Long Island University - Selection of related texts

Fung Yu-lan: A Short History of Chinese Philosophy.

The place which philosophy has occupied in Chinese civilization has been comparable to that of religion in other civilizations. In China, philosophy has been every educated person’s concern. In the old days, if a man were educated at all, the first education he received was in philosophy. When children went to school, the Four Books, which consist of the Confucian Analects, the Book of Mencius, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean, were the first ones they were taught to read. The Four Books were the most important texts of Neo-Confucianist philosophy. Sometimes when the children were just beginning to learn characters, they were given a sort of textbook to read. This was known as the Three Characters Classic, and was so called because each sentence in the book consisted of three characters arranged so that when recited they produced a rhythmic effect, and thus helped the children to memorize them more easily. This book was in reality a primer, and the very first statement in it is that “the nature of man is originally good.” This is one of the fundamental ideas of Mencius’ philosophy.

P. 2

According to the tradition of Chinese philosophy, its function is not the increase of positive knowledge (by positive knowledge I mean information regarding matters of the fact), but the elevation of mind – a reaching out for what is beyond the present actual world, and for the values that are higher than the moral ones.

P. 8

There are all kinds and conditions of men. With regard to any one of these kinds, there is the highest form of achievement of which any one kind of man is capable. For instance, there are the men engaged in practical politics. The highest form of achievement in that class of men is that of the great statesman. So also in the field of art, the highest form of achievement of which artists are capable is that of the great artist. Although there are these different classes of men, yet all of them are men. What is the highest form of achievement of which a man as a man is capable? According to the Chinese philosophers, it is nothing less than being a sage, and the highest achievement of a sage is the identification of the individual with the universe. The problem is, if men want to achieve this identification, do they necessarily have to abandon society or even to negate life?

P. 10

But the Chinese sage is not one who does not concern himself with the business of the world. His character is described as one of “sageliness within and kingliness without.” That is to say, in his inner sageliness, he accomplishes spiritual cultivation; in his kingliness without, he functions in society.

P. 14

Since the subject matter of philosophy is the Tao of sageliness within and kingliness without, the study of philosophy is not simply an attempt to acquire this kind of knowledge, but is also an attempt to develop this kind of character. Philosophy is not simply something to be known, but is also something to be experienced.

P. 16

According to Chinese tradition, the study of philosophy is not a profession. Everyone should study philosophy just as in the West every one should go to church. The purpose of the study of philosophy is to enable a man, as a man, to be a man, not some particular kind of man. Other studies – not the study of philosophy – enable a man to be some special kind of man.

P. 18

Harold P. Roth: Original Tao. Inward Training and the Foundations of Taoist Mysticism.

It is translation of text called Nei ye (Inward Training) from an anthology Kuan Tzu (Guanzi).

The vital essence (jing) of all things:

It is this that brings them to life.

It generates the five grains below

And becomes the constellated stars above.

When flowing amid the heavens and the earth

We call it ghostly and numinous.

When stored within the chests of human beings,

We call them sages.

Ch. 1, p. 46

Therefore this vital energy is:

Bright! – as if ascending the heavens;

Dark! – as if entering an abyss;

Vast! – as if dwelling in a ocean;

Lofty! – as if dwelling on a mountain peak.

Therefore this vital energy (qi)

Cannot be halted by force,

Yet can be secured by inner power (te).

Cannot be summoned by speech,

Yet can be welcomed by the awareness.

Reverently hold onto it and do not lose it:

This is called “developing inner power.”

When inner power develops and wisdom emerges,

The myriad things will, to the last one, be grasped.

Ch. 2, p. 48

All the forms of the mind (xin)

Are naturally infused and filled with it [the vital essence],

Are naturally generated and developed [because of] it.

It is lost

Inevitably because of sorrow, happiness, joy, anger, desire, and profit-seeking.

If you are able to cast off sorrow, happiness, joy, anger, desire, and profit-seeking.

Your mind will just revert to equanimity.

The true condition of the mind (xin)

Is that it finds calmness beneficial and, by it, attains repose.

Do not disturb it, do not disrupt it

And harmony will naturally develop.

Ch. 3, p. 50

Clear! as though right by your side.

Vague! as though it will not be attained.

Indiscernable! as though beyond the limitless.

The test of this is not far off:

Daily we make use of its inner power.

The Way is what infuses the body,

Yet people are unable to fix it in place.

It goes forth but does not return,

It comes back but does not stay.

Silent! none can hear its sound.

Suddenly stopping! it abides within the mind.

Obscure! we do not see its form.

Surging forth! it arises with us.

We do not see its form,

We do not hear its sound,

Yet we can perceive an order to its accomplishments.

We call it “the Way.”

Ch. 4, p. 52

The Way has no fixed position;

It abides within the excellent mind (xin).

When the mind is tranquil and the vital breath is regular (qi),

The Way can thereby be halted.

That Way is not distant from us;

When people attain it they are sustained.

That Way is not separated from us;

When people accord with it they are harmonious.

Therefore: Concentrated! as though you could be roped together with it.

Indiscernable! as though beyond all locations.

The true state of that Way:

How could it be conceived and pronounced upon?

Cultivate your mind, make your thoughts tranquil,

And the Way can be thereby attained.

Ch. 5, p. 54

If you can be aligned (zheng) and be tranquil,

Only then can you be stable.

With a stable mind at your core,

With the eyes and ears acute and clear,

And with the four limbs firm and fixed,

You can thereby make a lodging place for the vital essence (jing).

The vital essence: it is the essence of the vital energy (qi).

When the vital energy (qi) is guided, it [the vital essence (sheng=life)] is generated,

But when it is generated, there is thought,

When there is thought, there is knowledge,

But when there is knowledge, then you must stop.

Whenever the forms of the mind have excessive knowledge,

You lose your vitality (sheng).

Ch. 8, p. 60

Those who can transform even a single thing, call them “numinous”;

Those who can alter even a single situation, call them “wise.”

But to transform without expending vital energy; to alter without expending wisdom:

Only exemplary persons who hold fast to the One are able to do this.

Hold fast to the One; do not lose it,

And you will be able to master the myriad things.

Exemplary persons act upon things.

And are not acted upon by them,

Because they grasp the guiding principle of the One.

Ch. 9, p. 62

When your body is not aligned,

The inner power will not come.

When you are not tranquil within,

Your mind will not be well ordered.

Align your body, assist the inner power,

Then it will gradually come of its own.

Ch. 11, p. 66

The numinous [mind]: no one knows its limit;

It intuitively knows the myriad things.

Hold it within you, do not let it waver.

To not disrupt your senses with external things,

To not disrupt your mind with senses:

This is called “grasping it within you.”

Ch. 12, p. 68

For all [to practice] this Way:

You must coil, you must contract,

You must uncoil, you must expand,

You must be firm, you must be regular [in this practice].

Hold fast to this excellent [practice]; do not let go of it.

Chase away the excessive; abandon the trivial.

And when you reach its ultimate limit

You will return to the Way and its inner power.

Ch. 17, p. 78

When you enlarge your mind and let go of it,

When you relax your vital breath and expand it,

When your body is calm and unmoving:

And you can maintain the One and discard the myriad disturbances.

You will see profit and not be enticed by it,

You will see harm and not be frightened by it.

Relaxed and unwound, yet acutely sensitive,

In solitude you delight in your own person.

This is called “revolving the vital breath”:

Your thoughts and deeds seem heavenly.

Ch. 24, p. 92

The vitality of all people

Inevitably comes from their peace of mind.

When anxious, you lose this guiding thread;

When angry, you lose this basic point.

When you are anxious or sad, pleased or angry,

The Way has ho place within you to settle.

Love and desire: still them!

Folly and disturbance: correct them!

Do not push it! do not pull it!

Good fortune will naturally return to you,

And that Way will naturally come to you

So you can rely on and take counsel from it.

If you are tranquil then you will attain it;

If you are agitated then you will lose it.

Ch. 25, p. 94

Burton Watson: The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu

Once Chuang Chou dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Chuang Chou. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Chuang Chou. But he didn't know if he was Chuang Chou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Chuang Chou. Between Chuang Chou and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things.

Ch. 2

Hui Tzu said to Chuang Tzu, "Can a man really be without feelings?"

Chuang Tzu: "Yes."

Hui Tzu: "But a man who has no feelings‑how can you call him a man?"

Chuang Tzu: "The Way gave him a face; Heaven gave him a form ‑ why can't you call him a man?"

Hui Tzu: "But if you've already called him a man, how can he be without feelings?"

Chuang Tzu: "That's not what I mean by feelings. When I talk about having no feelings, I mean that a man doesn't allow likes or dislikes to get in and do him harm. He just lets things be the way they are and doesn't try to help life along."

Hui Tzu: "If he doesn't try to help life along, then how can he keep himself alive?"

Chuang Tzu: "The Way gave him a face; Heaven gave him a form. He doesn't let likes or dislikes get in and do him harm. You, now ‑ you treat your spirit like an outsider. You wear out your energy, leaning on a tree and moaning, slumping at your desk and dozing ‑ Heaven picked out a body for you and you use it to gibber about `hard' and `white'!" 10

Ch. 5

HE WHO KNOWS WHAT IT Is that Heaven does, and knows what it is that man does, has reached the peak.

Knowing what it is that Heaven does, he lives with Heaven. Knowing what it is that man does, he uses the knowledge of what he knows to help out the knowledge of what he doesn't know, and lives out the years that Heaven gave him without being cut off midway ‑ this is the perfection of knowledge.

However, there is a difficulty. Knowledge must wait for something before it can be applicable, and that which it waits for is never certain. How, then, can I know that what I call Heaven is not really man, and what I call man is not really Heaven? There must first be a True Man' before there can be true knowledge.

What do I mean by a True Man? The True Man of ancient times did not rebel against want, did not grow proud in plenty, and did not plan his affairs. A man like this could commit an error and not regret it, could meet with success and not make a show. A man like this could climb the high places and not be frightened, could enter the water and not get wet, could enter the fire and not get burned. His knowledge was able to climb all the way up to the Way like this.

The True Man of ancient times slept without dreaming and woke without care; he ate without savoring and his breath came from deep inside. The True Man breathes with his heels; the mass of men breathe with their throats. Crushed and bound down, they gasp out their words as though they were retching. Deep in their passions and desires, they are shallow in the workings of Heaven.

The True Man of ancient times knew nothing of loving life, knew nothing of hating death. He emerged without delight; he went back in without a fuss. He came briskly, he went briskly, and that was all. He didn't forget where he began; he didn't try to find out where he would end. He received something and took pleasure in it; he forgot about it and handed it back again. This is what I call not using the mind to repel the Way, not using man to help out Heaven. This is what I call the True Man.

...

"Can the Way be learned?" asked Nan‑po Tzu‑k'uei.

"Goodness, how could that be? Anyway, you aren't the man to do it. Now there's Pu‑liang Yi ‑ he has the talent of a sage but not the Way of a sage, whereas I have the Way of a sage but not the talent of a sage. I thought I would try to teach him and see if I could really get anywhere near to making him a sage. It's easier to explain the Way of a sage to someone who has the talent of a sage, you know. So I began explaining and kept at him for three days, 14 and after that he was able to put the world outside himself. When he had put the world outside himself, I kept at him for seven days more, and after that he was able to put things outside himself. When he had put things outside himself, I kept at him for nine davs more, and after that he was able to put life outside himself. After he had put life outside himself, he was able to achieve the brightness of dawn, and when he had achieved the brightness of dawn, he could see his own aloneness. After he had managed to see his own aloneness, he could do away with past and present, and after he had done away with past and present, he was able to enter where there is no life and no death. That which kills life does not die; that which gives life to life does not live. 15 This is the kind of thing it is: there's nothing it doesn't send off, nothing it doesn't welcome, nothing it doesn't destroy, nothing it doesn't complete. Its name is Peace‑in‑Strife. After the strife, it attains completion."

Nan‑po Tzu‑k'uei asked, "Where did you happen to hear this? "

"I heard it from the son of Aided‑by‑Ink, and Aided‑by‑Ink heard it from the grandson of Repeated‑Recitation, and the grandson of Repeated‑Recitation heard it from Seeing‑Brightly, and Seeing‑Brightly heard it from Whispered‑Agreement, and Whispered‑Agreement heard it from Waiting‑for‑Use, and Waiting‑for‑Use heard it from Exclaimed‑Wonder, and Exclaimed‑Wonder heard it from Dark‑Obscurity, and Dark-Obscurity heard it from Participation‑in‑Mystery, and Participation‑in‑Mystery heard it from Copy‑the‑Source!" 16

Ch. 6

In Cheng there was a shaman of the gods named Chi Hsien. He could tell whether men would live or die, survive or perish, be fortunate or unfortunate, live a long time or die young, and he would predict the year, month, week,8 and day as though he were a god himself. When the people of Cheng saw him, they dropped everything and ran out of his way. Lieh Tzu went to see him and was completely intoxicated. Returning, he said to Hu Tzu,9 "I used to think, Master, that your Way was perfect. But now I see there is something even higher!"

Hu Tzu said, "I have already showed you all the outward forms, but I haven't yet showed you the substance‑and do you really think you have mastered this Way of mine? There may be a flock of hens but, if there is no rooster, how can they lay fertile eggs? You take what you know of the Way and wave it in the face of the world, expecting to be believed! This is the reason men can see right through you. Try bringing your shaman along next time and letting him get a look at me."

The next day Lieh Tzu brought the shaman to see Hu Tzu. When they had left the room, the shaman said, "I'm so sorry ‑ your master is dying! There's no life left in him ‑ he won't last the week. I saw something very strange‑something like wet ashes!"

Lieh Tzu went back into the room, weeping and drenching the collar of his robe with tears, and reported this to Hu. Tzu.

Hu Tzu said, "Just now I appeared to him with the Pattern of Earth ‑ still and silent, nothing moving, nothing standing up. He probably saw in me the Workings of Virtue Closed Off.10 Try bringing him around again."

The next day the two came to see Hu Tzu again, and when they had left the room, the shaman said to Lieh Tzu, "It certainly was lucky that your master met me! He's going to get better - he has all the signs of life! I could see the stirring of what had been closed off!"

Lieh Tzu went in and reported this to Hu Tzu.

Hu Tzu said, "Just now I appeared to him as Heaven and Earth - no name or substance to it, but still the workings, coming up from the heels. He probably saw in me the Workings of the Good One.11 Try bringing him again."

The next day the two came to see Hu Tzu again, and when they had left the room, the shaman said to Lieh Tzu, "Your master is never the same! I have no way to physiognomize him! If he will try to steady himself, then I will come and examine him again."

Lieh Tzu went in and reported this to Hu Tzu.

Hu Tzu said, "Just now I appeared to him as the Great Vastness Where Nothing Wins Out. He probably saw in me the Workings of the Balanced Breaths. Where the swirling waves12 gather there is an abyss; where the still waters gather there is an abyss; where the running waters gather there is an abyss. The abyss has nine names and I have shown him three.13 Try bringing him again."

The next day the two came to see Hu Tzu again, but before the shaman had even come to a halt before Hu Tzu, his wits left him and he fled.

"Run after him!" said Hu Tzu, but though Lieh Tzu ran after him, he could not catch up. Returning, he reported to Hu Tzu, "He's vanished! He's disappeared! I couldn't catch up with him."

Hu Tzu said, "Just now I appeared to him as Not Yet Emerged from My Source. I came at him empty, wriggling and turning, not knowing anything about `who' or `what,' now dipping and bending, now flowing in waves - that's why he ran away."

After this, Lieh Tzu concluded that he had never really begun to learn anything.14 He went home and for three years did not go out. He replaced his wife at the stove, fed the pigs as though he were feeding people, and showed no preferences in the things he did. He got rid of the carving and polishing and returned to plainness, letting his body stand alone like a clod. In the midst of entanglement he remained sealed, and in this oneness he ended his life.

Do not be an embodier of fame; do not be a storehouse of schemes; do not be an undertaker of projects; do not be a proprietor of wisdom. Embody to the fullest what has no end and wander where there is no trail. Hold on to all that you have received from Heaven but do not think you have gotten anything. Be empty, that is all. The Perfect Man uses his mind like a mirror - going after nothing, welcoming nothing, responding but not storing. Therefore he can win out over things and not hurt himself.

...

The emperor of the South Sea was called Shu [Brief], the emperor of the North Sea was called Hu [Sudden], and the emperor of the central region was called Hun-tun [Chaos]. Shu and Hu from time to time came together for a meeting in the territory of Hun-tun, and Hun-tun treated them very generously. Shu and Hu discussed how they could repay his kindness. "All men," they said, "have seven openings so they can see, hear, eat, and breathe. But Hun-tun alone doesn't have any. Let's trying boring him some!"

Every day they bored another hole, and on the seventh day Hun-tun died.

Ch. 7

Men of the world who value the Way all turn to books. But books are nothing more than words. Words have value; what is of value in words is meaning. Meaning has something it is pursuing, but the thing that it is pursuing cannot be put into words and handed down. The world values words and hands down books but, though the world values them, I do not think them worth valuing. What the world takes to be value is not real value.

What you can look at and see are forms and colors; what you can listen to and hear are names and sounds. What a pity! ‑ that the men of the world should suppose that form and color, name and sound are sufficient to convey the truth of a thing. It is because in the end they are not sufficient to convey truth that "those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know." 17 But how can the world understand this!

Ch. 13

TO BE CONSTRAINED IN WILL, lofty in action, aloof from the world, apart from its customs, elevated in discourse, sullen and critical, indignation his whole concern - such is the life favored by the scholar in his mountain valley, the man who condemns the world, the worn and haggard one who means to end it all with a plunge into the deep. To discourse on benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and good faith, to be courteous, temperate, modest, and deferential, moral training his whole concern ‑ such is the life favored by the scholar who seeks to bring the world to order, the man who teaches and instructs, who at home and abroad lives for learning. To talk of great accomplishments, win a great name, define the etiquette of ruler and subject, regulate the position of superior and inferior, the ordering of the state his only concern ‑ such is the life favored by the scholar of court and council, the man who would honor his sovereign and strengthen his country, the bringer of accomplishment, the annexer of territory. To repair to the thickets and ponds, living idly in the wilderness, angling for fish in solitary places, inaction his only concern ‑ such is the life favored by the scholar of the rivers and seas, the man who withdraws from the world, the unhurried idler. To pant, to puff, to hail, to sip, to spit out

the old breath and draw in the new, practicing bear‑hangings and bird‑stretchings, longevity his only concern ‑ such is the life favored by the scholar who practices Induction, the man who nourishes his body, who hopes to live to be as old as P'eng‑tsu.1

But to attain loftiness without constraining the will; to achieve moral training without benevolence and righteousness, good order without accomplishments and fame, leisure without rivers and seas, long life without Induction; to lose everything and yet possess everything, at ease in the illimitable, where all good things come to attend ‑ this is the Way of Heaven and earth, the Virtue of the sage. So it is said, Limpidity, silence, emptiness, inaction ‑ these are the level of Heaven and earth, the substance of the Way and its Virtue. So it is said, The sage rests; with rest comes peaceful ease, with peaceful ease comes limpidity, and where there is ease and limpidity, care and worry cannot get at him, noxious airs cannot assault him. Therefore his Virtue is complete and his spirit unimpaired.

Ch. 15