The Revolution of Heaven (Chapter 14)

Is Heaven revolving? Is Earth standing still? Are the sun and moon contending for their positions? Who governs these? Who sustains these? Who, dwelling in idleness, impels them to move? Perhaps there is some mechanism that controls them, leaving them no choice? Perhaps they move on their own and cannot stop? Do clouds become rain? Does rain become clouds? Who dispenses these? Who, dwelling in idleness, indulges excessively to encourage these? The wind rises from the north, now blowing west, now east, whirling in the upper air. Who breathes it? Who, dwelling in idleness, fans it? I ask, what is the reason for this?"

Xian Yao Zhao said, "Come, I will tell you. Heaven has the Six Extremities and the Five Constants. When emperors and kings comply with them, the world is at peace; when they go against them, calamities run rampant. The affairs of the Nine Luo, when governance succeeds, virtue is complete, and light shines upon the world, all under Heaven support him—this is called the Supreme Sovereign."

Grand Steward Tang of the Shang dynasty asked Zhuangzi about benevolence. Zhuangzi said, "Tigers and wolves also have benevolence."

Grand Steward Tang said, "What do you mean by this?"

Zhuangzi said, "Father and son are affectionate—why is this not benevolence?"

Grand Steward Tang said, "May I ask what consummate benevolence is?"

Zhuangzi said, "Consummate benevolence has no affection."

Grand Steward Tang said, "I have heard that without affection there is no love, and without love there is no filial piety. To say that consummate benevolence is not filial—can this be acceptable?"

Zhuangzi said, "It is not so. Consummate benevolence is the highest realm; filial piety by itself is insufficient to explain it. This is not to reproach filial piety, but to say that filial piety does not reach it. The man who travels south arrives at Ying, yet looking north he cannot see Mount Ming—why is this? Because the distance is too great. Therefore it is said: To practice filial piety with reverence is easy; to practice it with loving care is difficult. To practice it with loving care is easy; to make parents forget me is difficult. To make parents forget me is easy; for me to forget the world at the same time is difficult. For me to forget the world at the same time is easy; to make the whole world forget me at the same time is difficult. Virtue abandons Yao and Shun without acting, and its grace extends to ten thousand generations, yet the world does not know it—how could it merely sigh and speak of benevolence and filial piety? Filial piety, brotherly respect, benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, trustworthiness, integrity, and chastity—these are things used to force oneself and to enslave one's virtue; they are not worthy of esteem. Therefore it is said: The most honorable discards the rank of a state; the richest discards the wealth of a state; the most content discards fame. Thus the Great Way does not change."

Bei Men Cheng asked the Yellow Emperor, saying, "When you performed the Xianchi music in the wilds of Dongting, I was frightened when I first heard it, relaxed when I heard it again, and confused when I heard it last. Bewildered and dazed, I could not attain myself."

The Yellow Emperor said, "You would naturally be like this! I performed it with human affairs, responded with Heavenly principles, advanced it with ritual and righteousness, and established it with the Great Purity. That ultimate music first complies with human affairs, then follows nature, moves with the Five Virtues, responds with nature, and then regulates the four seasons, bringing all things into great harmony. The four seasons arise in turn; all things grow in order. One waxes and one wanes—the way of civil and military alternates. One clear and one turbid—yin and yang harmonize, and the resplendent sound flows. Creatures that hibernate begin to stir; I startle them with thunder. It ends without an ending, begins without a beginning. One dies and one lives, one falls and one rises, in endless transformation, utterly unpredictable. Thus you were frightened.

Again I performed it with the harmony of yin and yang, illuminated it with the light of the sun and moon. Its sound could be short or long, soft or hard; its changes were unified, not bound to fixed patterns. In valleys it filled the valleys; in hollows it filled the hollows. It blocked crevices, guarded the spirit, and took all things as its measure. Its sound was expansive, its name exalted. Thus ghosts and spirits kept to their darkness, and the sun, moon, and stars moved in their orbits. I stopped it where it ends, and let it flow where there is no limit. You tried to think of it but could not know it; tried to look at it but could not see it; tried to pursue it but could not catch it. Dazed, you stood on the empty road of the four directions, leaned against a withered parasol tree, and intoned. Your vision exhausted on what you wanted to see; your strength faltered on what you wanted to pursue—I could no longer keep up! Your body filled with emptiness, and thus you became compliant. You were compliant, so you felt relaxed.

Again I performed it with a sound that never tires, harmonized it with the fate of nature. Thus it was like mixed pursuits, like clustered growths; the music of the forest had no form, spreading and scattering without pulling, dark and obscure without sound. Movement had no direction, dwelling in deep obscurity. Some said it died, some said it lived; some said it was solid, some said it flourished. It flowed and scattered, not fixed on a single sound. The world doubted it, seeking verification from the sage. The sage is one who penetrates human feelings and complies with fate. The Heavenly mechanism is not revealed, yet the five senses are all complete. This is called Heavenly music, wordless yet joyful in the heart. Therefore You Yan composed a eulogy for it, saying: 'Listen to it and you hear no sound; look at it and you see no form; it fills Heaven and Earth, enveloping the Six Extremes.' You wanted to hear it but could not reach it, so you were confused.

Music begins with fear, and fear brings about ghostly dread; I then followed with relaxation, and relaxation brings dispersion; at last it reaches confusion, and confusion brings ignorance; ignorance brings union with the Way, and the Way can be borne and dwelled with."

Confucius traveled west to the state of Wei. Yan Yuan asked Shi Jin, saying, "What do you think of our Master's journey this time?"

Shi Jin said, "Alas! Your Master will surely be in difficulty!"

Yan Yuan said, "Why?"

Shi Jin said, "Before the straw dog is presented, it is stored in a bamboo basket, covered with an embroidered cloth, and the invocator fasts and then carries it. But after it has been presented, passersby trample on its head and back, and grass-cutters pick it up for firewood. If someone were to take it again, store it in a bamboo basket, cover it with an embroidered cloth, and then play, rest, and sleep beneath it, even if that person did not have nightmares, he would certainly be repeatedly plagued. Now your Master also takes the straw dog that the former kings have already presented and gathers disciples to play, rest, and sleep beneath it. Thus he was stripped of trees in Song, had his footprints erased in Wei, and was in difficulty in the lands of Shang and Zhou—is this not a nightmare? Besieged between Chen and Cai, for seven days he had no fire to cook, life and death were close at hand—is this not being plagued?

For water travel, nothing is better than a boat; for land travel, nothing is better than a cart. But if, because a boat can travel on water, one wants to push it onto land, then one will never travel far. Are antiquity and the present not like water and land? Are Zhou and Lu not like a boat and a cart? Now wanting to implement the institutions of Zhou in Lu is like pushing a boat onto land—labor with no result, and one will surely suffer disaster. He does not understand that transmission without fixed forms is to comply with things and be inexhaustible.

Moreover, have you never seen a well-sweep? When pulled, it lowers; when released, it rises. It is pulled by people, not the one who pulls people. Thus whether it bends or lifts, it never offends. So the rituals and laws of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors do not value sameness but value good governance. Thus the rituals and laws of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are like hawthorns, pears, oranges, and pomelos! Their flavors are opposite, but all are palatable.

Thus rituals and laws change with the times. Now if you dress an ape in the robes of the Duke of Zhou, it will certainly bite, tear, and strip them all off before it is satisfied. Look at the difference between antiquity and the present—it is like the difference between an ape and the Duke of Zhou. So when Xi Shi, because of heart pain, knitted her brows in her village, an ugly woman in the village saw it and thought it beautiful. On returning, she also clutched her heart and knitted her brows in her village. The rich people of the village, seeing her, shut their doors and would not come out; the poor people, seeing her, took their wives and children and fled. She only knew that knitting the brows was beautiful, but did not know why knitting the brows was beautiful. Alas! Your Master will surely be in difficulty!"

Confucius, at the age of fifty-one, had not yet attained the Way. So he went south to Pei to see Lao Dan.

Lao Dan said, "You have come? I have heard that you are a worthy man of the north! Have you also attained the Way?" Confucius said, "I have not yet attained the Way."

Laozi said, "How have you sought it?"

Confucius said, "I sought it through regulations and measures, and for five years I did not attain the Way."

Laozi said, "How else have you sought it?"

Confucius said, "I sought it through yin and yang, and for twelve years I did not attain the Way."

Laozi said, "Yes. If the Way could be offered as a gift, then no one would fail to offer it to their ruler; if the Way could be presented as tribute, then no one would fail to present it to their parents; if the Way could be told to others, then no one would fail to tell it to their brothers; if the Way could be given away, then no one would fail to give it to their children and grandchildren. Yet this cannot be done. There is no other reason: if the inner self has no mastery, it cannot be retained; if there is no external confirmation, it cannot be practiced. What issues from within, if not accepted by the external, the sage does not put forth; what enters from without, if the inner self has no mastery, the sage does not retain. Fame is a public vessel; it should not be taken too much. Benevolence and righteousness are the inns of the former kings; one may stay only a single night, not dwell there long. To appear in them invites reproach.

"The perfect men of old borrowed the Way through benevolence and lodged in righteousness, to wander in the void of carefree ease, to eat in the fields of frugal simplicity, and to stand in the garden of non-giving. Carefree ease means non-action; frugal simplicity means easy to nourish; non-giving means no outlay. The ancients called this the journey of gathering truth.

"If one considers wealth as right, one cannot decline profit and emolument; if one considers prominence as right, one cannot decline fame. Those who are close to power cannot entrust authority to others. Grasping it, they tremble; letting it go, they grieve. And without any awareness, they peer into what is ceaselessly pursued—these are people punished by Heaven. Resentment, kindness, taking, giving, remonstrance, instruction, life, and death: these eight are tools for correction. Only those who follow the great transformation without obstruction can use them. Therefore it is said: 'Correction means to rectify.' If the mind considers it not so, the gate of Heaven will not open."

Confucius went to see Lao Dan and discussed benevolence and righteousness. Lao Dan said, "If chaff gets into the eyes, then the positions of heaven, earth, and the four directions are inverted; if mosquitoes and gnats bite the skin, one cannot sleep all night. Benevolence and righteousness are so harsh that they disturb my inner heart—there is no greater chaos than this. If you wish to keep the world from losing its simplicity, you too should move with the wind and stand firm by holding to virtue! Why must you stand out like one beating a great drum to search for a runaway? The swan does not bathe daily to become white; the crow does not dye daily to become black. Black and white are inherent qualities, not worth disputing; fame and reputation are outward appearances, not worth magnifying. When springs dry up, fish gather together on dry land, moistening each other with damp breath and wetting each other with spittle—better for them to forget each other in the rivers and lakes."

Confucius returned from seeing Lao Dan and did not speak for three days. His disciples asked, "Master, when you saw Lao Dan, what admonition did you give him?"

Confucius said, "Only today have I seen a dragon. The dragon, when coiled, forms a body; when dispersed, becomes patterns; it rides on clouds and nourishes itself on yin and yang. I opened my mouth but could not close it. What admonition could I give to Lao Dan?"

Zigong said, "Then is there truly a man who sits still as a corpse yet roams like a dragon, whose voice is like thunder yet whose stillness is like an abyss, who moves like heaven and earth in transformation? May I also have the chance to see him?" So Zigong went to see Lao Dan, using Confucius's reputation.

Lao Dan was sitting high in the hall and responding, saying softly, "My years are already advanced. What will you use to instruct me?"

Zigong said, "The Three Kings and Five Emperors governed the world by different methods, yet they maintained their fame in the same way. Only you, sir, consider them not sages—why is this?"

Lao Dan said, "Young man, step forward! On what grounds do you say they were different?"

Zigong replied, "Yao abdicated in favor of Shun, and Shun abdicated in favor of Yu. Yu used his strength to control the floods, while Tang used military force to conquer. King Wen submitted to Zhou and did not dare to oppose him; King Wu opposed Zhou and refused to submit. Therefore I say they were different."

Lao Dan said, "Young man, step forward again. I will tell you about how the Three August Ones and Five Emperors governed the world. The Yellow Emperor governed the world, making the people's minds unified. When someone died, their parents did not weep, and the people did not criticize this. Yao governed the world, making the people's minds affectionate. Some reduced mourning rites for their relatives, and the people did not criticize this. Shun governed the world, making the people's minds competitive. Pregnant women gave birth after ten months, children could speak at five months, and before they reached infancy they began to distinguish self from others, so people began to die prematurely. Yu governed the world, making the people's minds changeable. Everyone had scheming minds, and using arms became natural; killing a robber was not considered murder. People formed factions, and the world merely sought temporary peace. Therefore the world was greatly alarmed, and the Confucians and Mohists arose in succession. At first they still had ethical order, but now they have become as fussy as women—what more is there to say! I tell you, the Three August Ones and Five Emperors governed the world, nominally called governance, but there was no calamity greater than this. The wisdom of the Three August Ones, above, dimmed the light of the sun and moon; below, violated the essence of mountains and rivers; in between, disrupted the course of the four seasons. Their wisdom was more venomous than a scorpion's sting, and even the tiniest creatures could not rest in their true natures and fates. Yet they still considered themselves sages—is that not shameful? They were truly shameless!"

Zigong stood in alarm, uneasy.

Confucius said to Lao Dan, "I have studied the six classics—the Book of Odes, Book of Documents, Book of Rites, Book of Music, Book of Changes, and Spring and Autumn Annals—for a long time, and I know their principles well. I have presented them to seventy-two rulers, expounding the way of the former kings and clarifying the achievements of the Duke of Zhou and the Duke of Shao, yet not a single ruler adopted my proposals. How difficult! Is it that the human heart is hard to persuade, or is the Great Way hard to illuminate?"

Laozi said, "Fortunately, you have not encountered a ruler who governs a well-ordered world! Those six classics are merely the old footprints of the former kings—how could they be the root cause from which the footprints came! What you speak of now is like footprints. Footprints come from shoes, but are footprints themselves the shoes? The white heron looks at its mate without moving its eyes, and they conceive naturally. Among insects, the male calls from the windward side, the female responds from the leeward side, and they conceive naturally. Creatures have their own male and female distinctions, so they can conceive naturally. Nature cannot be altered, fate cannot be changed, time cannot be stopped, the Way cannot be blocked. If one attains the Way, nothing is impossible; if one loses the Way, nothing is possible."

Confucius did not go out for three months. He went again to see Laozi and said, "I understand. Crows and magpies hatch from eggs, fish conceive through mouth-to-mouth contact, the wasp transforms larvae, and when a younger brother is born, the elder brother weeps. For a long time, I have not made friends with transformation! If one does not make friends with transformation, how can one transform others?"

Laozi said, "It is acceptable, Kong Qiu. You have understood!"