The Secret of Caring for Life (Chapter 3)

Our lives are limited, while knowledge is limitless. To pursue limitless knowledge with a limited life is truly perilous! If one already knows this and still pursues knowledge, it is even more dangerous! Doing what the world calls good without seeking fame, and doing what the world calls evil without incurring punishment—taking the middle path that accords with nature as the constant way—this can protect the body, preserve life, nurture one's kin, and fulfill one's allotted years.

Cook Ding was butchering an ox for Lord Wenhui. Where his hand touched, where his shoulder leaned, where his foot trod, where his knee pressed, there were sounds of swishing and thudding. As he wielded the knife, it hissed and whistled, all in perfect rhythm, matching the beat of the "Mulberry Grove" dance and the melody of the "Jingshou" music.

Lord Wenhui exclaimed, "Ah, excellent! How can skill reach such a sublime level?"

Cook Ding set down his knife and replied, "What I cherish is the Way, which transcends skill. When I first began butchering oxen, I saw nothing but the whole ox. After three years, I no longer saw the ox as a whole. Now, I meet it with my spirit rather than my eyes; my senses cease to function, while my spirit acts. Following the natural structure of the ox, I cleave along the gaps between sinews and guide the knife through the hollows of the joints, following the inherent form of the ox. I never touch even the network of connecting sinews or the intertwined bones, let alone the large bones! A good cook changes his knife once a year because he cuts flesh; an average cook changes his knife once a month because he chops bones. Now my knife has been in use for nineteen years, and I have butchered thousands of oxen, yet its edge is as sharp as if it had just come from the whetstone. The joints of an ox have spaces, while the blade of the knife has no thickness. Inserting a blade of no thickness into spaces that have gaps, there is plenty of room for the blade to move freely. That is why after nineteen years, the blade remains as if newly sharpened. Nevertheless, whenever I encounter a tangled cluster of sinews and bones, where it is difficult to handle, I become cautious and alert, my gaze focused, my movements slow. I move the knife with the utmost subtlety, and with a soft swish, the flesh separates like clumps of earth falling to the ground. Then I stand up, knife in hand, look around with satisfaction, and with a sense of fulfillment, wipe the knife clean and put it away."

Lord Wenhui said, "Excellent! From Cook Ding's words, I have learned the principle of nourishing life."

Gongwen Xuan saw the Right Master and exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of person is this? How does he have only one foot? Is it from birth, or is it man-made?" Then Gongwen Xuan continued, "This is from birth, not man-made. Heaven made his form uniquely so; the human form is complete. From this I know it is from birth, not man-made."

A pheasant in the marsh takes ten steps to peck at food, and a hundred steps to drink water, yet it does not wish to be kept in a cage. In a cage, though its spirit is vigorous, it is not at ease.

When Lao Dan died, Qin Shi went to mourn. He cried out a few times and then left. A disciple asked, "Were you not the Master's friend?" Qin Shi said, "I was." The disciple asked further, "Then is it appropriate to mourn in this manner?" Qin Shi said, "It is appropriate. At first, I thought he was an ordinary man, but now I see he is not. When I went in to mourn, there were old people weeping for him as if for their own sons, and young people weeping for him as if for their own mothers. The reason they gathered here is that there must have been those who felt compelled to speak when they should not have spoken, and compelled to weep when they should not have wept. This is to flee from nature and betray the true feelings, forgetting the nature bestowed by Heaven. The ancients called this the punishment for fleeing from nature. When it was time to come, the Master was born in response to the time; when it was time to go, the Master followed the course and passed away. To be at peace with the time and to adapt to change, so that grief and joy cannot enter the heart—the ancients called this liberation by the Divine."

The tinder used to make fire may be exhausted, but the fire is passed on, and no one knows when it will go out.