Webbed Toes (Chapter 8)

Webbed toes and extra fingers—are they from one’s nature? Yet they exceed the common virtue. Attached tumors and dangling warts—are they from one’s form? Yet they exceed one’s nature. To excessively promote and apply benevolence and righteousness, though these are ranked among the five viscera, is not the proper path of the Way. Thus, webbed toes are the joining of useless flesh; extra fingers are the growth of useless digits; and those who are excessively webbed or extra-fingered in the feelings of the five viscera are deviant in practicing benevolence and righteousness, and excessive in employing cleverness and wisdom.

Therefore, those who are overly keen on clear sight disturb the five colors, confuse patterns and textures—is this not so with the dazzling hues of azure, yellow, embroidery, and ceremonial robes? Li Zhu is such a person! Those who are overly keen on hearing disturb the five tones, indulge the six pitch-standards—is this not so with the sounds of metal, stone, silk, bamboo, the yellow bell, and the great bell? Shi Kuang is such a person! Those who are extra-fingered in benevolence and righteousness elevate virtue, block nature to seek fame, causing all under heaven to follow unattainable standards as if blowing reeds and sounding drums—is this not so? Zeng Shen and Shi Qiu are such persons! Those who are webbed in disputation pile up rhetoric, knot together phrases, alter words, and let their minds drift among debates on hardness, whiteness, sameness, and difference, toiling wearily in praising useless arguments—is this not so? Yang Zhu and Mo Di are such persons. Thus, these are all excesses and side-branches, not the perfect and correct Way of the world.

That perfect and correct Way does not lose the true condition of the life of all things. Therefore, what is joined together is not considered webbed, and what is separated is not considered extra; what is long is not considered excessive, and what is short is not considered insufficient. Thus, though a wild duck’s legs are short, lengthening them would bring it sorrow; though a crane’s legs are long, cutting them short would cause it grief. Therefore, what is long by nature should not be cut off, and what is short by nature should not be lengthened; there is no concern to be removed. Alas, is benevolence and righteousness not in accord with human feelings? Why then do those benevolent ones have so much worry?

Moreover, in the case of webbed toes, cutting them apart brings weeping; in the case of extra fingers, biting them off brings crying. In these two cases, one has an excess, the other a deficiency, but they are the same in causing sorrow. Now, the benevolent people of the world lift their eyes in worry over the world’s calamities; while the unbenevolent discard the truth of their nature and covet wealth and honor. So, is benevolence and righteousness not in accord with human feelings? Since the Three Dynasties, why has the world been so clamorous and chaotic?

Furthermore, relying on hooks, plumb lines, compasses, and squares to correct things is to diminish the nature of things; relying on ropes, glue, and lacquer to secure things is to usurp the constant virtue of things; bending people with rites and music, soothing people with benevolence and righteousness, in order to pacify the hearts of all under heaven—this is to lose the constant state of things. The world has a constant state. What is called constant state means that the crooked does not rely on hooks, the straight does not rely on plumb lines, the round does not rely on compasses, the square does not rely on squares, the attached does not rely on glue, and the bound does not rely on ropes. Thus, all things under heaven grow naturally without knowing how they grow, and all equally obtain their place without knowing how they obtain it. Therefore, the principle of past and present is the same, and it cannot be diminished. Why then does benevolence and righteousness wind around the Way like glue, lacquer, and ropes? This confuses the world!

A small confusion changes one’s direction; a great confusion changes one’s nature. How does one know this is so? Since Yu Shun raised up benevolence and righteousness to disturb the world, no one under heaven has not rushed in service of benevolence and righteousness. Is this not using benevolence and righteousness to change people’s nature?

Thus, I attempt to discuss it: Since the Three Dynasties, no one under heaven has not changed their nature for external things! The petty man sacrifices his life for profit; the scholar sacrifices his life for fame; the high official sacrifices his life for his clan; the sage sacrifices his life for the world. So these types of people, though their undertakings differ and their titles vary, are the same in harming their nature and sacrificing themselves for things. A slave boy and a servant boy, both herding sheep, both lost their sheep. Asked what the slave boy was doing, he was reading bamboo slips; asked what the servant boy was doing, he was playing at dice. These two, though their undertakings differed, were the same in losing the sheep. Bo Yi died for fame at the foot of Shouyang Mountain; Robber Zhi died for profit at the foot of Dongling Mountain. These two, though their reasons for dying differed, were the same in harming life and damaging nature. Why must one affirm Bo Yi and deny Robber Zhi? All under heaven are sacrificing themselves for things. Those who sacrifice themselves for benevolence and righteousness, the world calls gentlemen; those who sacrifice themselves for wealth and goods, the world calls petty men. Their sacrificing themselves is the same, yet some are called gentlemen, some petty men. If one looks at harming life and damaging nature, then Robber Zhi is just Bo Yi—why distinguish gentleman and petty man among them?

Moreover, to tie one’s nature to benevolence and righteousness, even if one is as accomplished as Zeng Shen and Shi Qiu, is not what I call good; to tie one’s nature to the five flavors, even if one is as accomplished as Yu Er, is not what I call good; to tie one’s nature to the five sounds, even if one is as accomplished as Shi Kuang, is not what I call acute hearing; to tie one’s nature to the five colors, even if one is as accomplished as Li Zhu, is not what I call clear sight. What I call good is not benevolence and righteousness, but being good at finding contentment in one’s own nature; what I call good is not so-called benevolence and righteousness, but letting go of the true condition of one’s nature and destiny; what I call acute hearing is not hearing external things, but inwardly examining oneself; what I call clear sight is not seeing external things, but seeing one’s own mind. Those who do not see themselves but see external things, who do not find contentment in themselves but seek it from external things—they obtain what others obtain but fail to obtain what they themselves should obtain, they adapt to others’ comfort but fail to find comfort in their own comfort. Those who adapt to others’ comfort but cannot find comfort in their own comfort—even Robber Zhi and Bo Yi are equally deviant in conduct. I am ashamed before the Way and virtue, and therefore above, I dare not uphold the practice of benevolence and righteousness, and below, I dare not engage in deviant conduct.