![]() Therefore he who knows the Joy of Heaven has no murmuring against Heaven, nor any fault-finding with men and suffers no embarrassment from things, nor any reproof from ghosts. Hence it is said, "Those who know the joy of Heaven during their life, act like Heaven, and at death undergo transformation like (other) things in their stillness they possess the quality of the Yin, and in their movement they flow abroad as the Yang. He overspreads the heavens and sustains the earth from him is the carving of all forms without any artful skill! This is what is called the Joy of Heaven. ![]() He is older than the highest antiquity, and yet is not old. Zhuangzi said, 'My Master! my Master! He shall hash and blend all things in mass without being cruel he shall dispense his favours to all ages without being benevolent. Being in harmony with men is called the joy of men being in harmony with Heaven is called the joy of Heaven. The clear understanding of the virtue of Heaven and Earth is what is called 'The Great Root,' and 'The Great Origin ' - they who have it are in harmony with Heaven, and so they produce all equable arrangements in the world - they are those who are in harmony with men. Doing-nothing, they are honoured in their plain simplicity, no one in the world can strive with them (for the palm of) excellence. (Such men) by their stillness become sages and by their movement, kings. With this retiring (from public life), and enjoying themselves at leisure, we find the scholars who dwell by the rivers and seas, among the hills and forests, all submissive to it with this coming forward to active life and comforting their age, their merit is great, and their fame is distinguished - and all the world becomes united in one. When with this a high position is occupied, we find the attributes of the Dis and kings,- the sons of Heaven with this in a low position, we find the mysterious sages, the uncrowned kings, with their ways. When this is understood, we find such a ruler on the throne as Yao, and such a minister as Shun. Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and doing-nothing are the root of all things. Where there is that feeling of satisfaction, anxieties and troubles find no place and the years of life are many. Doing-nothing, they devolved the cares of office on their employes, Doing-nothing was accompanied by the feeling of satisfaction. From their stillness came their non-action. From their vacancy came stillness that stillness was followed by movement their movemerts were successful. Resting here, they were vacant from their vacancy came fullness from their fullness came the nice distinctions (of things). Therefore the Dis, Kings, and Sages found in this their resting-place. Vacancy, stillness, placidity, tastelessness, quietude, silence, and non-action - this is the Level of heaven and earth, and the perfection of the Dao and its characteristics. Such is the clearness of still water, and how much greater is that of the human Spirit! The still mind of the sage is the mirror of heaven and earth, the glass of all things. ![]() It is a perfect Level, and the greatest artificer takes his rule from it. When water is still, its clearness shows the beard and eyebrows (of him who looks into it). The stillness of the sages does not belong to them as a consequence of their skilful ability all things are not able to disturb their minds - it is on this account that they are still. Those who clearly understand (the Way of) Heaven, who are in sympathy with (that of) the sages, and familiar through the universe and in the four quarters (of the earth) with the work of the Dis and the kings, yet act spontaneously from themselves: with the appearance of being ignorant they are yet entirely still. The Way of Heaven operates (unceasingly), and leaves no accumulation (of its influence) in any particular place, so that all things are brought to perfection by it so does the Way of the Dis operate, and all under the sky turn to them (as their directors) so also does the Way of the Sages operate, and all within the seas submit to them. ![]()
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