The Proper Rule for Rulers (Chapter 7)
Nie Que asked Wang Ni four times, and each time Wang Ni said he did not know. Nie Que was so delighted that he jumped for joy and went to tell Pu Yizi.
Pu Yizi said, “Do you understand now? Youyu Shi was inferior to Taishi. Youyu Shi still clung to benevolence to win people’s hearts; though he could gain their allegiance, he never transcended the realm of ‘non-self.’ As for Taishi, he slept peacefully and calmly, and when awake, he was simple and unaware; he let others call him a horse, let others call him an ox; his knowledge was genuine and trustworthy, his virtue pure and unadorned, and he never fell into the realm of ‘non-self.’”
Jian Wu met the madman Jie Yu. The madman Jie Yu said, “What did Rizhong Shi teach you?”
Jian Wu said, “He told me: A ruler who makes laws and regulations according to his own will—how dare the people not listen and accept his transformation?”
The madman Jie Yu said, “This is deceitful virtue. To govern the world in this way is like wading into the sea to dig a river or making a mosquito carry a mountain. When a sage governs the world, does he govern externals? He first rectifies himself and then acts, truly allowing each person to fulfill their abilities. Moreover, birds fly high to avoid the harm of nets and arrows, and voles dig deep holes beneath altars to avoid the disasters of smoke and digging—do humans lack even the wisdom of these two creatures?”
Tian Gen was wandering at Yinyang when he reached the bank of the Liao River and happened to meet a nameless person, to whom he asked, “May I ask how to govern the world?”
The nameless person said, “Go away! You vulgar person! Why ask such an unpleasant question? I am about to wander with the Creator; when I grow tired, I will ride that bird of vast obscurity, fly beyond the six extremes, roam in the land of nothingness, and dwell in the boundless wilderness. Why do you disturb my mind with matters of governing the world?” Tian Gen asked again.
The nameless person said, “Let your mind wander in the realm of tranquillity, blend your spirit with the land of silence, conform to the natural nature of all things without imposing selfish intent—then the world will be well governed.”
Yang Ziju visited Lao Dan and said, “Suppose there is a person: quick and resolute, strong and capable, insightful and intelligent, studying the Way without tiring. Could such a person be compared to an enlightened king?”
Lao Dan said, “Such a person, in the eyes of a sage, is merely like a clerk enslaved by skills, laboring his body and unsettling his mind. Moreover, tigers and leopards are hunted for their beautiful fur, monkeys and hunting dogs are bound with ropes for their agility and skill in catching raccoons. Can such a person be compared to an enlightened king?”
Yang Ziju’s expression changed, and he said, “May I ask what the governance of an enlightened king is like?”
Lao Dan said, “The governance of an enlightened king: his achievements cover the world yet seem not to be his own; his transformation reaches all things, yet the people do not feel dependent; he has merit but cannot be named by any title, allowing all things to be content in themselves; he stands in the realm of the unfathomable and roams in the realm of nothingness.”
In the state of Zheng, there was a shaman named Ji Xian, who could foresee people’s life and death, survival and ruin, fortune and misfortune, longevity and untimely death, predicting the year, month, and day with divine accuracy. The people of Zheng, upon seeing him, would flee in terror. Liezi, however, was fascinated and infatuated with him. Returning, he told Hu Zi, “I originally thought your Way was the highest, but now I find there is someone even more profound.”
Hu Zi said, “What I have taught you is only the surface of the Way, not its essence—do you think you have attained the Way? If there are only hens and no rooster, how can eggs be hatched? You take the Way to compete with the world, insisting on being believed, so you allow others to peer into your mind. Try bringing him to see me.”
The next day, Liezi brought Ji Xian to see Hu Zi. After coming out, Ji Xian said to Liezi, “Alas! Your master is going to die! He cannot live! He will not last ten days! I saw a strange sign! I saw dead qi like wet ashes!”
Liezi went in, his tears soaking his clothes, and told Hu Zi. Hu Zi said, “Just now I showed him the appearance of the earth, still and motionless like a stopping point. He probably only saw my blocked vitality. Bring him again to see me.”
The next day, Liezi brought Ji Xian again to see Hu Zi. After coming out, Ji Xian said to Liezi, “Lucky! Your master met me! He is saved! He is fully revived! I saw his blocked vitality begin to stir!”
Liezi went in and told Hu Zi. Hu Zi said, “Just now I showed him the harmony of heaven and earth, with name and reality not entering the mind, and vitality emanating from the heels. He probably only saw my good vitality. Bring him again to see me.”
The next day, Liezi brought Ji Xian again to see Hu Zi. After coming out, Ji Xian said to Liezi, “Your master’s mind is not settled; I cannot read his fortune. Wait until his mind is pure, and then I will read it.”
Liezi went in and told Hu Zi. Hu Zi said, “Just now I showed him the realm of the great void, without bias or prominence. He probably only saw my balanced vital breath. The abyss where the giant fish coils, the abyss of still water, the abyss of flowing water. There are nine names for the abyss; I have shown three of them. Bring him again to see me.”
The next day, Liezi brought Ji Xian again to see Hu Zi. Before Ji Xian could steady himself, he fled in panic. Hu Zi said, “Chase him.”
Liezi pursued but could not catch him. Returning, he reported to Hu Zi, “He has vanished, he has disappeared, I could not catch him.”
Hu Zi said, “Just now I showed him what has not yet emerged from my fundamental Way. I followed him with yielding and adaptability; he did not know who I truly was, so he was like grass bending before the wind, like water following the current—and thus he fled.”
After this, Liezi realized that he had not truly learned the Way, so he returned home. For three years, he did not go out; he cooked for his wife, fed pigs as if serving people, and was impartial toward all things. He cast off ornamentation and returned to simplicity, standing alone in the world with his body. Amid the turmoil of worldly affairs, he held to true simplicity, and so he remained for the rest of his life.
Do not be a vessel for fame, do not be a storehouse for schemes, do not take on worldly burdens, do not be the master of wisdom. Embody the infinite Way and roam in the realm of tracelessness; fully enjoy your inherent nature without claiming any achievement—this is but emptiness. The mind of the perfect man is like a mirror: it does not send off nor welcome, reflects all things without hiding, and thus can overcome things without being harmed by them.
The emperor of the Southern Sea was called Shu, the emperor of the Northern Sea was called Hu, and the emperor of the Center was called Hundun. Shu and Hu often met in Hundun’s territory, and Hundun treated them well. Shu and Hu consulted on how to repay Hundun’s kindness, saying, “All people have seven openings for seeing, hearing, eating, and breathing, but he alone lacks them. Let us try to bore them for him.” Each day they bored one opening, and on the seventh day, Hundun died.
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