Giving Away a Throne

Giving Away a Throne

Yao offered the empire to Xu You, but Xu You declined. He then offered it to Zizhou Zhifu, who said: "To make me Son of Heaven would be acceptable enough. However, I happen to be suffering from a deep, dark illness and am just now attending to it. I have no leisure to govern the empire." Now, the empire is of the utmost weight, yet he would not let it harm his life — how much less, then, would he let any other thing do so? Only one who has no use for ruling the empire is fit to be entrusted with it.

Shun offered the empire to Zizhou Zhibo, who said: "I happen to be suffering from a deep, dark illness, and am just now attending to it. I have no leisure to govern the empire." Thus, the empire is a great vessel, yet he would not exchange his life for it. This is how those who possess the Way differ from the common run of men.

Shun offered the empire to Shan Juan, who said: "I stand in the midst of the universe. In winter I wear furs and skins; in summer I wear coarse and fine hemp. In spring I plow and plant — my body is fit for labor. In autumn I harvest and store — my body is fit for rest and nourishment. I work when the sun rises and rest when it sets, wandering freely between heaven and my and finding my heart's content. What use have I for the empire? How sad — you do not understand me!" And so he declined. He then departed into the deep mountains, and no one knew where he had gone.

Shun offered the empire to his friend, the farmer of Shihu. The farmer of Shihu said: "What a toiling, laborious man the king is! He is a man of strenuous effort." He judged that Shun's virtue had not yet reached the highest level. Thereupon the man carried his wife on his back and led his son by the hand, and they went into the sea, never to return.

The Great King Danfu dwelt in Bin, and the Di people attacked him. He offered them hides and silks, but they would not accept them. He offered them dogs and horses, but they would not accept them. He offered them pearls and jade, but they would not accept them. What the Di people sought was his land. The Great King Danfu said: "To dwell with a man's elder brother and kill his younger brother, to dwell with a man's father and kill his son — this I cannot bear. My sons, try hard to dwell here! To be my subjects or to be subjects of the Di — what is the difference? And I have heard it said: 'Do not harm what you nourish for the sake of what is used to nourish it.'" Thereupon he tapped his staff and departed. The people followed him linked arm in arm, and he founded a state at the foot of Mount Qi. Now, the Great King Danfu may be said to have been able to honor life. One who can honor life, though wealthy and honored, will not let what nourishes him injure his body; though poor and lowly, will not let profit burden his form. Men of the present day who occupy high offices and exalted ranks all hold them too dear; when they see profit, they lightly risk their lives — are they not deluded?

The people of Yue assassinated their ruler three times in succession. Prince Sou, distressed by this, fled to a cave of cinnabar. The state of Yue was left without a ruler. When they sought Prince Sou and could not find him, they followed him to the cave. Prince Sou would not come out. The Yue people smoked him out with mugwort and placed him in a jade carriage. Prince Sou grasped the rope to climb into the carriage, looked up to heaven, and cried out: "A throne! A throne! Will you not leave me alone?" It was not that Prince Sou detested being a ruler; he detested the perils that come with being one. A man like Prince Sou may truly be said to have been unwilling to let the state injure his life. And this was precisely why the people of Yue wanted him as their ruler.

Han and Wei were fighting over disputed territory. Zihuazi visited Marquis Zhaoxi, who wore a troubled expression. Zihuazi said: "Suppose the whole world were to be inscribed on a covenant placed before you, and the inscription read: 'If I seize it with my left hand, my right hand will be cut off; if I seize it with my right hand, my left hand will be cut off — yet whoever seizes it will possess the world.' Would you seize it?" Marquis Zhaoxi said: "I would not seize it." Zihuazi said: "Excellent! From this perspective, the two arms are more weighty than the world, and the body is more weighty than the two arms. Han is also far lighter than the world, and the territory you are now fighting over is far lighter than Han. You are surely distressing your body and injuring your life, fretting and worrying to no avail!" The Marquis said: "Splendid! Many have instructed me, but I have never heard words like these." Zihuazu may be said to have understood what is weighty and what is light.

The Lord of Lu heard that Yan He was a man who had attained the Way, so he sent a messenger with gifts ahead of him. Yan He lived in a humble lane, wearing coarse cloth, and fed his own oxen. When the Lord of Lu's messenger arrived, Yan He himself received him. The messenger said: "Is this the house of Yan He?" Yan He replied: "This is He's house." The messenger presented the gifts. Yan He replied: "I fear the listener may have erred and thus bring blame upon the messenger. You had better verify it." The messenger returned, verified the matter, and came back to seek him out — but he could no longer be found. A man like Yan He truly detests wealth and honor. Therefore it is said: "The essence of the Way is used to govern the body; its remnants are used to govern the state; its dregs are used to govern the world." From this perspective, the deeds of emperors and kings are merely the leftover affairs of sages — they are not what is used to perfect the body and nourish life. Yet the gentlemen of the present age often endanger their bodies and abandon their lives to pursue external things — is this not tragic? In all their actions, the sages necessarily examined where they were going and what they were doing. Suppose there were a man who used the pearl of the Marquis of Sui to shoot a bird a thousand fathoms in the air — the world would surely laugh at him. Why? Because what he used was weighty and what he sought was light. Now, life — is it not weightier even than the Marquis of Sui's pearl?

Master Liezi was in dire straits, and his face showed the signs of hunger. A guest mentioned this to Ziyang of Zheng, saying: "Lie Yukou is a man who possesses the Way. He dwells in your lordship's state and yet is in such straits — is your lordship perhaps not fond of worthy men?" Ziyang of Zheng immediately ordered an official to send him grain. Master Liezi received the messenger, bowed twice, and declined. When the messenger had gone, Master Liezi entered his house. His wife glared at him and beat her breast, saying: "I have heard that the wife of a man who possesses the Way enjoys ease and pleasure. Yet now we show the signs of hunger. The lord has heard of you and sent you food, but you refuse to accept it — is this not fate?" Master Liezi laughed and said to her: "The lord does not know me of his own accord. It was because of another man's words that he sent me grain; and when it comes to punishing me, it will also be because of another man's words. This is why I did not accept it." In the end, the people did indeed rise up in rebellion and killed Ziyang.

When King Zhao of Chu lost his kingdom, the butcher named Shui fled and followed King Zhao. When the king restored his kingdom, he intended to reward those who had followed him, including the butcher Shui. The butcher Shui said, "When the great king lost his kingdom, I lost my butcher's trade. When the great king restored his kingdom, I also returned to my butcher's trade. My rank and emoluments have already been restored—what further reward is there?"

The king said, "I will compel him to accept it."

The butcher Shui said, "When the great king lost his kingdom, it was not my fault, so I dared not submit to punishment. When the great king restored his kingdom, it was not through my merit, so I dared not claim the reward."

The king said, "I will summon him and see him."

The butcher Shui said, "By the laws of Chu, one must have received a great reward for great merit before one can be granted an audience. Now my wisdom was not sufficient to preserve the kingdom, and my courage was not sufficient to face down the invaders. When the Wu army entered Ying, I fled out of fear of the danger—it was not that I deliberately followed the great king. Now the great king wishes to abolish the laws and break the covenant in order to grant me an audience—this is not something I would wish to have heard of throughout the realm."

The king said to the Grand Marshal Ziqi, "The butcher Shui lives in lowly circumstances, yet his articulation of principle is very high. I would have you extend to him the position of the Three Banners."

The butcher Shui said, "The position of the Three Banners—I know it is more honorable than my butcher's stall. An emolument of ten thousand zhong—I know it is more profitable than the gains of my butcher's trade. But how could I accept rank and emoluments, and thereby cause my lord to have a reputation for reckless bestowal? I dare not accept. I wish only to return to my butcher's stall."

And so he did not accept.

Yuan Xian lived in Lu. His house had walls on all four sides, thatched with wild grass. The door was made of woven willow, incomplete and broken, with a mulberry tree serving as the pivot. The two rooms had earthen jars for windows, blocked with coarse cloth. The upper room leaked and the lower was damp, yet he sat upright and plucked his zither, singing.

Zigong came riding a grand horse, wearing robes of dark red beneath and white without, in a carriage too large for the alley, to visit Yuan Xian. Yuan Xian came to the door wearing a tattered cap and shoes with broken straps, leaning on a staff of briars.

Zigong said, "Ah! What ails you, sir?"

Yuan Xian replied, "I have heard: 'To have no wealth is called poverty; to have learning but be unable to put it into practice is called affliction.' Now I, Xian, am poor—but not afflicted."

Zigong retreated a step, his face showing shame.

Yuan Xian laughed and said, "To curry favor with the age, to make friends through factionalism, to study for the sake of others and to teach for the sake of oneself, the hidden evils of benevolence and righteousness, the ornamentation of carriages and horses—these are things I cannot bear to do."

Zengzi lived in Wei. His robe of coarse hemp had no outer covering; his face was swollen and discolored; his hands and feet were calloused. He had not cooked a fire for three days, nor had he made new clothes for ten years. When he straightened its cord, the cord of his cap broke. When he pulled his collar, his elbows showed through. When he put on his shoes, the heels split open. Yet he shuffled along singing the hymns of Shang, his voice filling heaven and earth, as if it issued from metal and stone. The Son of Heaven could not make him a subject; the feudal lords could not make him a friend. Thus, one who nurtures his will forgets his body; one who nurtures his body forgets profit; one who has attained the Way forgets his mind.

Confucius said to Yan Hui, "Hui, come here. Your family is poor and your station is low. Why not take office?"

Yan Hui replied, "I do not wish to take office. I have fifty mu of land outside the outer walls, enough to provide gruel and porridge. I have ten mu of land inside the walls, enough to grow hemp and silk. Playing the zither is enough to entertain myself; the Way that I have learned from you is enough to bring me joy. I do not wish to take office."

Confucius's countenance changed, and he said, "How excellent, Hui's intention! I have heard: 'One who is content does not entangle himself with profit. One who truly knows himself is unafraid of loss. One who cultivates virtue within is not abashed by lacking rank.' I have recited these words for a long time, but only now, in Hui, do I see them realized. This is my gain!"

Prince Mou of Zhongshan said to Zhanzi, "My body dwells by the rivers and seas, yet my heart remains beneath the palace towers of Wei. What shall I do?"

Zhanzi said, "Set a high value on life. If you set a high value on life, you will hold profit lightly."

Prince Mou said, "Though I know this, I cannot overcome myself."

Zhanzi said, "If you cannot overcome yourself, then let it be. The spirit will not be harmed. But if you cannot overcome yourself and force yourself not to let go—this is called a double injury. A person of double injury has no hope of long life."

Wei Mou was the prince of a state of ten thousand chariots. His difficulty in hiding among the cliffs and caves was greater than that of a commoner. Although he had not yet attained the Way, it could be said that he had the intention toward it.

Confucius was in distress between Chen and Cai. For seven days they had no cooked food; their soup of wild herbs had no grain in it. His face showed great weariness, yet he played the zither and sang in his room. Yan Hui was sorting vegetables. Zilu and Zigong spoke to each other, saying, "Our master was twice driven from Lu, had his traces wiped out in Wei, had his tree cut down in Song, was in distress in Shang and Zhou, and is besieged between Chen and Cai. Those who kill our master are not punished; those who restrain him are not prohibited. Yet he plays the zither and sings without ever letting the music cease. Can a gentleman be so shameless?"

Yan Hui had no answer and went in to tell Confucius. Confucius put aside his zither, sighed deeply, and said, "You and Ci are petty men! Summon them here and I will speak to them."

Zilu and Zigong entered. Zilu said, "To be in such a situation—this can be called being in distress!"

Confucius said, "What kind of talk is this? A gentleman who penetrates the Way is called one who is in communication; one who is blocked from the Way is called one who is in distress. Now I hold the Way of benevolence and righteousness and have encountered the troubles of a disordered age—how can this be called distress? Therefore, examining myself inwardly, I am not blocked from the Way; facing difficulty, I do not lose my virtue. When the cold of heaven arrives and frost and snow descend, I thereby know the flourishing of the pine and cypress. The straits of Chen and Cai—for me, are they not a blessing?"

Confucius composed himself, turned back to his zither, and sang. Zilu, inspired, took up a shield and danced. Zigong said, "I did not know the height of heaven, nor the depth of earth!"

The ancients who attained the Way were joyful in distress and joyful in success. What brought them joy was not distress or success. When the Way and virtue are present within, then distress and success are merely the sequence of cold and heat, wind and rain. Thus, Xu You found contentment by the banks of the Ying River, and Duke Bo found fulfillment at Mount Gongshou.

Shun offered the kingdom to his friend Beiren Wuzhe. Beiren Wuzhe said, "What a strange thing, this ruler of men! He dwells among the furrows and fields, yet wanders in the gate of Yao. Not content with this, he further wishes to defile me with his disgraceful conduct. I am ashamed to see him."

And thereupon he threw himself into the clear and cold abyss.

Tang was about to attack Jie and consulted Bian Sui about the plan. Bian Sui said, "This is not my affair." Tang asked, "Who then is capable?" He replied, "I do not know." Tang then consulted Wu Guang about the plan. Wu Guang said, "This is not my affair." Tang asked, "Who then is capable?" He replied, "I do not know." Tang said, "What about Yi Yin?" He answered, "He has strength and can endure humiliation, but I know nothing else about him." Tang thereupon joined with Yi Yin in planning the attack on Jie and defeated him. Tang then offered the throne to Bian Sui, but Bian Sui declined, saying, "When the ruler attacked Jie, he consulted me about it—he must have regarded me as a villain. Now that he has defeated Jie and offers me the throne, he must regard me as greedy. I live in a chaotic age, and a man without the Way has come again and again to insult me with his disgraceful conduct. I cannot bear to hear it any longer." Thereupon he threw himself into the Chou River and died.

Tang then offered the throne to Wu Guang, saying, "The wise man devises the plan, the warrior carries it out, and the benevolent man occupies the position—such was the way of antiquity. Why do you not take the throne?" Wu Guang declined, saying, "To depose one's superior is not righteous. To kill the people is not benevolent. Others risk the hardship, while I enjoy the profit—that is not integrity. I have heard it said: 'What is not in accordance with righteousness, I will not accept its emolument. In an age without the Way, I will not set foot upon its soil.' How much less would you have me endure being honored in this way? I cannot bear to look upon it for long." Thereupon he weighted himself with a stone and sank himself in the Lu River.

In the past, when the house of Zhou arose, there were two scholars who dwelt in Gu Zhu, named Bo Yi and Shu Qi. The two men said to one another, "I have heard that in the west there is a man who seems to possess the Way. Let us try and go observe him." When they arrived at Qi Yang, King Wu heard of it and sent Shu Dan to meet them. He made a covenant with them, saying, "We will increase your wealth by two ranks and advance your office by one grade, sealing the oath with blood and burying it." The two men looked at each other and laughed, saying, "Ah! How strange! This is not what we call the Way. In the past, when Shen Nong possessed the realm, he sacrificed to the seasons with the utmost reverence but did not pray for blessings. Toward the people, he was loyal and trustworthy and governed with all his might, yet made no demands of them. He took joy in governing with those who governed, and in order with those who brought order. He did not take advantage of others' ruin to establish himself. He did not take advantage of others' lowliness to elevate himself. He did not seize the moment for his own profit. Now the house of Zhou sees the disorder of Yin and hastens to govern—plotting above and dispensing bribes below, relying on arms and preserving their might, cutting sacrificial beasts and making covenants to ensure trust, parading their deeds to please the masses, and waging slaughter to seek profit. This is to promote disorder in order to replace one tyranny with another. I have heard that the scholars of antiquity, when they encountered an age of good order, did not shirk their duty; and when they encountered an age of disorder, they did not cling to a base existence. Now all under Heaven is dark, and the virtue of Zhou has declined. To associate with Zhou would only defile our persons. It would better to avoid it and preserve the purity of our conduct." The two men traveled north to the Shou Yang Mountain, and there they starved to death. Such were Bo Yi and Shu Qi. As for wealth and honor, even if it could be obtained with ease, they would certainly not cling to it. Their lofty conduct and wayward behavior—they took delight alone in their own will and would not serve the world. Such was the integrity of these two scholars.