External Things

External Things

External things cannot be relied upon. Hence Yin Jie was executed, Bigan was dismembered, Jizi feigned madness, Elai perished, and Jie and Zhou met their ruin. No ruler does not desire loyalty in his ministers, yet loyalty is not always trusted—hence Wu Zixu's body was cast into the Yangzi, and Chang Hong died in Shu, where his blood was kept for three years and transformed into jade. No parent does not desire filial devotion in his children, yet filial devotion does not always win love—hence Xiao Ji knew sorrow and Zeng Shen knew grief. When wood rubs against wood, it ignites. When metal holds its place with fire, it melts. When yin and yang fall out of their proper course, Heaven and Earth are thrown into great confusion—then there are thunder and lightning, fire appears in water, and great locust trees are consumed. There is an extreme anguish, a falling into double binds with nowhere to escape; the heart trembles and cannot find completion, suspended as it were between Heaven and Earth, suffocated and sunk in gloom, as benefit and harm grind against each other and generate fire in abundance. The multitude burn away their harmony; the moon-fire cannot overcome the flames, and so there comes a point where one collapses utterly and the Way is exhausted.

Zhuangzi's family was poor, so he went to borrow grain from the Lord of the River. The Lord of the River said, "Very well. I am about to receive the revenues of my fief. I will lend you three hundred pieces of gold—will that do?" Zhuangzi flushed with anger and said, "As I was coming here yesterday, I heard a cry from the middle of the road. I looked down into the ruts of my carriage and found a carp. I said to it, 'Come here, carp—what are you doing?' It replied, 'I am a minister of the Eastern Seas. Could you perhaps give me a dipper or a peck of water to keep me alive?' I said, 'Very well. I am going south to visit the kings of Wu and Yue; I will divert the waters of the Western River to come to your aid—will that do?' The carp flushed with anger and said, 'I have lost my constant companion—I have nowhere to go. All I need is a dipper or a peck of water and I would live. But to talk like this—you might as well have gone looking for me sooner among the dried fish in the market!'"

Lord Ren fashioned a great hook and a massive black cord, using fifty head of oxen as bait. He squatted on Mount Kuaiji, cast his line into the East Sea, and fished morning after morning throughout the year without catching anything. At last a great fish swallowed the bait, dragging the enormous hook down deep, plunging and darting below, then rising up and flapping its fins—white waves rose like mountains, the sea water shook, the noise matched that of gods and spirits, and the terror reached a thousand miles. When Lord Ren caught this fish, he cut it up and dried it. From east of the Zhi River to north of Cangwu, there was no one who did not feast upon that fish. Thereafter, the petty and garrulous scholars of later generations all marveled and told one another the story. As for those who go trudging along with a pole and line to haunt the ditches and creeks, waiting for minnows and carps—when it comes to catching a great fish, they are far indeed from it. As for those who dress up clever talk in order to seek appointment as a magistrate—when it comes to great understanding, they are far indeed from it. Thus, if one has never heard of the customs of the Ren family, one is far indeed from being able to manage the world.

Confucian scholars used the Odes and the Rites to rob a tomb. The senior scholar relayed down: "The east is brightening already—how are things going?" The junior scholar said, "We haven't got the skirts and jacket off yet, but there's a pearl in the mouth. The Odes have it: 'Green, green the wheat, growing on the slopes. If in life you gave no charity, why in death hold a pearl in your mouth?'" "Take him by the temples, press down on his jaw. Use the bronze hammer to pry open his chin. Gently separate his cheeks. Don't damage the pearl in his mouth."

A disciple of Laolaizi was out gathering firewood when he met Zhongni. He returned and reported, saying, "There was a man over there, with a long neck and a stooping back, his chin tucked behind his ears, his gaze as though surveying the four seas. I don't know whose son he could be." Laolaizi said, "That is Qiu. Summon him." Zhongni came. Laolaizi said, "Qiu, put aside your personal pride and your knowing bearing, and then you may be called a gentleman." Zhongni bowed and withdrew, then with a troubled change of expression asked, "Can my efforts be advanced?" Laolaizi said, "To be unable to bear the injury of one age and yet to bring calamity upon ten thousand generations—is this merely poverty of means, or is it that your understanding does not reach far enough? To bestow favors in pursuit of joy and thereby bring disgrace upon yourself for a lifetime—this is merely the conduct of an ordinary man. People pull each other up by reputation, bind each other by hidden schemes. Rather than praising Yao and condemning Jie, you would do better to forget both and shut the door on all such praise. To go against things is not necessarily to harm them; to stir into action is not necessarily to go astray. The sage hesitates and deliberates before undertaking a thing, and thereby succeeds each time. How can you bear to carry on, loaded down with this perpetual self-importance?"

In the middle of the night, Duke Yuan of Song dreamed of a man with disheveled hair peering through the side gate, who said: "I come from the depths of the Zailu marsh. I was sent as an envoy of the Clear River to the place of the Earl of the River. The fisherman Yu Ju caught me." When Duke Yuan awoke, he had the dream interpreted. The diviner said, "This is a divine turtle." The Duke said, "Is there a fisherman called Yu Ju?" His attendants said, "There is." The Duke said, "Order Yu Ju to come to court." The next day, Yu Ju came to court. The Duke said, "What did you catch?" He replied, "In my net I caught a white turtle, five feet in circumference." The Duke said, "Present your turtle." When the turtle arrived, the Duke half wanted to kill it and half wanted to spare it. His mind was uncertain, so he divined, and was told, "To kill the turtle for divining—auspicious." So he had the turtle gutted. They drilled it seventy-two times and not a single reading failed. Zhongni said, "The divine turtle was able to appear in a dream to Duke Yuan, yet could not escape the net of Yu Ju. Its wisdom was able to give seventy-two infallible readings, yet could not escape the calamity of having its entrails cut out. Thus we see that wisdom has its limits, and even the spirit has its shortcomings. Even with the utmost knowledge, one must contend with the scheming of ten thousand men. Fish do not fear the net, but they fear the pelican. Discard petty knowledge and great knowledge becomes clear. Discard the conscious pursuit of goodness and goodness comes of itself. A baby is born without a teacher of stone and yet can speak—because it lives among those who can speak."

Huizi said to Zhuangzi, "Your words are useless." Zhuangzi said, "Once you understand what is useless, then we can speak about what is useful. Is not the Earth vast and broad? Yet what a man uses of it is no more than the ground his feet stand on. But if you scrape away everything beside his footing down to the Yellow Springs, would the ground he stands on still be of any use?" Huizi said, "No, it would not." Zhuangzi said, "Then the usefulness of the useless is clear enough."

Zhuangzi said: "When a person is able to wander free, how can he fail to wander free? When a person is not able to wander free, how can he wander free? To harbor the resolve of flight, to adopt the conduct of severance—alas, is this not the burden of the utmost knowledge and abundant virtue? Falling and tumbling without turning back, galloping like fire without looking back—even if one is paired with another as ruler and minister, it is merely the times; when the age changes, neither can demean the other. Therefore it is said: the ultimate man does not linger in his conduct.

Those who honor the past and belittle the present are but a current among scholars. Moreover, if one uses the standards of the Xiwei clan to observe the present age, who would not be swept along? Only the ultimate man can wander through the world without becoming deviant, can follow others without losing himself. He does not learn their teachings, yet he receives their intentions without opposing them.

When vision penetrates, it is called clarity; when hearing penetrates, it is called acuity; when smell penetrates, it is called keenness; when taste penetrates, it is called sweetness; when the mind penetrates, it is called wisdom; when wisdom penetrates, it is called virtue. As a general principle, the Way does not wish to be obstructed. When obstructed, it becomes choked; when choked and unceasing, it becomes trampled upon; when trampled upon, all manner of harm arise.

Things that possess awareness depend on breath. If it does not flourish, this is not Heaven's fault. Heaven penetrates it day and night without cessation. Yet people contrive to block its orifices. The womb has layered spaciousness; the mind has Heavenly wandering. If a house has no empty space, then mother-in-law and daughter-in-law will quarrel. If the mind has no Heavenly wandering, then the six apertures will struggle against one another. The excellence of great forests and hills and mountains for people—it is also that the spirit cannot overcome them.

Virtue overflows into reputation; reputation overflows into violence; scheming arises from urgency; knowledge emerges from contention; fences arise from guarding; official affairs are settled by what suits the multitude. When spring rains come at the proper time, grasses and sprout forth in a rush; it is then that hoes and sickles are first put in order. More than half of the plants that are transplanted—and yet no one knows why.

Stillness can remedy illness; pressing the corners of the eyes can rest old age; tranquility can halt haste. Even so, these are the concerns of the toiling man, not of those who are at ease, and they have never troubled themselves to inquire about them.

What the sage uses to startle the world—the spirit-man has never troubled himself to inquire about. What the worthy uses to startle the age—the sage has never troubled himself to inquire about. What the gentleman uses to startle the state—the worthy has never troubled himself to inquire about. What the petty man uses to conform to the times—the gentleman has never troubled himself to inquire about.

At Yanmen there was one who had lost a close relative. By his skillful mourning, he was enfeoffed as an official and a teacher. Half of those in his village who emulated his mourning died.

Yao offered the empire to Xu You; Xu You fled from it. Tang offered it to Wuguang; Wuguang was enraged by it. Ji Ta heard of it and led his disciples to encircle themselves at Kuan River. The feudal lords condoled with him. Three years later, Shendi Di accordingly threw himself into the river.

The fish-trap exists for the fish; once you have caught the fish, you forget the trap. The snare exists for the rabbit; once you have caught the rabbit, you forget the snare. Words exist for the meaning; once you have grasped the meaning, you forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words to talk with him?"