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Wisdom and teachings of
Neo Daoism

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V anishingly (mingran), forming a oneness with creation.

quote 4036 | Kuo Hsiang
ZZJS, 129, trad. B. Ziporyn, 2003, p.69

see also "vanishingly embodying all things”, ZZJS, 195, trad. B. Ziporyn, 2003, p.69 ; “vanishingly forming a oneness with one’s own time.”, ZZJS, 184, trad. B. Ziporyn, 2003, p.69

I f one has a self (?) it is impossible to achieve the great oneness.

quote 4034 | Kuo Hsiang
ZZJS, 397, trad. B. Ziporyn, 2003, p.67

see also ZZJS, 185 and 401, trad. B. Ziporyn, 2003, p.67, ZZJS, 78, trad. B. Ziporyn, 2003, p.73

T here is no preconceived give and take in things or in their principles of being. If things are natural, they will transform themselves without taking any action.

quote 2293 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 11, NHcc, 4:38b, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

B y taking no action is not meant folding up one's arms and closing one's mouth. If we simply let everything act by itself, it will be contented with its nature and destiny.

quote 2292 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 11, NHCc, 4:29a, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

T he expert driver utilizes the natural capacity of horses to its limit. To use the capacity to its limit lies in letting it take its own course. If forced to run in rapid pace, with the expectation that they can exceed their capacity, horses will be unable to bear and many will die. On the other hand, if both worn-out and thoroughbred horses are allowed to use their proper strength and to adapt their pace to their given lot, even if they travel to the borders of the country, their nature will be fully preserved. But there are those who, upon hearing the doctrine of allowing the nature of horses to take its own course, Will say, "Then set the horses free and do not ride on them," and there are those who, upon hearing the doctrine of taking no action, will immediately say, "It is better to lie down than to walk." Why are they so much off the track and unable to return? In this they have missed Chuang Tzu's ideas to a very high degree.

quote 2291 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 9, NHCc, 4: 11b, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

T here has never been a person who has roamed over the transcendental world to the utmost and yet was not silently in harmony with the mundane world, nor has there been anyone who was silently in harmony with the mundane world and yet did not roam over the transcendental world. Therefore the sage always roams in the transcendental world in order to enlarge the mundane world. By having no deliberate mind of his own, he is in accord with things.

quote 2290 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 6, NHCc, 3:19a-b, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

As pointed out before, neither Wang Pi nor Kuo Hsiang considered Lao Tzu or Chuang Tzu a sage. Instead, their sage was Confucius. This is amazing, but the reason is really not far to seek. For to Kuo Hsiang, especially, the ideal person is a sage who is sagely within and kingly without" and who travels in both the transcendental and mundane worlds. According to the Neo-Taoists, Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu traveled only in the transcendental world and were therefore one-sided, whereas Confucius was truly sagely within and kingly without.

T herefore if we realize that our nature and destiny are what they should be, we will have no anxiety and will be at ease with ourselves in the face of life or death, prominence or obscurity, or an infinite amount of changes and variations, and will be in accord with principle.

quote 2289 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 5, NHCc, 2:40a, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

W hat need is there to take any action? Only profound silence, that is all.

quote 2288 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 4, NHCc, 2:25a, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

J oy and sorrow are results of gains and losses. A gentleman who profoundly penetrates all things and is in harmony with their transformations will be contented with whatever time may bring. He follows the course of Nature in whatever situation he may be. He will be quietly harmonized and united with Creation. He will be himself wherever he may be. Where does gain or loss, life or death, come in? Therefore, if one lets what he has received from Nature take its own course, there will be no place for joy or sorrow.

quote 2287 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 3, NHCC, 2:6a-b, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

T he ordinary people will consider it lack of simplicity to harmonize all the changes throughout ten thousand years. With a tired body and a frightened mind, they toil to avoid this and to take that. The sage alone has no prejudice. He therefore proceeds with utter simplicity and becomes one with transformation and always roams in the realm of unity.

quote 2286 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 2, NHCC, 1:4 1 b-42a, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

I f one is contented wherever he goes, he will be at ease wherever he may be. Even life and death cannot affect him. How much less can flood or fire? The perfect man is not besieged by calamities, not because he escapes from them but because he advances the principles of things and goes forward and naturally comes into union with good fortune.

quote 2285 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 1, NHCC, 1: 14a, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

T he mind of the sage penetrates to the utmost the perfect union of yin and yang and understands most clearly the wonderful principles of the myriad things. Therefore he can identify himself with changes and harmonize with transformations, and finds everything all right wherever he may go. He embraces all things and thus nothing is not in its natural state. The world asks him [to rule] because of disorder. He has no deliberate mind of his own. Since he has no deliberate mind of his own, why should he not respond to the world? He who identifies himself with the profoundly mysterious state and understands its wonder to the utmost, appreciates the nature of all things, partakes in the creative and transforming process of the universe, and fulfills the fame of Yao and Shun . He can do so because he acts by taking no [unnatural] action.

quote 2284 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 1, NHCC, 1: 13b, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

Y ao was an adequate example of governing by not governing and acting by not acting. Why should we have to resort to Hsu Yu? Are we to insist that a man fold his arms and sit in silence in the-) middle of some mountain forest before we will say he is practicing non-action? This is why the words of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu are rejected by responsible officials. This is why responsible officials insist on remaining in the realm of action without regret…. For egotistical people set themselves up against things, whereas he who is in accord with things is not opposed to them…. Therefore he profoundly and deeply responds to things without any deliberate mind of his own and follows whatever comes into contact with him. He is like an untied boat drifting, claiming neither the east nor the west to be its own. He who is always with the people no matter what he does is the ruler of the world wherever he maybe.

quote 2283 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 1, NHCC, 1: lOa-10b, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

T he universe is the general name for all things. They are the substance of the universe while Nature is their norm. Being natural means to exist spontaneously without having to take any action. Therefore the fabulous p'eng bird can soar high and the quail can fly low, the cedrela can live for a long time and the mushroom for a short time. They are capable of doing these not because of their taking any action but because of their being natural.

quote 2282 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 1, NHCC, 1: 8b, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

T o be natural means not to take any unnatural action. This is the general idea of [what Chuang Tzu means by] roaming leisurely or freedom. Everything has its own nature and each nature has its own ultimate.

quote 2281 | Kuo Hsiang
Kuo Hsiang, COMMENTARY ON THE CHUANG TZU, ch. 1, NHCC, 1: 4b-5 a, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 19.

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Wisdom and teachings ofNeo Daoism

Wisdom and teachings of
Neo Daoism