World Philosophical Heritage

Wisdom and teachings of
Daoism

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T he Formless and the Soundless (Tao) Now, the Formless is the great forefather of creatures, and the Soundless is the great ancestor of sounds. . . . Therefore you look at it and cannot see its form, you listen to it and cannot hear its sound, and you follow it and cannot get to its person. It is formless, but what has form is generated from it; it is soundless, but the five sounds resonate from it; it is tasteless, but the five tastes take form from it; it is colourless, but the five colours are developed from it. Therefore Being is generated from Non-Being, and the actual is generated from the empty.

quote 7379 | The Huai-Nan Tzu

I n Ancient Times of Creation In ancient times, when there were not yet Heaven and Earth, there were only images without forms. Deep! Obscure! Broad and wide, boundless and measureless! Vaporous and opaque, vast and cavernous! No one knows where this came from. There were two spirits (shen) generated from the inchoate, which aligned Heaven and oriented Earth. Empty! No one knows where it ends. Overflowing! No one knows where it stops. Thereupon it differentiated itself and became Yin and Yang, it separated itself and became the eight poles. The firm and the yielding completed each other, and the ten thousand things took form.

quote 7378 | The Huai-Nan Tzu

T he Saintly Man has forgotten his five viscera and has abandoned his bodily form. He knows without apprehending, sees without looking, accomplishes without doing, and discerns without applying himself. He spontaneously responds to the outer stimuli and acts only if he cannot do without it. He moves without wanting it, like beams of light and particles of brilliance. As his rule he follows the Tao and attains to it. He embraces his foundation in the Great Clarity and nothing can trouble him. Vast and deep, he maintains himself empty; pure and serene, he is without thoughts and worries.

quote 7377 | The Huai-Nan Tzu

T he mountain trees do themselves harm; the grease in the torch burns itself up. The cinnamon can be eaten and so it gets cut down; the lacquer tree can be used and so it gets hacked apart. All men know the use of the useful, but nobody knows the use of the useless!

quote 7376 | Tchuang Tzu

H ave you heard about the mantis which waved its arms angrily in front of an approaching carriage, unaware that they were incapable of stopping it? Such was the high opinion it had of its talents.

quote 7375 | Tchuang Tzu

E verything has its “that”, everything has its “this.” From the point of view of “that”, you cannot see it, but through understanding you can know it. So I say, “that” comes of “this” and “this” depends on “that” – which is to say that “this” and “that” give birth to each other.

quote 7374 | Tchuang Tzu

T o pile fire on fire, to add water to water, and is called ‘increasing the excessive.’

quote 7373 | Tchuang Tzu

I f water is not pi led up deep enough, it won’t have the strength to bear up a big boat.

quote 7372 | Tchuang Tzu

Y ou are not a fish; how do you know what constitutes the enjoyment of fishes?

quote 7371 | Tchuang Tzu

Z huangzi in the forest saw a cicada, which had just alighted in a beautiful shady spot, and forgot its (care for its) body. (Just then), a preying mantis raised its feelers, and pounced on the cicada, in its eagerness for its prey, (also) forgetting (its care for) its body; while the bird took advantage of its opportunity to secure them both, in view of that gain forgetting its true (instinct of preservation). with an emotion of pity, said, ‘Ah! so it is that things bring evil on one another, each of these creatures invited its own calamity.

quote 7370 | Tchuang Tzu

T he interaction of superior men is tasteless as water, while that of mean men is sweet as new wine. But the tastelessness of the superior men leads on to affection, and the sweetness of the mean men to aversion. The union which originates without any cause will end in separation without any cause.

quote 7369 | Tchuang Tzu

T he practice of the Tao flows abroad, but its master does not care to dwell where it can be seen; his attainments in it hold their course, but he does not wish to appear in its display. Always simple and commonplace, he may seem to be bereft of reason. He obliterates the traces of his action, gives up position and power, and aims not at merit and fame. Therefore he does not censure men, and men do not censure him. The perfect man does not seek to be heard of; how is it that you delight in doing so?

quote 7368 | Tchuang Tzu

T hink of the close-furred fox and of the elegantly-spotted leopard. They lodge in the forests on the hills, and lurk in their holes among the rocks - keeping still. At night they go about, and during day remain in their lairs - so cautious are they. Even if they are suffering from hunger, thirst, and other distresses, they still keep aloof from men, seeking their food about the Jiang and the Hu - so resolute are they. Still they are not able to escape the danger of the net or the trap; and what fault is it of theirs? It is their skins which occasion them the calamity.

quote 7367 | Tchuang Tzu

U nion brings on separation; success, overthrow; sharp corners, the use of the file; honour, critical remarks; active exertion, failure; wisdom, scheming; inferiority, being despised: where is the possibility of unchangeable in any of these conditions? Remember this, my disciples. Let your abode be here - in the Tao and its Attributes.

quote 7366 | Tchuang Tzu

Z huangzi was walking on a mountain, when he saw a great tree with huge branches and luxuriant foliage. A wood-cutter was resting by its side, but he would not touch it, and, when asked the reason, said, that it was of no use for anything, Zhuangzi then said to his disciples, “This tree, because its wood is good for nothing, will succeed in living out its natural term of years.” Having left the mountain, the Master lodged in the house of an old friend, who was glad to see him, and ordered his waiting-lad to kill a goose and boil it. The lad said, “One of our geese can cackle, and the other cannot - which of them shall I kill?”The host said, “Kill the one that cannot cackle.”

quote 7365 | Tchuang Tzu

N ow you, Sir, have a large tree, and you don’t know how to use it, so why not plant it in the middle of nowhere, where you can go to wander or fall asleep under its shade? No axe under Heaven will attack it, nor shorten its days, for something which is useless will never be disturbed.

quote 7364 | Tchuang Tzu

T hose who seek to satisfy the mind of man by hampering it with ceremonies and music and affecting charity and devotion have lost their original nature.

quote 7363 | Tchuang Tzu

M aster Dongguo asked Zhuangzi, “This thing called the Tao - where does it exist?” said, “There’s no place it doesn’t exist.” “Come,” said Master Dongguo, “you must be more specific!” “It is in the ant.” “As low a thing as that?” “It is in the panic grass.” “But that’s lower still!” “It is in the tiles and shards.” “How can it be so low?” “It is in the piss and shit!”

quote 7362 | Tchuang Tzu

H e who steals a belt buckle pays with his life; he who steals a state gets to be a feudal lord.

quote 7361 | Tchuang Tzu

T he Heavenly Gate is nonbeing. The ten thousand things come forth from nonbeing. Being cannot create being out of being; inevitably it must come forth from nonbeing. Nonbeing is absolute nonbeing, and it is here that the sage hides himself.

quote 7360 | Tchuang Tzu

I n all affairs, whether large or small, there are few men who reach a happy conclusion except through Tao. If you do not succeed, you are bound to suffer from the judgment of men. If you do succeed, you are bound to suffer from the yin and yang. To suffer no harm whether or not you succeed - only the man who has virtue can do that.

quote 7359 | Tchuang Tzu

W ith all the confusion in the world these days, no matter how often I point the way, what good does it do? And if I know it does no good and still make myself do it, this too is a kind of confusion. So it is best to leave things alone and not force them. If I don’t force things, at least I won’t cause anyone any worry.

quote 7358 | Tchuang Tzu

T he man who has forgotten self may be said to have entered Heaven.

quote 7357 | Tchuang Tzu

T o use a horse to show that a horse is not a horse is not as good as using a non-horse to show that a horse is not a horse...

quote 7356 | Tchuang Tzu

T he Spirit Tower has its guardian, but unless it understands who its guardian is, it cannot be guarded.

quote 7355 | Tchuang Tzu

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Wisdom and teachings ofDaoism

Wisdom and teachings of
Daoism