened communications with them from the What know.

the special music

made

for

Wan

was

called, I

do not

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

BK. XXXIII.

and the nine provinces. The famous hills with which he dealt were 300, the branch streams were 3000, and the smaller ones innumerable. With his own hands he carried the sack and wielded the spade, till he had united all the streams of There the country (conducting them to the sea). was no hair left on his legs from the knee to the ankle. He bathed his hair in the violent wind, and combed it in the pelting rain, thus marking out the myriad states. Yu was a great sage, and thus he regions of the four

The

toiled in the service of the world.'

effect

this is that in this later time most of the Mohists wear skins and dolychos cloth, with shoes of wood or twisted hemp, not stopping day or night, but considering such toiling on their part as their highest achievement. They say that he who cannot do this is acting contrary to the way of Yti, and not fit to be

a Mohist.

The

disciples of KJi\\\ of Hsiang-lt \ the followers

and Mohists of the KIi\\\ ^ and Tang Lingize ^ all repeated the texts of Mo, but they differed in the objections which they offered to them, and in their deceitful glosses they called one another Mohists of different schools. They had their disputations, turning on what was hard,' and what was white,' what constituted sameness and what 'difference,' and their expressions about the difference between 'the odd' and 'the even,' with which they answered one another. They regarded of the various feudal lords

south, such

;

Khu Hu ^ K\

Some

say this KKvsx was the preceptor of

Easily translated

;

illustrated. ^

Known

Ti.

but the statement has not been historically

only by the mention of them here.

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF

SECT. XI.

III.

221

£-WANG-3ZE.

their most distinguished member as a sage, and wished to make him their chief, hoping that he would be handed down as such to future ages. To the present day these controversies are not

determined.

The

Ti and AV/in Hwa-h was good, but their practice was wrong. They would have made the Mohists of future ages feel it necessary to toil themselves, till there was not a hair on their legs, and still be urging one another on (thus idea of

;

producing a condition) superior indeed to disorder, but

inferior

men

in the world,

orood government. of o o Nevertheless, Mo-3ze was indeed one of the best

the

finding his equal.

might

be, but

ability

indeed

which you may search without Decayed and worn (his person) not to be rejected,

— a scholar of

keep from being entangled by prevailing to shun all ornamental attractions in one's not to be reckless in his conduct to others

customs self;

result

;

not to set himself stubbornly against a multitude

and repose of the world in order and to cease his action when enough had been obtained for the nourishment of others and himself, showing that this was the aim of his mind such a scheme belonged to the system of the Tao in antiquity ^ and it was appreciated by Sung Hsing- and Yin Wan 2. to desire the peace

to preserve the lives of the people

;

referred 2

difficult

—

understand the phases of the

Tao

here

to.

Both these

Hsiian of Kh\.

Yin

;

Wan

men

are said to have been of the time of king

In the Catalogue of the Imperial Library of Han,

appears, but not

among

the Taoist writers, as the author

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

222

When

BK. XXXlir.

they heard of such ways, they were delighted They made the Hwa-shan cap, and

with them.

wore

as their distinguishing-

badge \

In their

intercourse with others, whatever their differences

might be, they began by being indulgent to them. Their name for the Forbearance of the Mind was 'the Action of the Mind.' By the warmth of affec'

tion they sought the

together

all

harmony of

within the four seas

;

joy,

and

to blend

their wish

was

everywhere as the chief thing to be They endured insult without feelino- it a they sought to save the people from fight-

to plant this

pursued. disgrace

;

ing; they forbade aggression

the weapons of

strife,

and sought to hush age from war.

to save their

way they went everywhere, counselling the high and instructing the low. Though the world might not receive them, they only insisted on their In this

object the

and would not abandon it. Hence it is said, The high and the low might be weary of them, but they were strong to show themstrongly, '

selves.'

Notwithstanding

all this,

was as

simply that there

pints of rice

they said,

much out

they acted too

of regard to others, and too

little

for themselves.

'What we request and wish set down for us five

may be

;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that

will be enough.' But I fear the Master would not get his fill from this and the disciples, though famishing, would still have to be ;

mindful of the world, and, never stopping day or have to say, 'Is it necessary I should preserve

night, of

one Treatise'

Kung-sun ^

said also to have

been the preceptor of

Lung-.

cannot fashion the shape of

my own mind,â&#x20AC;&#x201D;' flat

this cap or of the bodi above and below.'

Hwa

mountain

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF

SECT. XI.

III.

my life

Shall

scheme how

isTWANG-SZE.

to exalt

the master, the saviour of the age

was moreover as

man

223

myself above

they said,

'The

superior

does not censoriously scrutinize (the faults of

he does not borrow from others to supersede his own endeavours when any think that he

others)

;

of no use to the w^orld, he

gence

own

knows

that their

intelli-

he considers the proand causing the disuse of arms to be an external achievement, and the making his own desires to be few and sliMit to be the internal triumph.' Such was their discrimination between the great and the small, the subtle and the coarse and with the attainment of this they stopped. is

inferior to his

;

of aggression

hibition

;

and with nothing of the partizan easy and compliant, without any selfish partialities capable of being led, without any positive Public-spirited,

;

tendencies

;

following in the

any double mind anxious thoughts their

wisdom

wake of

others, without

not looking round because of

;

not scheming in the exercise of

;

not choosing between parties,

;

going along with

all

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

all

but

such courses belonged to

the Taoists of antiquity, and they were appreciated

by Phang Mang \ Thien Phien

When

wath them.

them

They

do was

phien.

considered that the

cannot sustain

Thien Phien

Taoist

and Shan Tao\

-writers,

;

said,

Shan Tao

mentioned

also appears

thing for

Heaven can

Earth can contain, but Han

in the

as a native of Kh\,

forty-two phien.

first

to adjust the controversies

They

different things.

but

they heard of such ways, they were delighted

Catalogue,

about cover, it

can-

among

the

and an author of twenty-five

among

the legal writers, as author of

mentioned by

Han

Fei.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

2 24

not cover.

but

BK. XXXIII.

The Great Tao embraces

things,

all

does not discriminate between them.'

They knew

that all things have what they can do Hence it is said, If you cannot do. they what and if you teach some things, select, you do not reach all you must omit the others but the Tao neglects none.' Therefore Shan Tao discarded his knowledge and also all thought of himself, acting only where he had no alternative, and pursued it as his course to be indifferent and pure in his dealings with others. He said that the best knowledge was to have no knowledge, and that if we had a little knowledge it was likely to prove a dangerous thing. Conscious of his unfitness, he undertook no charge, and laughed at those who valued ability and virtue. Remiss and evasive, he did nothing, and disallowed the greatest sages which the world had known. Now with a hammer, now with his hand, smoothing all corners, and breaking all bonds, he accommodated himself to all conditions. He disregarded rigrht and wrono-. his only concern being to avoid trouble he learned nothing from the wise and thoughtful, and took no '

;

note of the succession of events, thinking only of carrying himself with a lofty disregard of everything.

went where he was pushed, and followed where he was led, like a whirling wind, like a feather tossed about, like the revolutions of a enndstone.

What was

the reason that he appeared thus comdoing nothing wrong ? that, whether in motion or at rest, he committed no error, and could be charged with no transgression ? Creatures that plete,

have no knowledge are free from the troubles that arise from self-assertion and the entanglements that spring from the use of knowledge. Movinor and at

PT.

225

they do not depart from their proper course,

rest,

and

THE WRITINGS OF 2^WANG-3ZE.

SECT. XI.

III.

long they do not receive any praise. Tao) said, Hence (Shan Let me come to be like a Of what use are the creature without knowledge. sages and (teachings of the) worthies ? But a clod of earth never fails in the course (proper for it), and men of spirit and eminence laughed together The way of Shan Tao does at him, and said, all their life

not describe

conduct of living

the

men

should be predicable only of the dead indeed It

that

;

strange

was

the

just

same with Thien Phien. it was as

learned under PhanQ^ Mano-, but

were not taught

Mang

said,

The

The master

all.

He if

of Phans:

Taoist professors of old came no

than to say that nothing was absolutely

farther

and nothing absolutely wrong.' His spirit was how can it be like the breath of an opposing wind words always contrary to described in ? But he was (the views of) other men, which he would not bring together to view, and he did not escape shaving the corners and bonds (of which I have spoken). What he called the Tao was not the true Tao, and what he called the right was really the right

;

wrong.

Phang Mang, Thien Phien, and Shan Tao in fact

heard 5.

know

the

a general

Tao;

did not

but nevertheless they had

way about

it.

take the root (from which things spring)

as the essential (part), and the things as

its

coarse

(embodiment) to see deficiency in accumulation and in the solitude of one's individuality to dwell such a course with the spirit-like and intelligent ;

;

belonged to the [40]

Tao

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

of antiquity, and

was appre-

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

226

Kwan Yin and Lao Tan

dated by

BK. XXXIII.

When

they

heard of such ways, they were delighted with them. They built their system on the assumption of an

and made the ruling idea in They made weakness it that of the Grand Unity. distinction, and conof mark their humility and sidered that by empty vacuity no injury could be sustained, but all things be preserved in their subeternal non-existence,

stantiality.

Kwan Yin

says,

To him who

does not dwell

himself the forms of things show themselves as they

His movement

are.

ness

like that of water; his

like that of a mirror;

his response

still-

His tenuity makes him seem to be disappearing altogether he is still as a clear (lake), harmonious in his association with others, and he counts gain as loss. He does not take prethat of the echo.

;

Lao Tan'-' cedence of others, but follows them.' says, He knows his masculine power, but maintains '

—becoming the channel white streams He knows which disgrace, — becoming the valley of the but keeps his

female weakness,

into

his

flow.

all

purity,

his

Men

world.

last,

prefer to be

all

saying,

Men

of the world."

chooses emptiness.

first

will receive the offscourings

choose fulness

all

does not

fore he has a superabundance

;

but has a multitude around him.

Kwan

Yin;

— see Book XIX,

the Catalogue of the

Kwan Yin

in nine

China, called

Han

par. 2,

Library there

phien; and

^wan

he alone chooses

;

there

store,

;

he alone and there-

he looks solitary, In his conducting

and vol. xxxix, p. 35. In is an entry of a work by is

still

Yin-jze in one iC'uan, but

a it

work current is

received as genuine. '

not generally

Sec the account of Lao-^ze in vol. xxxix, pp. 34-36.

PT,

III,

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

SECT. XI.

of himself he

22 7

easy and leisurely and wastes nothing. does nothing, and laughs at the clever and in-

Men

genious.

complete

seek for happiness, but he feels his imperfect condition, and says, " Let

all

He regards what is deepest most restrictive as his rule The strong is broken the sharp and

only escape blame."

and what

as his root,

and

says,

pointed

;

blunted \"

always generous and forbearing with others, and does not encroach on is

any man

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

may be pronounced

this

the height (of

perfection).'

O Kwan greatest

Lao Tan, ye were among the

Yin, and

men

of antiquity

True men

;

indeed

That the shadowy and still is without bodily form that change and transformation are ever pro6.

;

What

ceeding, but incapable of being determined.

death

What is life

What is meant by the

union of

Heaven and Earth ? Does the spiritual intelligence go away ? Shadowy, where does it go ? Subtle, whither does

proceed

as they are, there

All things being arranged

no one place which can be Such were the questions belonging to the scheme of Tao in antiquity, and they were appreciated by A^wang iTau. When he heard of such subjects, he was delighted with them. (He discussed them), using strange and mystical expressions, wild and extravagant words, and phrases to which no definite meaninof could be assioned. fitly

ascribed to

it.

constantly indulged his

did not

make himself

as peculiar to himself. ^

From

the

quotation, with

Lao Tan more or

See chaps. 28, 22, et

own wayward

ideas,

but

a partisan, nor look at them

says

Considering that '

down

to this,

less exactness,

al.

may

men were

be said to be

all

from the Tao Teh Alng.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

sunk

and could not be talked to in he employed the words of the cup of

stupidity

dignified style,

important quotations to

application, with

endless

BK. XXXIII.

and an abundance of corrobochiefly cared to occupy himself with the spirit-like operation of heaven and earth, and did not try to rise above the myriads of things. He did not condemn the agreements and differences of others, so that he might live in peace substantiate the truth,

illustrations.

rative

Though

with the prevalent views.

his writings

may

seem to be sparkling trifles, there is no harm in amusing one's self with them though his phraseology be ever-varying, its turns and changes are worth being looked at the fulness and complete;

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Above he

ness of his ideas cannot be exhausted.

seeks delight

the

Maker

who

consider

;

below, he has a friendly life

and death as having

neither beginning nor end.

regards his dealing

with the Root (origin of

things),

recrard to those

all

hensive and great, opening up

new

compre-

views, deep,

and free. As regards the Author and Master (the Great Tao Itself), he may be pronounced exact and correct, carrying our thoughts to range and play on high. Nevertheless on the subject of transformation, and the emancipation of that from vast,

thraldom of) things, his principles are inexand are not derived from his predecessors.

(the

haustible,

They

are subtle and obscure,

and cannot be

fully

explained ^

The

question of the genuineness of this paragraph has been

touched on

some

teresting of

Whether from himself or from Awang-jze as the chief and most in-

in vol. xxxix, p. 163.

disciple, all

celebrates

ancient Taoist writers.

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF A'WANG-3ZE.

SECT. XI.

III.

Hui Shih writings would

had many ingenious notions.

229

five carriages

fill

His

but his doctrines

;

were erroneous and contradictory, and his words were wide of their mark. Taking up one thing after another, he would say That which is so :

great that there the Great

;

nothing outside

One

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

may be

and that which

called

so small that

it may be called the Small has no thickness and will not admit of being repeated is looo li in size-.' Heaven

there

nothing inside

One.'

What

may be

as low as the earth.'

as level as a marsh.'

may be born to

and may die

mountain may be

The sun

the sun declining.' life

at the

the meridian

may be

creature

same

'(When

time.'

said that) things greatly alike are different from

it is

things a little

little

alike, this is

what

called

of agreements and differences

(when

;

making it is

said

that) all things are entirely alike or entirely different,

what

called makingf

this

and

differences.'

has a limit' to

yesterday.'

can be

world 'If

;

The

south

proceed to '

much is

Yueh

of ao^reements

unlimited and yet

to-day and came

Things which are joined together

separated.'

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

all

north

know the centre of the Yen or south of Yueh.'

things be regarded with love, heaven and

body (with me).' Hui Shih by such sayings as these made himself

earth are of one

Introduced to us in the

mentioned

first

in the intervening

Book

Books.

are glad to have the account of

understand better the intellectual

of our author, and often

He was

him here life

not a Taoist, but

given, as

enabUng us

of China in AVang-^ze's

time. -

It is

little

Hui Shih and

use trying to find the answers to these sayings of

others.

They

are only riddles or paradoxes.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

230

BK. XXXIII.

very conspicuous throughout the kingdom, and was All other debaters considered an able debater. vied with one another and delighted in similar exhi-

(They would

bitions.

egg.'

a sheep.'

fowl has three

belongs to Ying.' '

say),

There are feet.'

feathers in

The kingdom

dog might have been

tadpole has a

tail.'

Fire

(called)

not hot.'

mountain gives forth a voice.' A wheel does The eye does not see.' not tread on the ground.' The finger indicates, but needs not touch, (the Where you come to may not be the end.' object).'

The

tortoise

penter's square

not its

itself

not square.'

be round.'

handle.'

(itself)

longer than the snake.'

The shadow

move.'

chisel

The

car-

compass should

does not surround

of a flying bird does not

Swift as the arrowhead

is,

there

rest.' A dog bay horse and a black ox are three.' A white dog is black.' A motherless colt never had a mother.' If from a stick a foot long you every day take the half of it, in a myriad ages it will not be exhausted.' It was in this way that the debaters responded to Hui Shih, all their lifetime, without coming to an end. Hwan Twan ^ and Kung-sun Lung^ were true

a time is

when

it is

not a hound.'

neither flying nor at '

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

members of

this class.

their specious represen-

glamour over men's minds and They vanquished men in argument, but could not subdue their minds, only keeping them in the enclosure of their sophistry. Hui Shih daily used his own knowledge and the arguments of

tations they threw a

altered their ideas.

others to propose strange theses to

Elsewhere unknown.

all

debaters

;

See Book XVII, par. 10.

PT.

THE WRITINGS OF SWANG-3ZE.

SECT. XI.

III.

23I

such was his practice. At the same time he would talk freely of himself, thinking himself the ablest among them, and saying, In heaven or earth '

who

match?' Shih maintained indeed his masculine energy, but he had not the art (of conis

troversy).

In the south there was a

named Hwang Liao

views,

man of extraordinary who asked him how it

was that the sky did not fall nor the earth sink, and what was the cause of wind, rain, and the thunder's Shih made no attempt to evade the roll and crash. him without any exercise of answered and questions, thought, talking about all things, without pause, on and on without end yet still thinking that his words were few, and adding to them the strangest obserHe thought that to contradict others was vations. a real triumph, and wished to make himself famous by overcoming them and on this account he was He was not liked by the multitude of debaters. seem might he though attainment, weak in real strong in comparison with others, and his way was ;

;

narrow and dark.

from the standpoint only

gadfly

;

the

we look at Hul Shih's of Heaven and Earth,

restless

activity of a

of what service was

give

its full

good

thing,

ability it

was

mosquito or

anything

development to any one capacity is a and he who does so is in the way to

a higher estimation of the Tao; but Hui Shih He could find no rest for himself in doing this. diffused himself over the world

of things without

the end he had only the reputation Hui Shih, with of being a skilful debater. Alas

satiety,

till

Elsewhere unknown.

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

232 all

out

his ;

talents,

BK. xxxiir.

made nothing and never came back

vast as they were,

he pursued

all

subjects

was

an echo by his shouting, or running a race with his shadow. Alas (with success).

like silencing

THE THAI-SHANG TRACTATE OF ACTIONS AND THEIR RETRIBUTIONS.

THE THAI-SHANG TRACTATE OF ACTIONS AND THEIR RETRIBUTIONS \

The Thai-Shang

no special doors The ^, Thesis. ^,

lot)

for calamity

;

n-i

'There are

and happiness

they come as

them.

and

(Tractate) says,

(in

men's

men themselves

call

•

Their recompenses follow good

shadow follows the substance -. Accordingly, in heaven and earth there are

evil as the

2. , ,

spirits that

Machinery

•

take account of men's trans-

gressions, and, according to the lightness

to secure retribution.

•

or gravity oi their orlences, take

from their term of

life

When

that term

away is

cur-

men become poor and reduced, and meet many sorrows and afflictions. All (other) men

tailed,

with

hate them; punishments and calamities attend them;

good luck and occasions ^

See

This paragraph,

vol. xxxix, pp.

3o ^/zwan, under

for felicitation

shun them

;

38-40.

after the first three characters,

the tenth

and eleventh notices

found in the

in the twenty-third

—

(b. c. 549), part of an address to a young nobleman by the officer Min 3ze-ma. The only difference in the two texts is in one character which does not affect the meaning.

year of duke Hsiang

Thus

the text of this Taoist treatise

taken from a source which

cannot be regarded as Taoistic. ^

This seems equivalent to

The swan

allotted

term of

'all

in the text here life.'

through space.'

seems

meaning of a period of a hundred '

mean

'the whole of the

Further on, the same character has the special days.'

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

236 evil stars

their

When

send down misfortunes on them \

term of Hfe

exhausted they

die.

There also are the Spirit-rulers in the three pairs of the Thai stars of the Northern Bushel - over men's heads, which record their acts of guilt and wickedness, and take away (from their term of life) periods of twelve years or of a hundred days. There also are the three Spirits of the recumbent body which reside within a man's person ^. As each kang-shan ^ day comes round, they forthwith ascend to the court of Heaven, and report men's deeds of guilt and transgression. On the last day of the moon, the spirit of the Hearth does the same ^. '

In the case of every man's transgressions,

when

they are great, twelve years are taken from his term of

life '

when they

;

are small, a hundred days.

great and

Transgressions,

He who

several hundred things. for long ^

into "^

life

must

first

are

small,

seen

wishes to seek

avoid these.

This and other passages show how Taoism pressed astrology its

service.

The Northern Peck

constellation Ruler.'

The

or Bushel

of the Great

Bear,

three pairs of stars,

the Chinese

the Chariot

k; X,

;

name

of the

r, |,

of our

Supreme

are called the

upper, middle, and lower Thai, or 'their three Eminences:' see

Reeves's

Names

of Stars

Morrison's Dictionary, part ^ '

the

The Khang-hst name of a spirit

Why

the three

should

we look

Kang-shan

the

spirits

for

are

san shih

given,

and given

anything definite and

The

evidently plural.

merely an absurd superstition

name

but the phrase

factory in a notion which â&#x20AC;˘

and Constellations, appended

vol,

Dictionary simply explains ;

names and places of ferently.

ii,

dif-

satis-

of the fifty-seventh term of the cycle,

indicating every fifty-seventh day, or year.

Here

indicates the day.

The name of this spirit of the fire-place is given by commentators with many absurd details which need not be touched on. ^ Long life is still the great quest of the Taoist. ^

ACTIONS AND THEIR RETRIBUTIONS.

237

Is his way right, he should go forward in it; wrong, he should withdraw from it. He will not tread in devious by-ways he will not

is it '

;

impose on himself in any secret apartment. He will amass virtue and accumulate deeds of

"^erit.

agooTman.

will feel

He will

creatures ^

(all)

kindly towards

loyal,

filial,

loving to his younger brothers, and submissive to his

elder.

make himself correct and

will

form others.

(so) trans-

and compassionate widows he will respect the old and cherish the young. Even the insect tribes, grass, and trees he should not hurt. He ought to pity the malignant tendencies of pity orphans,

will

;

others

them perils

;

to rejoice over their excellences their straits

in ;

;

regard their gains as

own, and their losses

publish their shortcomings superiorities

;

they were his

same way

the

;

and display what

take

little

for himself;

good to

;

not to

not to vaunt his

to put a stop to what

exalt

to help

;

rescue them from their

;

to yield

receive

own

evil, and much, and

insult

without

and honour with an appearance of apprehension to bestow favours without seeking for a return, and give to others without any subsequent regret this is what is called a good man. All Heaven in its course proother men respect him tects him happiness and emolument follow him all evil things keep far from him the spiritual Intelligences defend him what he does is sure to succeed -; resenting

it,

;

—

;

life

;

—

its widest meaning Men, creatures, and all living Here are the happy issues of doing good in addition compare the Tao Teh A'ing, ch. 50, et al.

—

things. to

long

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

2^8

become Immaterial and Immortals would seek to become an ImHappy issues j^grtal of Heaven^ ous^ht to grlve the ^ Âť of his course. proof of 1 300 good deeds and he who would seek to become an Immortal of Earth should

may hope

He who

;

the proof of three hundred.

o-ive

But

movements

the

(of a

man's heart) are

contrary to righteousness, and the (actions of his)

conduct are

In opposition to

reason

;

he regard his

wickedness as a proof of his The way

treats

parents

;

teachers

whom

bear to do what Is cruel and injurious he secretly harms the honest and good

^^^^

a bad man,

;

with

clandestine

slight

he should serve

;

he deceives the simple

his fellow-learners

baseless slanders, practise deception

ruler

his

;

he Is disrespectful to his elders and if he disregards the authority of those

he calumniates

and

ability,

;

he vent

and hypocrisy,

Here there appears the influence of Buddhism on the doctrine Tao. The i?z'shis of Buddhism are denoted in Chinese by

of the

Hsien Zan late

('j|l|

y^), which,

for

want of a better term, we

The famous Nagar^una,

Immortals.'

trans-

fourteenth

the

Buddhist patriarch, counts ten classes of these i?;'shis, and as-

them only a temporary exemption for a million years from and Taoists view them as absolutely immortal, and distinguish five classes first, Deva i?zshis, or Heavenly Hsien, residing on the seven concentric rocks round Meru; second, Purusha, or Spirit-like Hsien, roaming through the air; third, Nara, or Human Hsien, dwelling among

cribes to

transmigration, but Chinese Buddhists

men

;

and

fifth,

fourth,

Bhumi,

Preta, or

Handbook

or Earth Hsien, residing

Demon

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

on earth

Hsien, roving demons.

Chinese Buddhism, second edition,

in caves;

See 130.

place three out of the five classes are specified, each having price in ^

Eitel's

In this its

own

good deeds.

Literally,

those born before himself,' but generally used as a

designation of teachers.

ACTIONS AND THEIR RETRIBUTIONS.

239

and attack and expose his kindred by consanguinity and affinity if he is hard, violent, and without humanity if he is ruthlessly cruel in taking his own way if his judgments of right and wrong are incorrect and his likings and aversions are in despite of what is proper if he oppresses inferiors, and ;

;

claims

merit

(for

doing so)

gratifying their (evil) desires

courts superiors by

;

out feeling grateful for them

receives favours with;

broods over resent-

ments without ceasing if he slights and makes no account of Heaven's people if he trouble and throw into disorder the government of the state bestows rewards on the unrighteous and inflicts punishments on the guiltless kills men in order to get their wealth, and overthrows men to get their offices slays those who have surrendered, and massacres those who have made their submission throws censure on the upright, and overthrows the worthy maltreats the orphan and oppresses the widow if he casts the laws aside and receives bribes holds the ricrht to be wrongr and the wrone to be right enters light offences as heavy and the sight of an execution makes him more enraged (with the criminal) if he knows his faults and does not change them, or knows what is good and does not do throws the guilt of his crimes on others it if he tries to hinder the exercise of an art (for a living) reviles and slanders the sage and worthy and assails and oppresses (the principles of) reason and virtue ^ ;

;

One

Confucian phrase. is

See the Li K\,

sorry not to see his

way

III, v, 13.

to translate here

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

'Assails

and oppresses those who pursue the Tao and its characteristics.' 'Insulter et traiter avec cruaut^ ceux qui Julien gives for it Walters se livrent a I'^tude de la Raison et de la Vertu,'

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

240

he shoots birds and hunts beasts, unearths the burrowing insects and frightens roosting birds, blocks up the dens of animals and overturns nests, if he hurts the pregnant womb and breaks eggs wishes others to have misfortunes and losses if he and defames the merit achieved by others if

;

imperils others to secure his

own

safety

the property of others to increase his

and private advantage

bad things to his

for

good

of others

own exchanges ;

weal

sacrifices the public

;

self for the ability

diminishes

;

he takes credit to him-

conceals the excellences

of others; publishes the things discreditable to others;

and searches out the private affairs of others leads others to waste their property and wealth and causes the separation of near relatives ^; encroaches on what others love and assists others in doing wrong gives the reins to his will and puts on airs of majesty ;

;

puts others to

shame

seeking victory for himself

growing crops of others and if becoming rich breaks up projected marriages by improper means makes him proud and by a peradventure escaping the consequences of his misconduct, he yet feels no shame if he owns to favours (which he did not confer), and puts off his errors (on others) marries away (his own) calamity to another, and sells (for gain) his own wickedness purchases for himself empty praise and keeps hidden dangerous purposes in his heart detracts from the excel-

injures or destroys the

;

has

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

and oppresses (those who have attained to the pracTruth and Virtue.'

Insults

tice of)

It is

a serious mistranslation of this which Mr. Balfour gives

returns evil for good,' as

if it

were the golden rule

expression. ^

Literally,

separates men's bones and

flesh.'

in its highest

ACTIONS AND THEIR RETRIBUTIONS. lences of others, and screens his

own shortcomings

;

he takes advantage of his dignity to practise intimidation, and indulges his cruelty to kill and if

wound

without cause he (wastes cloth)

;

ping and shaping

rites require

in clip-

cooks animals for food, when scatters and throws away the

;

and burdens and vexes all living creatures if he ruins the families of others, and gets possession of their money and valuables admits the five grains

;

water or raises

fire in

order to injure their dwell-

he throws into confusion the established rules in order to defeat the services of others and injures the implements of others to deprive them of ings

;

the things they require to use

if,

;

seeing others in

glory and honour, he wishes them to be banished or

them wealthy and prosperous, be broken and scattered if he of sees a beautiful woman and forms the thouorht o

degraded

;

or seeing

he wishes them

;

intercourse with her

illicit

;

indebted to

men

for

goods or money, and wishes them to die if, when his requests and applications are not complied with, if he sees his anger vents itself in imprecations others meeting with misfortune, and begins to speak ;

;

of their misdeeds

;

or seeing

perfections he laughs at ties

them

them with bodily im;

when

their abili-

are worthy of praise, he endeavours to keep

he buries the image of another to or employs obtain an injurious power over him ^ if he is indignant and angry poison to kill trees or opposes and thwarts his with his instructors

them back

;

The

the

Han

largely

crimes indicated here are said to have dynasty,

employed

[40]

when

the arts of sorcery

to the injury of

men.

become

rife

under

and witchcraft were

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

242

if he takes things by and elder brother; if he loves violence or vehemently demands them makes himsecretly to pilfer, and openly to snatch or by artifice and self rich by plunder and rapine if he rewards and deceit seeks for promotion if he indulges in idleness and punishes unfairly pleasure to excess is exacting and oppressive to his if he and tries to frighten other men inferiors murmurs against Heaven and finds fault with men if he reproaches the wind and reviles the rain strives and raises litigafights and joins in quarrels

father

;

tions is

led

;

recklessly hurries to join associate fraternities

by the words of his wife or concubine

;

to disobey

if, on getting what and agrees with his mouth, if he is covetous while he dissents in his heart and befools and deceives wealth, after and greedy if he invents wicked his superiors (to get it) the innocent overthrow and calumniate speeches to defames others and calls it being straightforward if he reviles the Spirits and styles himself correct casts aside what is according to right, and imitates what is against it turns his back on his near relaif he tives, and his face to those who are distant appeals to Heaven and Earth to witness to the mean thoughts of his mind or calls in the spiritual Intelif he ligences to mark the filthy affairs of his life gives and afterwards repents that he has done so or borrows and does not return if he plans and seeks for what is beyond his lot or lays tasks (on people) beyond their strength if he indulges his lustful desires without measure if there be poison in his heart and mildness in his face if he gives others filthy food to eat or by corrupt doc-

the instructions of his parents is

new, he forgets the old

;

ACTIONS AND THEIR RETRIBUTIONS. deludes the multitude

243

if he uses a short narrow measure, light weights, and a small pint mixes spurious articles with the genuine and (thus) amasses illicit gain if he degrades

trines

;

cubit, a ;

;

(children or others of) decent condition to sitions

;

mean

or deceives and ensnares simple people

and greedy

po;

by oaths and imprecations to prove himself correct and in his liking for drink is rude and disorderly if he quarrels angrily with his nearest relatives and as a man he is not loyal and honourable if a woman is not gentle and obedient if (the husband) is not harmonious with his wife if the wife does not if he is always fond of reverence her husband boasting and bragging if she is constantly jealous and envious if he is guilty of improper conduct to his wife or sons if she fails to behave properly to if he treats with slight and her parents-in-law is

insatiably covetous

;

tries

;

disrespect the spirits of his ancestors

;

he opposes

and rebels against the charge of his sovereign if he occupies himself in doing what is of no use and cherishes and keeps concealed a purpose other than if he what appears utter imprecations against himself and against others (in the assertion of his innocence) or is partial in his likes and dislikes ;

;

he strides over the well or the hearth leaps over the food, or over a man - kills newly-born children

;

he does many actions he sings and dances on the

or brings about abortions

of secret depravity

;

^ The one illustrative story given by Julien under this clause He translates shows clearly that I have rightly supplemented it. it: 'Faire des imprecations centre soi-meme et centre

les autres.' ^

Trifling acts

and

villainous crimes are here

R 2

mixed

together.

TEXTS OF TAOISM.

'^^^^

244

day of the moon or of the year bawls out or gets angry on the first day of the moon or in the last

;

early

dawn

the north

;

weeps,

;

spits,

when fronting when fronting the

or urinates,

sighs, sings, or wails,

and moreover, if he takes fire from the hearth to burn incense or uses dirty firewood to cook with if he rises at night and shows his person fire-place

;

naked if at the eight terms of the year ^ he inflicts punishments if he spits at a shooting star points ;

;

at a rainbow; suddenly points to the three luminaries

;

looks long at

sun and

the

moon

months of spring burns the thickets

;

the

hunting

with his face to the north angrily reviles others

and

without

snakes *

reason

tortoises

kills

and

;

smites

In the case of crimes such as these, (the Spirits)

presiding over the Life, according to their lightness

or gravity, take

away the

culprit's periods of

When

years or of one hundred days.

exhausted, death ensues.

mains

guilt unpunished,

his

twelve term of life

If at death there re-

judgment extends

to his

posterity ^ ^

The commencements

of the four seasons, the equinoxes and

solstices.

Many

of the deeds

condemned

in this

long paragraph have

a ground of reason for their condemnation; offences against prevailing superstitions. ^

The

principle enunciated here

the ethical teaching of China.

others

are merely

very ancient in the history of

appears in one of the Appendixes

Yi i^ing (Sacred Books of the East, vol. xvi, p. 419), The family that accumulates goodness is sure to have superabundant happiness the family that accumulates evil is sure to have superto the

;

abundant misery.'

know also that the same view prevailed in the time of Confucius, though the sage himself does not expressly sanction it. This Tractate does not go for the issues of Retribution beyond the present

life.

ACTIONS AND THEIR RETRIBUTIONS.

245

Moreover, when parties by wrong and violence take the money of others, an account is taken, and set acrainst its amount, of their wives and â&#x20AC;&#x17E; Conclusion of ^. the whole children, and all the members of their '

families,

they do not thieves,

fire,

when

these gradually die.

die, there are the disasters

and robbers, from

from water,

losses of property,

and (evil) tongues to balance the value of wicked appropriations ^ Further, those who

illnesses,

their

wrongfully into the

them '

kill

men

are (only) putting their

hands of others who

take to one's self unrighteous wealth

satisfying one's

with poisoned wine.

relief,

indeed, but death also follows

Now when

hunger with putrid food^ or one's It gives a temporary

thirst

weapons

will in their turn kill

it.

the thought of doing good has arisen

a man's mind, though the good be not yet done,

the good Spirits are in attendance on him.

Or,

the thought of doing evil has arisen, though the

be not yet done, the bad Spirits are in attendance on him. If one have, indeed, done deeds of wickedness, but afterwards alters his way and repents, resolved not to do anything wicked, but to practise reverently evil

These sentences

pense to the parties

are rather weak.

who have been

Nothing robbed.

said of

The

thief

any recompunished

the death of others, or the loss of property.

Julien gives for it: somewhat perplexing sentence. ressemblent innocens hommes perir des 'Ceux qui font a des ennemis qui ^changent leurs amies et se tuent les uns les autres;' and Watters: 'Those who put others to death wrongly are like men who exchange arms and slay each otlier.' ^

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Literally,

water.'

'soaked food that has been spoiled by dripping

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

246 all

that

good, he

good fortune

—

sure in the long-run to obtain

changing calamity into man speaks what is good, and does what is

this is called

Therefore the good

blessing.

good, contemplates what is at good every day he has these three virtues the end of three years Heaven is sure to send down The bad man speaks what is blessing on him \ wicked, contemplates what is wicked, and does what every day he has these three vices is wicked at :

;

the end of three years,

misery on him ^

themselves to do what ^

The

effect

Heaven

— How

is it is

good

sure to send

men

that

—

down

will not exert

of repentance and reformation

well set forth;

but the specification of three years, as the period within which the

recompense or retribution will occur, is again an indication of the weakness in this concluding paragraph.

APPENDIXES. APPENDIX K/nwg A'ang So

A^ing, or 'The Classic of Purity

must translate the

appears

in the

title

Collection of the

of this brochure, as it Most Important Treatises

(vol. xxxix, p. xvii), in which alone have had an opportunity of perusing and studying the Text. The name, as given by Wylie (Notes, p. 178), Balfour (Taoist Texts), and Faber (China Review, vol. xiii, p. 246), is AVnng A^ing iTing^, and signifies 'The Classic of Purity and Rest.' The difference is in the second character, but both AVnng iTang and AVnng A'ing are wellknown combinations in Taoist writings and it will be seen,

of the Taoist Fathers

;

Text

as the translation of the

them

pursued, that neither of

title of the little Book. Faber says, one of the mystical canons' of Taoism but the mysticism of Taoism is of a nature peculiar to itself, and different from any mental exercises which have been called by that name in connexion with Christianity or Mohammedanism. It is more vague and shadowy than any theosophy or Sufis m, just as the idea of the Tao differs from the apprehension of a personal God, how-

is,

unsuitable as the

as Dr.

;

ever uncertain and indefinite that apprehension

may

be.

Mr. Wylie says the work treats under very moderate limits This indeed is of the subjection of the mental faculties.' a the consummation to which it conducts the student '

;

-/^

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

>48

APP.

condition corresponding to the nothingness which Lao-jze

contended for as antecedent to out of which he said that

all

existence,

all positive

and

existing being came, though

he does not indicate how. I give to the Treatise the first place among our appenIt is dixes here because of the early origin ascribed to it. Taoist of the Hsiian) a (or Yiian Ko to \ attributed

dynasty

(a. d. 222-277),

who

fabled to have attained to

generally so denomiworker of miracles as He is represented as a nated addicted to intemperance, and very eccentric in his ways. When shipwrecked on one occasion, he emerged from beneath the water with his clothes unwet, and walked Finally he ascended to the sky in freely on its surface.

the state of an Immortal, and

bright

;

day ".

All these accounts

may

safely be put

down

as the figments of a later time. It will

be seen that the Text ascribes the work to Lao-jze

and I find it impossible to accept the account of its origin which is assigned by Li Hsi-yiieh to Ko Hsiian. As quoted by Li in the first of some notes subjoined to his

himself,

Commentary, Ko is made to say, When I obtained the true Tao, I had recited this King ten thousand times. It is what the Spirits of heaven practise, and had not been communicated to scholars of this lower world. I got it '

from the Divine Ruler of the eastern Hwa from the Divine Ruler of the Golden Gate

from the Royal-mother of the West.

;

all

he received he received

these cases

was transmitted from mouth to mouth, and was not committed to writing. I now, while I am in the world, have written

out in a book.

understanding

it,

Scholars of the highest order,

ascend and become

those of the middle order, cultivating the Immortals of the Southern Palace order, possessing

it,

get long years of

officials of it,

;

Heaven

are ranked

;

among

those of the lowest

life in

the world, roam

See the Accounts of Ko in the Biographical Dictionary of Hsiao A'ih-han and Wang AV^i's supplement to the great work of Ma Twan-lin,

(1793).

ch. 242.

CH,

THE CLASSIC OF PURITY.

through the Three Regions \ and

Golden

enter, the

249

(finally)

ascend

to,

and

Gate.'

This quotation would seem to be taken from the preface to our

classic

little

Hsiian.

such a preface during the time of the

there were indeed

dynasty, the cor-

Taoism must

have been rapid. The Hsi Wang-mu, or Royal-mother of the West, is mentioned once in TsTwang-jze (Bk. VI, par. 7) but no Divine Ruler' disfigures his pages. Every reader must feel that ruption of the old

;

in the Classic of Purity he has got into a different region of thought from that which he has traversed in the Tao Teh

^ing

and

With

the writings of

these remarks

wang-^ze.

now proceed

to the translation

and

explanation of the text of our ^ing.

Lao the Master^ said, The Great no bodily form, but It produced and nourishes heaven and earth ^. The Great Tao has no passions*, but It causes the sun and moon to Ch.

Tao

has

revolve as they do.

The Great- Tao

has no

name

but

It effects

growth and maintenance of all things ^ I do not know its name, but I make an the

call It

xxxix,

L a o iT u n {-^ ^).

with the addition of

p. 40) that,

common

the

and

TaoÂŤ.

The name here

effort,

the

have stated ( vol

Thai Shang,

this is

designation of Lao-^ze as the Father of Taoism

and deifying him, and that it originated probably intheThang dynasty. It might seem to be used simply here by Ko Hsiian with the same high application and since in his preface ;

refers to different

that

we ought

But

'The

it may be contended Lao ^iin by Lao the Ruler.'

Divine Rulers,'

to translate

unwilling to think that

three regions

(

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

^\)

tlie

deification of Lao-^ze

^^^^ ^^^ hardly be the trilokya of the

Buddhists, the ethical categories of desire, form, and formlessness.

more akin

They

are

Brahmanic bhuvanatraya, the physical or cosmological categories of bhur or earth, bhuva/i or heaven, and svar or atmosphere. to the

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

250

had taken place so

The

early.

APP.

earh'est occurrence of the

Lao Kiin

which has attracted my notice is the history of Khung Yung, a descendant of Confucius combination

the twentieth generation, the of

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

San ^ze King, for his four, and who met with

While

same who

in in

celebrated in

fraternal deference at the

age

a violent death in A. D. 208.

only a boy, wishing to obtain an interview with

still

a representative of the to him,

'My honoured

Lao

family, he sent in this

message

predecessor and the honoured Lao,

the predecessor of your Li family, equally virtuous and righteous, were friends and teachers of each other.' The epithet /ain is equally applied to Confucius and Lao-jze, and the combination Lao ATiin implies no exaltation of

the latter above the other. ^

See Tao Teh King, chaps.

T. T. K., chaps,

See A'wang-jze, Bk.

feelings, affections

II,

as in the

;

T. T. K., chaps.

ÂŤ

T. T. K., ch. 25.

18, 25, ^^.

51, et al.

par.

first

'Passions,' that

is,

of the thirty-nine Articles.

25, 32, 51.

2. Now, the Tao (shows itself in two forms); the Pure and the Turbid, and has (the two conditions of) Motion and Rest^ Heaven is pure and earth is turbid; heaven moves and earth is at rest. The masculine is pure and the feminine is turbid; the

masculine moves and the feminine radical

(Purity)

flowed abroad

The

pure

;

still

The

descended, and the (turbid) issue and thus all things were produced \

the source of the turbid, and motion the foundation of rest. If

man

could always be pure and

still,

heaven and

eardi would both revert (to non-existence) \ This paragraph of

all

gible.

things

; '

but

intended to set forth does so in a way that

Comparing what

the former paragraph,

Tao

the production

hardly

intelli-

said here with the utterances in

would seem to be used

two

CH.

THE CLASSIC OF PURITY.

senses; first as an Immaterial Power or Force, and next as the Material Substance, out of which all things come. Li Hsi-yueh says that in the first member of par. i we have the Unlimited (or Infinite) producing the Grand '

(or Primal) Finite.'

The

fact

Tao

the

name is too high for Compare T. T. K., ch. 61.

sense of the ^

he says nothing.

in par. 2

creation

that the subject of

the

the deepest

human mind.

^ I do not understand this, but I cannot translate the Text otherwise. Mr. Balfour has If a man is able to remain pure and motionless, Heaven and Earth will both at :

once come and dwell i-lb

Now

mind

man

the spirit of

disturbs

The mind

it.

but his desires draw

away

—^

Compare T.

and especially Ho-shang Kung's

ch. 16,

;{^

Li explains thus

in him.'

—^SA

pi'

—

title to

it,

still.

spirit will

As arise,

T. K.,

—^

^^.

loves Purity, but his

of \

man If

loves stillness,

he could always

send his desires away, his mind would of

become

itself

Let his mind be made clean, and his

of itself

become

pure.

a matter of course the six desires

and the three poisons

will

not

will

be taken away and

man

the

disappear. ^

Taoism thus recognises

spirit,

the mind,

and the body. ^

The

six desires

are those which have their inlets in

the eyes, ears, nostrils, the tongue, the sense of touch, and

the imagination.

The two

shan, 'the body,' and ^

The

three poisons

last are

expressed

Chinese by

the idea, or thought.'

are greed, anger, and stupidity

;

see the Khang-hsi Thesaurus, under -^. 4.

The

reason

why men

are not able to attain to

because their minds have not been cleansed, and their desires have not been sent away. this, is

the texts of TAOISM.

2k2 If

one

when he no longer his when

able to send the desires away,

then looks

APP.

in at his

mind,

it is

he looks out at his body,

;

no longer

his

and

;

farther off at external things, they are

when he looks

things which he has nothing to do with. When he understands these three things, there This contemplawill appear to him only vacancy.

of vacancy will awaken the idea of vacuity. Without such vacuity there is no vacancy. The idea of vacuous space having vanished, that of nothingness itself also disappears and when the tion

;

idea of nothingness has disappeared, there ensues

serenely the condition of constant stillness. In this paragraph

we have what Mr. Wylie

subjection of the mental faculties

myself unable to understand what another

way

and

is.

calls 'the

must confess It is

probably

of describing the Taoist trance which

find

once and again in A"wang-jze, when the body becomes like a withered tree, and the mind like slaked lime' (Bk. II, '

par.

But such a sublimation of the being, as the its serene stillness and rest, is to me

al.).

characteristic

inconceivable.

In that condition of rest independently of place

how can any any longer

desire arise

arises, there

And when

no desire the True stillness and

rest.

That True (stillness) becomes (a) constant quality, and responds to external things (without error) yea, that True and Constant quality holds possession of ;

the nature. In such constant response and constant stillness there

the constant Purity and Rest.

He who

has this absolute Purity enters gradu-

ally into the (inspiration of the)

True Tao.

And

CH.

THE CLASSIC OF PURITY.

II.

having entered thereinto, he

253

styled Possessor of

Tao.

the

Akhough he reality

does

think

not

possessed of anything. transformation of

Tao, in he has become

styled Possessor of the

all

that

accomplishing the

It is as

living things, that

styled

Possessor of the Tao.

He who

to others the

This

may

able to understand this

the consummation of the state of Purity.

explaining the former sentence of the

sSc

jfrj

m n.

®' ^^'ith

>f»

Lao

the

some variation,—

Master

said.

member, Li Hsi-

fifth

yiieh uses the characters of T. T. A"., ch. 4,

transmit

Sacred Tao.

/fj*

yFJt

Jfl

Scholars

highest class do not strive (for anything) the lowest class are fond of striving \

;

^ j^ ^,

>f»

the

those of

Those who

possess in the highest degree the attributes (of the

Tao) do not show them those who possess them in a low degree hold them fast (and display them) ^. Those who so hold them fast and display them ;

not styled (Possessors of) the

are

attributes ^

Tao

and

Its

Compare the T. T. K., Compare the T. T. K.,

The reason why True Tao is because 2.

ch, 41,

ch. 38, i.

all

men do

their

not obtain the

minds are perverted.

Their minds being perverted, their spirits become Their minds being perturbed, they are perturbed. Being attracted attracted towards external things. towards external things, they begin to seek for them This greedy quest leads to perplexities greedily. and annoyances and these again result in disordered ;

THE TEXTS OF TAOISM.

254

APP.

thoughts, which cause anxiety and trouble to both

The

body and mind.

disgraces, flow wildly

and death, are bitterness, and

parties then

meet with

on through the phases of

foul life

liable constantly to sink in the sea of

True Tao.

for ever lose the

The True and Abiding Tao!

understand

come

naturally obtain

understand the

Tao

it.

They who And they who

abide in Purity and

Stillness.

Our

brief Classic thus concludes,

Li thus sums up his remarks on

and our commentator

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The men who under'

Tao

do so simply by means of the Absolute Purity, and the acquiring this Absolute Purity depends entirely on the Putting away of Desire, which is the urgent stand the

practical lesson of the Treatise.'

quoted

introductory remarks Li's account of

by its reputed author Ko Hsuan. now conclude with the words which he subjoins from True Man, 3o Hsuan :'â&#x20AC;&#x201D;' Students oftheTao, who

the origin of the Classic I will

keep

hands and croon over its contents, from the ten heavens to watch over and protect their bodies, after which their spirits will be preserved by the seal of jade, and their bodies refined by the elixir of gold. Both body and spirit will become exquisitely ethereal, and be in true union with the Tao this Classic in their

will get

good

Spirits

'True Man, 3o Hslian,' I have not been able to ascertain anything. The Divine Ruler of the eastern Hwa, referred to on p. 348, is mentioned in the work of Wang Kh\ (ch. 241, p. 31^), but with no definite information about him. The author says his surname was Wang, but he knows neither his name nor when he lived. Of

this

APPENDIX Yin

II.

Harmony

Fii /\^ing, or 'Classic of the

of the Seen and the Unseen.' In the

K/iien-\ung Catalogue of the Imperial Library, iii, this Book occupies the first place among

ch. 146, Part

Taoist works, with three notices, which all precede the account of Ho-shang Kung's Commentary on the Tao Teh

all

From the work of Lao-jze we are conducted along the course of Taoist literature to the year 1626, when the catalogue of what is called the Taoist Canon ^ King.

Ch. 147 then returns to the Yin Fu A'ing, works upon it, the last being the

appeared.

and

treats of nine other

Commentary of Li Kwang-li, one of the principal ministers and great scholars in the time of A"/nen-lung's grandfather, known as Khang-hsi from the name of his reign. In the

first

of these

many

notices

said that the

copy assigns the composition of the work to Hwang-Ti (in the 27th century B.C.), and says that commentaries on it had been made by Thai-kung (i2th century B.C.), Fan Li (5th century B.C.), the Recluse of the Kwei Valley (4th century B.C.), Ka.ng Liang (died B.C. 189), Ku Ko Liang (a. D. 181-234), and Li K/iwan of the Thang dynasty (about the middle of our 8th century)^. Some writers, going back to the time of Hwang-Ti for the preface of an old

composition of our small

classic, attribute

sovereign himself, but to his teacher

not to that

Kwang

/T/^ang-jze

Twan-lin's great work, ch. 211, p.