Heaven and Earth

Heaven and Earth

Though Heaven and Earth are vast, their transformations are uniform; though the myriad things are many, their governance is one; though the host of humanity is numerous, their master is the ruler. The ruler originates in Virtue and is completed in Heaven. Thus it is said: "The rulers of antiquity who governed the world acted through non-action; they simply rested in Heavenly Virtue."

When one views words through the Way, the rulers of the world are correct. When one views distinctions through the Way, the duties of ruler and minister are clear. When one views abilities through the Way, the officers of the world are well governed. When one views broadly through the Way, the responses of the myriad things are complete. Therefore, what pervades Heaven and Earth is Virtue. What operates through the myriad things is the Way. What governs people from above is affairs. What has specialized skills is technique. Technique is subsumed in affairs; affairs are subsumed in duty; duty is subsumed in Virtue; Virtue is subsumed in the Way; the Way is subsumed in Heaven. Thus it is said: "Those who nurtured the world in ancient times—through no desire, the world was satisfied; through non-action, the ten thousand things were transformed; through deep stillness, the common people were settled." The Record says: "Penetrate the one and all matters are completed; with no deliberate mind, even ghosts and spirits submit."

The Master said: "The Way covers and carries the ten thousand things—how abundantly great it is! The superior man cannot but hollow out his heart. To act through non-action is called Heaven. To speak through non-action is called Virtue. To love people and benefit things is called benevolence. To unify differences into harmony is called greatness. To act without standing apart is called breadth. To contain ten thousand differences is called richness. Therefore, to hold fast to Virtue is called the guiding principle; the completion of Virtue is called establishment; to follow the Way is called completeness; to let no thing frustrate one's purpose is called wholeness. When the superior man understands these ten things, then he encompasses the vastness of his purpose in his heart, and flows forth as the ten thousand things pass away. One such as this hides gold in the mountains and pearls in the deep; he does not pursue profit or goods, does not seek eminence or wealth. He does not delight in long life, does not grieve at early death. He does not glory in success, does not feel shame in failure. He does not grasp the gains of an era to make them his private portion; he does not make ruling the world a means to display himself. To display oneself is to be conspicuous. The myriad things share a single storehouse; death and life share the same form."

The Master said: "The Way—how deep its dwelling! How clear its limpidity! Even metal and stone would have no means to resonate without it. Thus metal and sound produce tones, but if not struck, they do not ring. Who among the ten thousand things could fix this? The person of kingly Virtue moves in plainness and is ashamed to be entangled in affairs. He stands rooted in the original source and his understanding penetrates to the spirit—therefore his Virtue is vast. When his mind emerges, it is drawn forth by things. Thus form does not come to life without the Way; life does not become manifest without Virtue. To preserve form, fulfill life, establish Virtue, and illuminate the Way—is this not the person of kingly Virtue? How expansive! He emerges suddenly, stirs vigorously, and the ten thousand things follow him! This is called the person of kingly Virtue. He looks into the dark and listens into the silent. Within the dark alone he perceives illumination; within the silent alone he perceives harmony. Therefore, in the deepest depth, he is able to produce things; in the most spiritual spirituality, he is able to reach the subtle. Thus when he meets with the ten thousand things, he is utterly empty yet supplies their needs; he gallops in season yet returns to his resting place—whether great or small, long or short, near or far."

The Yellow Emperor wandered north of the Red Water, ascended the Kunlun Mountains, and gazed southward. When he returned, he had lost his dark pearl. He sent Knowledge to seek it but Knowledge could not find it. He sent Li Zhu to seek it but Li Zhu could not find it. He sent Chi Gou to seek it but Chi Gou could not find it. Then he sent Xiang Wang. Xiang Wang found it. The Yellow Emperor said: "How extraordinary! Was it Xiang Wang who was able to find it?"

Yao's teacher was Xu You; Xu You's teacher was Nie Que; Nie Que's teacher was Wang Ni; Wang Ni's teacher was Bei Yi. Yao asked Xu You: "Can Nie Que match Heaven? I will use Wang Ni to draw him in." Xu You said: "Dangerous! The world is precarious! As a person, Nie Que is clever and wise, quick and nimble. His nature surpasses that of others, yet he uses the human to receive what comes from Heaven. He is vigilant about preventing faults, but he does not know from whence faults arise. Match him with Heaven? He would ride the human and abandon Heaven. He would make his own person the standard and set himself apart from other forms. He would honor knowledge and set it racing like fire. He would be a servant of trifles. He would be a net for things. He would look around in all directions and things would respond to him. He would seek to suit the many. He would transform along with things, and never hold to constancy. How could he be fit to match Heaven? Still, there are clans and ancestors. One may be a father to the many, but cannot be a father to the fathers of the many. He is a source of order and disorder, a calamity for those who face north, a thief for those who face south."

Yao was touring Hua. A border official of Hua said: "Ah! A sage! Let me wish the sage long life!" Yao said, "I decline." "Let the sage be wealthy!" Yao said, "I decline." "Let the sage have many sons!" Yao said, "I decline." The official said, "Long life, wealth, and many sons—these are what all people desire. Why do you alone not desire them?" Yao said, "Many sons mean many fears. Wealth means many affairs. Long life means many humiliations. These three do not nourish Virtue, therefore I decline." The official said: "At first, I took you for a sage; now I see you are a superior man. Heaven gives birth to the myriad people and surely assigns them their duties. If you have many sons and assign them their duties, what is there to fear? If you are wealthy and share it with others, what affairs are there? The sage—he lives like a quail and feeds like a fledgling bird. He moves like a bird without leaving a trace. When the Way prevails in the world, he flourishes along with all things. When the Way does not prevail in the world, he cultivates his Virtue and retires into leisure. After a thousand years, when he has had enough of the world, he departs and ascends as an immortal, riding those white clouds until he reaches the land of the Emperor. The three calamities never reach him; his body is always free of harm. What humiliation is there?" The official departed. Yao followed him, saying, "May I ask..." The official said, "Go away!"

When Yao governed the world, Bo Zi Gao was established as a feudal lord. Yao passed the rule to Shun; Shun passed it to Yu. Bo Zi Gao declined his position as a feudal lord and took up farming. Yu went to see him and found him plowing in the fields. Yu hastened to approach, stood in a humble position, and asked, saying: "In the past, when Yao governed the world, you were established as a feudal lord. Yao passed the rule to Shun; Shun passed it to you, and you declined your position as a feudal lord and took up farming. May I ask: what is the reason?" Zi Gao said: "In the past, when Yao governed the world, without rewards the people were encouraged; without punishments the people were in awe. Now you use rewards and punishments, and yet the people are not benevolent. Virtue will decline from this; punishments will be established from this; the disorder of later ages will begin from this! Sir, will you go? Do not disturb my work!" He went on plowing without looking back.

In the beginning there was nothing—no being, no name. From the One arose, but the One had no form. Things received it and thereby lived—this is called Te (Power). Before there was form, yet there were already divisions, and these divisions were continuous without gap—this is called Ming (Destiny). Through staying and moving, things were produced; when things were produced, they had their patterns of life—this is called Form (Body). Form and body preserved spirit, each having its own rules and norms—this is called Hsing (Nature). When Nature is cultivated, it returns to Te; when Te reaches its utmost, it becomes identical with the Beginning. This identity brings emptiness, and emptiness brings greatness. The beak joins in crying—the beak's crying joins, and thus joins with Heaven and Earth. This joining is silent and unformed, as if foolish, as if dark. This is called Mysterious Power (Hsuan Te), identical with Great Accord.

Confucius asked Lao Tan, saying: "There are those who cultivate the Way, yet they seem to defy it—they make the unacceptable acceptable, the untrue true. The Sophists say: 'Separate the hard and the white, as if hanging them in different rooms.' Can such a one be called a sage?" Lao Tan said: "This is like a menial official bound to his duties, toiling his body and troubling his mind. The watchdog who can catch the badger becomes anxious from his cage; the nimble monkey comes out of the mountains because of his usefulness. Qiu, I will tell you what you cannot hear and cannot speak: those who have heads and feet but no hearts and ears are many; those who have form and yet coexist with the formless and unshaped are entirely nonexistent. Their movement and their stopping, their death and their life, their decline and their rise—these are not things they can control. What matters is that order lies in the human being himself. Forget things, forget Heaven—this is called forgetting oneself. One who forgets himself may be said to enter into Heaven."

Jianlü Mian saw Ji Che and said: "The Lord of Lu said to me, 'Please instruct me.' I declined but could not escape the command, and so I have already given him my counsel. I do not know whether it was appropriate, so I venture to rehearse it for you. I told the Lord of Lu: 'You must practice reverence and frugality, promote the public-spirited and loyal, and have no selfish partialities—then who among the people would dare not to be at peace?'" Ji Che smiled broadly and said: "With words like yours, in terms of the virtue of an emperor or king, it is like a praying mantis angrily raising its arms to block a chariot—it simply cannot bear the burden! Moreover, if you act thus, you place yourself in peril. Your terrace will be much visited, and many creatures will come running to leave their tracks there." Jianlü Mian was startled with alarm and said: "I am confused by what you have said, Master. Nevertheless, I would like you to speak of its general drift." Ji Che said: "When the Great Sage governs the world, he shakes and stirs the people's hearts, causing them to complete their education and change their customs. He utterly destroys their thieving hearts and advances each person's individual purpose, as if it were Nature acting on its own, while the people do not know how it comes to be so. If this is so, how could he treat Yao and Shun's teaching of the people as an elder brother whom he treats with condescending respect? He would wish simply to be identical with Te and have his heart at rest!"

Zi Gong was traveling south to Chu. On his way back to Jin, he passed the southern bank of the Han River and saw an old man preparing vegetable beds. The old man dug a tunnel to enter the well, carried a jug, and went out to water the fields. He toiled with great effort but achieved very little. Zi Gong said: "Here is a machine that can water a hundred beds in a single day, with very little effort but much accomplishment. Would you not like to use it?" The gardener looked up at him and said: "How does it work?" Zi Gong said: "It is carved from wood, heavy behind and light before. It draws water as if pulling it, as swiftly as boiling water overflowing—it is called a well-sweep." The gardener flushed with anger and then smiled, saying: "I have heard it from my teacher: where there are machines, there must be mechanical affairs; where there are mechanical affairs, there must be a mechanical heart. When a mechanical heart dwells within the breast, purity and whiteness are not complete. When purity and whiteness are not complete, the spirit is not stable. When the spirit is not stable, the Way cannot sustain it. It is not that I do not know—I would be ashamed to do it." Zi Gong covered his face in shame and bowed his head without answering. After a while, the gardener said: "What sort of person are you?" Zi Gong said: "I am a disciple of Confucius." The gardener said: "Are you not the one who, with broad learning, models himself on the sage, who with self-importance covers the masses, who sings a sad song alone on the string, to sell his name and fame throughout the world? You should now forget your spirit and breath, let your body and limbs fall away—then perhaps you might approach it! If you cannot even govern yourself, what leisure have you to govern the world? Go away, and do not interfere with my business!"

Zi Gong drew back, his face changed, and he felt deeply unsettled. He walked thirty li before he recovered. His disciple said: "Who was that man we met? Why did your face change and your expression fall, and why have you been unable to recover all day?" Zi Gong said: "At first I thought there was only one man under Heaven—I did not know there was another like this. I have heard from the Master: in affairs, seek what is possible; in accomplishments, seek what succeeds; use little effort and achieve much—this is the Way of the sage. Now I find it is not so. One who holds to the Way has complete Te; one who has complete Te has complete form; one who has complete form has complete spirit. One who has complete spirit—this is the Way of the sage. Such a person entrusts his life and walks together with the people, without knowing where he is going—how pure and complete he is! Thoughts of profit and advantage, of mechanical skill and cleverness—such a person must have banished them from his heart. One like this: what does not accord with his purpose, he does not pursue; what does not accord with his heart, he does not do. Even if the whole world praised him and he gained what he truly sought, he would proudly refuse to pay attention. Even if the whole world condemned him and he lost what he truly sought, he would calmly refuse to accept it. The world's praise or blame brings him no gain or loss—this is what is called a person of complete Te! I would call him a man of the waves!" He returned to Lu and told Confucius. Confucius said: "He is one who cultivates the art of the Emperor of the Center, Hun-tun. He knows the One but does not know the Two. He cultivates the inner but does not cultivate the outer. One who enters purity with clarity, returns to simplicity through non-action, embodies his Nature and embraces his spirit to wander among the people—would you not indeed be startled by such a one? Moreover, the art of Hun-tun—how could you and I presume to understand it?"

Zhunmang was about to travel east to the Great Gulch, when he met Yuanfeng on the shore of the Eastern Sea. Yuanfeng said, "Where are you going?" Zhunmang replied, "I am going to the Great Gulch." Yuanfeng asked, "What will you do there?" Zhunmang said, "As a thing, the Great Gulch—pour into it and it never fills; draw from it and it never empties. I am going to wander there." Yuanfeng said, "Does the Master have no concern for the people with their horizontal eyes? I would like to hear about the governance of the sage." Zhunmang said, "The governance of the sage? He bestows offices and does not miss what is fitting; he selects and promotes and does not miss those with ability. He fully perceives the true nature of affairs and acts accordingly; his actions and words proceed of themselves and the world is transformed. He merely raises his hand and beckons, and the people of the four directions all hasten to him. This is called the governance of the sage." Yuanfeng said, "I would like to hear about the man of De." Zhunmang said, "The man of De dwells without thought and acts without scheming; he does not store up distinctions of right and wrong, good or bad. Within the four seas, all share in what brings benefit and call it joy; all share in what brings sustenance and call it peace. He is forlorn as an infant who has lost its mother, adrift as one who has lost his way on the road. His wealth and resources are more than enough, yet he does not know where they come from; his food and drink are sufficient, yet he does not know where they come from. This is called the bearing of the man of De." Yuanfeng said, "I would like to hear about the spiritual man." Zhunmang said, "The highest spirit rides upon light and perishes along with form—this is called illumination and vastness. He fulfills his fate and exhausts his true nature; heaven and earth rejoice and all affairs perish; the ten thousand things return to their true nature—this is called the dark and undifferentiated."

Wumen Gui and Chi Zhang Manji were observing King Wu's army. Chi Zhang Manji said, "This falls short of the era of Youyu Shi! That is why they are suffering this calamity!" Wumen Gui said, "Was the world already in good order and then Youyu Shi brought order to it, or was it in chaos and then he brought order to it?" Chi Zhang Manji said, "The people of the world desire only that the world be in good order—why should one even consider Youyu Shi in this regard? Youyu Shi was like a medicine for sores—he became bald and applied a wig, fell ill and sought a doctor. When a filial son prepares medicine to treat his loving father, his countenance is haggard, and the sage is ashamed of it. In the age of perfect virtue, worthiness was not esteemed and abilities were not employed. The ruler was like a branch high above, and the people were like wild deer. They were upright but did not know it was righteousness; they loved one another but did not know it was benevolence; they were sincere but did not know it was loyalty; they were reliable but did not know it was good faith. They moved and acted in mutual service but did not consider it a gift. Thus their actions left no traces and their deeds were not transmitted."

A filial son does not flatter his parents; a loyal minister does not fawn upon his lord—this is the highest achievement of minister and son. If a parent speaks and it is deemed right, or acts and it is deemed good, the ordinary world calls such a son unfilial. If a lord speaks and it is deemed right, or acts and it is deemed good, the ordinary world calls such a minister disloyal. And yet who knows that this is necessarily so? When the ordinary world deems a thing right and one deems it right, when it deems a thing good and one deems it good, then one is not called a flatterer or a sycophant. If so, then is the ordinary world indeed stricter with parents and more exalted toward lords than they are? If one is told that he is a flatterer, he bristles with anger; if one is told that he is a sycophant, he bristles with indignation—and yet he flatters and sycophants his whole life through. He uses similes and ornamented phrases to gather crowds—from beginning to end, root and branch, nothing is held accountable. He hangs up his robes and garments, sets out his colors and patterns, stirs his countenance and bearing, to flatter the whole age, and yet does not call himself a flatterer. He joins with others in their ways, shares their right and wrong, and yet does not call himself a follower of the crowd—this is the height of folly. To know one's own folly is not the greatest folly. To know one's own confusion is not the greatest confusion. The greatest confusion is never resolved in a lifetime. The greatest folly is never enlightened in a lifetime. If three men walk together and one is confused, their destination may still be reached, because the confused one is in the minority. If two are confused, their labor will be in vain and they will not arrive, because the confused ones prevail. And now the whole world is confused—though I may have wishes and directions, they cannot be fulfilled. Is this not a cause for sorrow! Grand music does not enter the ears of the common folk; but when they hear Zhe Yang and Hua Hua, they laugh out loud. Thus lofty words do not lodge in the hearts of the common people. Perfect words do not emerge because vulgar words prevail. With two jars to confuse a bell, the destination cannot be reached. And now the whole world is confused—though I may have wishes and directions, how could they possibly be fulfilled? To know they cannot be fulfilled and yet to force the matter—this is yet another confusion. Therefore it is best to let it go and cease pushing forward. If one does not push forward, who will share one's sorrow? A hideous man, in the middle of the night, begs a son and suddenly seizes a fire to look at him, anxiously and fearfully, dreading only that the son might resemble him.

A hundred-year-old tree is cut down and carved into a sacrificial vessel, decorated with patterns of green and yellow; its stump is left in the ditch. Compare the sacrificial vessel with the stump in the ditch, and there is a difference between them in beauty and ugliness. But in their loss of innate nature, they are the same. Zhi on the one hand and Zeng and Shi on the other—in their conduct of righteousness there is a difference, but in their loss of innate nature, they are equal. Moreover, there are five ways of losing innate nature: First, the five colors confuse the eyes and make them fail to see clearly. Second, the five sounds confuse the ears and make them fail to hear acutely. Third, the five smells assail the nose and obstruct the nose and forehead. Fourth, the five flavors pollute the mouth and make it coarse and impaired. Fifth, likes and dislikes disturb the mind and make the nature fly about wildly. These five are all harms to life. And yet Yang and Mo begin to strain and stretch, thinking they have achieved something—but this is not what I call achievement. If what is achieved is a state of being trapped, can it be called achievement? Then the owl and the caged bird in their pens may also be called achievements! Furthermore, likes and dislikes, sounds and colors are stuffed within them, while feathered caps, kingfisher-plumed headbands, tablets held at court, and broad sashes bind them from without. Within, they are stuffed full of brushwood and stakes; without, they are bound tight with ropes and snares, blinking within their bonds and snares, and yet thinking they have achieved something—then even criminals with their arms bound and fingers pressed, or tigers and leopards in sacks and cages, may also be called achievements!