On Leveling All Things ( 1)

1 NanGuo ziqi practiced for extraordinarily long today. Standing beside him, Yancheng Ziyou, his disciple, wore impatience on face.

2 Ziqi started from the first meditative heaven, in which he detached desire, evil, misdeed and misbrief and perception.

3 He then entered into the second meditation heaven where he devoted himself to reaching status of no perception and resided in inner joy, stability, deserting perception, and inner happiness.

4 In the wake of it, he entered into the third meditative heaven where he was free from recalling, and disciplined and enlightened himself continually to reach happiness with purification of his mindfulness, which sages was seeking for.

5 Following it, he entered into the forth meditation heaven where with purification of his mindfulness he reached the status of no happiness, no sadness, no hardship and no joy by deserting sense of hardship and joy.

6 After it, with further ingress of void, awareness, and a meditative state in which nothing exists, Ziqi now spouted out a gust of original breath, thrusting out his chest, sitting with back against chair tightly, raising head with chin up.

7 He calmed down totally, slowing and weakening his breath nearly to silence. If it wasn't for Ziqi's rosy cheeks and flexible body, Yancheng Ziyou would believe that his master was died.

8 Keeping this statue for quite a long time, then, Ziqi began to recover from Samadhis gradually.

9 Ziyou asked his master curiously,

10 "A majority of those who practice Zen are lean, so called ‘the demeanor of celestial beings’. Draining off their happiness, sadness, anger, joy, greed, hatred, love and desire, would those who practice Zen, sit in Zen way and meditate will gradually come into tranquility? Does practice above exercises would completely change a man?"

11 Ziqi was pleased with Ziyou’s careful observation. He said,

12 "A good question! I have reached the perceptible status, independence and free care and removed confusion in today’s practice of Zen. I don’t fear anything because of free care. I am free from suffering because I don’t fear anything; I control my life and death; I practice a Zenist has to do and do it well; in wake of those, I clearly know that I will be a man who no long in the transmigration again.

13 My self-nature is irrespective of the fleshy non-ego. Those who practice mentioned “out of life and death”, or shuttle off coil of transmigration

14 As for relation between ego and non-ego, I should have detailed explanation.

15 There are three kinds of sound. They are sound of human, sound of land, and sound of nature."

16“Please explain them respectively” Ziyou cut in, having been afraid that the master suspected him of distraction.

17 Ziqi explained, “When wind passes through woods, valley, cracks of rock, door and window, it causes assorted sound, high or low in pitch, strong or weak.

18 When people play flutes and trumpet, it also causes different sound. It is wind to cause all kinds of these sounds.

19 But sound of nature is from self-nature, Buddha-nature, calmness and refinement. It sounds via fleshy non-ego.

20 Sound of nature leads in different kinds of no-learning skills which are being super intelligent and will manifest in conducts of those who practice.

21 Sound of nature is acquired from the practices such as practice of Zen and yoga, sitting in Zen way and meditation.

22 As a single wind blows through different objects on terrain and terrains, the sounds are different, high or low in pitch, tender or harsh.

23 Such natures as self-nature also generated different manifestations via non-ego. So those who practice, especially the ones who practice further to the urgist, attach much importance to practice of non-ego.

24 For instance of knife, somebody use it in making clothes, sculpture, cooking, but somebody use it in murder and robbery.

25 Those who practice sound of nature should be prudent in how to use it properly."

26 Those possessed of great wisdom are composed, tranquil, and open-minded while the dabblers are chatty.

27 Those splutters are overwhelming in speech; those who are chatty are boring.

28 In dream, the communication between self-nature and flesh-body is out of conscious control, at that time, people can conceive various plots of story.

29 After awaking from dream, people begin to touch objective condition, at that time; both conscious and self-nature instruct flesh-body to carry out diverse actions;

30 In order to meet the desire and interact on objective conditions, people's mind keeps thinking and research to handle objective changes by tactics and attitudes. Therefore, people’s deeds can’t rest stably on the objective conditions, for which people often worry and fear. They are frightened by petty misfortune and dumbfounded by severe distress. For this reason, their mood, attitude and deed change all the time and never stop, like the shooting of a machine gun.

31 The interaction on the objective condition causes varieties. Some agree with you while some disagree. Some benefit while some suffer. Some try to rope you in while some are hostile to you. In the wake of refusal and acceptation, problems and troubles of life follow.

32 Under the objective conditions, some are stubborn, nonnegotiable and unfriendly. With age increasing, some become senile and their spirit languish, like a withered tree without vitality.

33 For the men of senile and stubborn, they can’t be changed at all because their minds are jammed and they forever live in their memory. To deal with those who are on the verge of their life will be a very fatiguing job to anyone.

34 Under the subjective conditions personal moods make diverse alterations via flesh body. Like an instrument playing, it gives various sound, the personal mood produces happiness, sadness, anger, joy, worry, sentimentalism, fear, indulgence, fickleness and arrogance one after another.

35 Based on these knowledge, we have clues about the ways of creature’s growth and living.

36 The flesh body without the supervision and operation of self-nature, it is just like a pile of waste iron, not like a car that can be driven to thousand li. The same goes with that there is no space to exert the self-nature without flesh body.

37 Understanding the coexistent relation between ego and non-ego, the platform to practice is established and then we may talk about the ways of practice.

As poem by Su Dongpo, a poet of Sung Dynasty goes:

Sixty changes happened in my life, every meditative moment ceased wrong and right.

My body was empty and hollow, nobody suffered shame and enjoy glory

Keeping wine of bottles, I don't drink; forget the wine for my demising.

Only sound sleep in bed I need, don't care the mat and quilt.

38 Having studied mysteries of natural operation, we really believe that there is a Tao who balances overall to manipulate the nature, or it is impossible for nature to operate the universe so seamlessly and smoothly.

39 However, our awareness is confined in our limited knowledge so we can’t clearly prove or find out the hidden manipulator. Though the functions and operations apparently are seen, we still can’t find it.

40 The flesh body that we touch is composed of organs of various functions, such as bones, nine apertures, and six guts.

41 Which organ do we care most, and which do we care least? Or each one is cared by us?

42 What is the relation among organs? They are equal, or affiliated?

43 They are the ones that work for the normal operation of body. If so, who balance and instruct them? Who is the leader? It has actually no influence on our body operation that we study and find hardly who the leader is. The body work normally; however, even if we finding it, or not.

44 Those who practice Buddhist or Taoist rules live through their whole life and those who don’t practice also live through their whole life, not less than the ones who practice. Both average lives are nearly the same.

45 Ego combines with non-ego, as does flesh body and self-nature. The combination creates creatures. They mix tightly. They separate each other until the day of death.

46 It is however invariable truth that they are sure to go apart someday.

47 We who live in the world stay same in helpless wait for the moment when they separate, namely arrival of death.

48 Before the advent of the moment, we daily conflict with, interact on and are enticed by the subjective condition. We are busy day and night and rack our brains to grasp uncertain and the slippery fame and gain. We are exhausted for doing that; how miserably we really are.

49 It is said that self-nature is immortal. So what? It isn’t eventually the individual composed of ego and non-ego. Following decay of flesh body, our minds and consciousnesses disappear and the feeling of beloved family, causes and kin vanishes too.

50 We spend our whole life in building up all our knowledge, craft of art, respected creativity and in improving the nice musical skill, but they are transiently gone after the separation of ego and non-ego.

51 A Picasso’s picture is worth thousands of dollars. Every time he moved his paintbrush, he can make a fortune for himself, his family or his friends. However all are gone following separation of his ego and non-ego. Picasso’s craft of drawing is gone. He can’t regain it even if his self-nature was reincarnated in a baby after transmigration.

52 Does a man live through his whole life in confusion? Or only I do like that, so miserably? Is there a way to make people escape from the miserable misfortune and break the fate? Do others who practice Buddhist or Taoist rules really escape and break it?

53 Though without proof, we still are certain that there is a Tao to manipulate behind the operation of nature. Man also is a tiny but complete and intact universe.

54 Tao therefore exists in our body. It can lead us into the best life that most fits the natural environment. It is capable to lead as long as we carry on the appropriate life that is bestowed by nature.

55 We, human have developed our own knowledge and pattern of conduct for meeting the requirements of our greed, anger, and the over-seeking of materialism life. If we return to our original nature and persist in the life of simplicity and the mind out of fame and wealth, with the Tao in our heart which cooperating with self-nature, actually we don’t need to learn outward knowledge.

56 Most of human, they neglect and even abandon the inborn Tao and instead create human’s civilization and intelligence. Hence there are concepts of wrong, right and assorted thoughts in the society.

57 For example, somebody said, “I want to head to the country of Yue today but I have already been there yesterday.” Even if Dayu can’t understand this paradoxical saying, what can I do? The life of human thus would stick certainly in confusion.

58 The said the sound of earth originates from the wind or the breath as does the voice of human. Nevertheless, the voice of human is distinguished from the sound of land.

59 The sound of land is meaningless itself; however, the voice of human works for communication of some thought, idea, instruct and requirement, which is different from the sound of land.

60 The voice is uttered after people have an intention or idea. Forming an idea is a very complicate process. In most cases the processes of forming idea are rough. Namely, people don’t know clearly what they want to say and what they want to do.

61 Idea comes out from observation, study and analysis of the objective environment. However, we are restricted in the cognition of objective environment, because it is obscure and most parts of it are hidden in the corner, common people can’t cognize it thoroughly.

62 Under the condition of the restriction and obscurity of the objection condition, most ideas are not accurate. Hence not all people's speakings are believable. Because the meaning of the word is blurry, even if the words are uttered from ones mouth, it not necessary means it has truly expressed his real intention and meaning.

63 If so, is it right to say that human’s words are different from the sound of land?

64 The words are meaningful, based on a certain background. Nevertheless the meaning goes far from accurateness, equal to nothing, or worse than nothing because the words can make listener misunderstand so as to have wrong judgment.

65 The meaning expressed by human is so. The way of expressing Tao is also. Much misunderstanding of Tao therefore happens, which causes many theory and school that are paradoxical.

66 However the misunderstanding about Tao can’t dent or change a little value of it. For example, whatever you explain about Tao,the sun will arise from east and set down to the west, alteration of season and people’s ageing, illness, delivery and death, are still unchangeable.

67 The words are different from Tao. In interaction between words and ideas, ideas themselves are incomplete and shaky, so they cause problems in words.

68 We should treat Tao in macro and long-term view. In petty and transient cases we can’t find the intendment of Tao. As for the words,we should beware of its tricky and sweet appearance.

69 Since Tao was misunderstood and words were misused, disputes between the sects of Ru and Mo took place, they criticized each other, thinking that the opponent was wrong and self was right. People were bewildered at a deluge of disputes and critiques.

70 I deem that in order to distinguish the truth, our thinking should be based on objectiveness, selflessness, desirelessness. Starting in macro-view, we are possible to obtain the genuine Tao.

71 Those of objective conditions are not significant if there is no subjective conditions; Matter can’t be discriminated right or wrong if there is no subjective conditions.

72 Why is objective condition called objective condition, because there is a subjective condition oppositing to it. Otherwise, the objective condition to itself is a subjective condition.

73 For the same reason the right and wrong of a thing are formed. We say that matter is right; because there is a thing opposite to it we say it is wrong. In the same way, we think the thing is wrong, for we think it should be so, not other. A criterion that is set ahead in our mind and then wrong is discriminated.

A poem by Tao Yuanming, a poet of Jin Dynasty, goes:

People’s deeds of ten thousands, who know the right or the wrong.

At the surface some look them, Praise and defame they all can.

Since Xia dynasty there have been more, the own views the wise has followed.

The unwise are arrogant and aggressive, like Huang gong and Qili I stay reclusive.

74 A matter is just itself. As for itself concerned, it is not right or wrong.

75 When we learn about a matter, we should just focus on itself. Don’t compare it with other. Only considering it as it stands, by this way we can find its truth.

76 Therefore, it is said that the objective condition generated from the differentiation of right and wrong. Right and wrong exist for the objective condition exists. Like outside and inside, the objective condition and right or wrong depend on each other.

77 The same theory goes that life and death depend on each other so as to agreement and disagreement. There weren’t absolute right or absolute wrong; right or wrong established by different views. A man of perfection judges things by things itself, not by right and wrong; thus we can find the truth and the original reasons of the thing.

78 As the objective condition is an independent and self-dominative individual, there are unique factors to form its conduct, life background, thought and concept. It is not merely criticized or judged by our subjective opinions. If we could hold the viewpoint, we would seize the gist of Tao. By the gist we can find the so-called “Wrong in right and right in wrong”. The subjective condition is a combination of right and wrong, as is the objective condition.

79 It’s so. I suggest that we can reveal the truth of thing as long as we treat thing in the views of objective, selfness and no desire.

80 We should not appraise the little finger by the standard of middle finger and deem the little finger is not finger. We may say that mouth is not finger so the middle finger and the little finger are not mouth. We don’t think that the white horse is horse so the black horse isn’t horse; we think that cattle are not horse so the white horse and the black horse are not cattle.

81 We regard finger is an independent and self-dominative individual. Either the middle finger or the little finger is inevitable to grow like that under the innate condition. At the view of the middle finger, it itself is a complete individual. We should not compare it with mouth, nor with the little finger.

82 Horse as a creature has its evolution background. Under the living condition from generations to generations, it formed today’s form. Its form is absolutely necessary as a creature. It unnecessarily compared itself with cattle while cattle should not worry about horse without horn and how its defense to enemy. Horse is itself, as is cattle. They respectively are an independent and complete individual.

83 We must clearly know that we should agree about things uniqueness and hold above view so that we can study everything exactly.

84 Moral code, custom, governmental decree, even covenant and contract can judge the conducts of a man's right or wrong. So we know that the right and wrong are factitious.

85 We say it is right, so is it; we say it is wrong, so is it; we say it is receivable, so is it; we say it is not receivable, neither is it.

86 It is like the path that is trodden to form. The hunter and farmer tread with feet and chop with sickles to form the paths on mountain.

87 It is also like we naming everything. The ancient people name the organ with eyes, mouth, nose and ears as head. Since then, the noun “Tou” was formed in Chinese language and “head” in English language.

88 Everything in the world is so. When the conditions of time and space and others predestine to come together, a thing happens.

89 It is easy to know why the thing doesn’t happen. It is because something happens to lack of conditions. So it doesn’t happen.

90The marriage of my wife and me were because we were similar in age; we were the only two young people in office; we were single; she was beautiful and I was a bit intelligent; both of our bodies emanated courtship signals; our parents agree on our marriage. Due to the above conditions and so on, we therefore married. All are the countless conditions that come together to make it happen. There is nothing special and strange.

91 When I was in association with her, there were some other girls who were professional and beautiful around me. It was possible for one of them to be my companion of lifetime but they are not at last. Either one of them or I had problems or there are other problems in other aspects. In general, under the insufficient conditions we did not marry.

92 Everything exists by reasons. Nothing is formed without the process of growth and maturity. Nothing exists without reasons.

93 Twig has its reason to exist and trunk as well. Miss Xishi’s beauty was cultivated under the conditions and environment in which she grew. Miss Dongshi had different conditions and environment. Miss Xishi was loved widely, while there were some people to love Miss Dongshi. The farmer who needed labor in crops field perhaps more loved the country girl, Dongshi who was industrious and hardworking.

94 The various things in the world are formed and exist under their own condition of time and space. We should think in the view of isolation and agreement that they are complete and are formed by Tao; they contain factors of Tao. Hence the universe is formed.

95 I parted with my parents and my bachelordom, as did my wife. We combined to be a family with our own children. Departing from parents and bachelordom was “separation”, and to be a family was “combination”.

96 Therefore two “separations” happen to become a “combination”–a new thing.

97 From the view of new thing, the old thing breaks up or vanishes, but is it really so bad? Of course it was not. Or why did kin and many friends give us cash gifts for congratulation?

98 Thing itself can’t be judged as a successful creature or a failure creature. It changes when condition changes.

99 In macro view, thing squirms and turns in realm of Tao but it could not jump out of the realm of Tao.

100 Men of perfection by practice know this theory so they don’t criticize, blame, praise, follow or suggest everything at random. They just take the world as it is and treat everything around them and everything happening continually in an ordinary manner.

101 They blunt their sharp points, and unravel the complications of things; they temper their brightness, and bring themselves into agreement with the obscurity of others. They melt into environment without imprudently trying to be unique. Act when necessarily and to be when necessarily. They let thing happen under the reasonable conditions. Doing like so, it means that you fit Tao.

102 When Tao works on a thing, it does in silence most of the time. The same goes to the fact that flower blooms and withers.

103 Practitioner of Yoga repeats some actions daily. Days passing, his body becomes soft and he can bend now bent in past he couldn’t. He becomes healthy and what’s more suddenly knows acupuncture, massage and cure. He suddenly has telepathy to gods. All these form without being sensed. The phenomenon of forming is the model way of Tao’s operation.

104 Everyday many people who practice worship gods to pray for bless, or read up lection industriously and try to find the way of practice, in Buddha temples, churches and Taoism temples. They don’t know that practice is actually lesser difficult than those. All they should do is to practice meditation and Yoga industriously and keep their ordinary daily life in the way of blunting their sharp points, unraveling the complications of things; tempering their brightness, and bring themselves into agreement with the obscurity of others. Worship gods is right but unnecessary.

105 In the suburban monkey park, the monkeys were very dissatisfied with the allocation of food – three bowls of bean in the morning and four bowls in the evening. So they all went on strike.

106 The master then suggested four bowls in the morning and three bowls in the evening. The monkeys thought their protest worked and were very satisfied with the four bowls. The stir by protest hence ended.

107 The wise as you know that the two allocations are the same. However, in the actual daily life, we always seek for more and wish to change something so as to increase our benefit. Gaining delights us while loss distresses us.

108 We laugh at the stupid monkeys for the allocations. Do we know that we are as stupid as the monkeys?

109 Those of perfection by practice understand it. They are indifferent to right and wrong, and not easily expressing their opinions on matters. They let thing happen when it should happen, and do thing as it is. They never force the thing to happen when the condition is insufficient and not well-timed.

110 The manner and concept are called “Two Deeds”

111 Those of perfect in practice their knowledge and intelligence are very broad, whose realm is beyond the field of material. Our common people's thoughts and concepts generally are based on material. Beyond the field of material we can’t imagine. It is very difficult for us to understand those that we had never seen, experienced and had no idea of.

112 As common people, our knowledge is from the material dimension. Our thinking ceases without material.

113 Common people’s thinking is from material. We classify the material at first and then, classify it again base on our subjective feeling—advantage, disadvantage, intimate or estranged factors; the advantage and the intimate are rights; the disadvantage and disfavored are wrongs; the estranged and the inessential are classified into neutral, evilness and wrongs.

114 When the concept of right and wrong is built up in our mind, the independent carrier of Tao and the combination of right and wrong of all matters are spoiled.

115 The reason of the carrier of Tao being spoiled is that the oppositions in our mind between advantage and disadvantage, the intimate and the estranged, love and loathliness, concern and unconcern cause it.

116 Zhaoshi was a veteran player of qin (a kind of Chinese ancient musical instrument). He deemed that the qin is a complete carrier of Tao. It has various keys. When a qin’s chord is plucked, a sound, which we or Zhaoshi likes, comes out. As the sound emanates, other sounds part with it. To keep the complete original sounds, what Zhaoshi could do is not to touch the chords so since then he quitted playing qin.

117 Such excellent people as Shikuang, Huizi, were ranked the top in their professional field, for which they were left mark in history. Their feat, craft and knowledge which were more advanced than common people means they were out of the carrier of Tao, just like Zhaoshi playing qin.

118 Huizi integrated the same and the difference to deny the difference of the objective existence. He only emphasized one aspect of thing, and neglected others. So he came down to be a sophist.

119 Huizi indulged himself into sophism, as did his son. His son succeeded to his opinion and kept arguing everyday. As a result he bore no fruit in his life. Had Huizi’s way of study been regarded as the way of achievement, I would have not been at least worse than him.

120 If the selective way of study that Huizi adopts is not correct, then the material world and I should be regarded exist in a single carrier of Tao. The material and I should not be selected alone to analyze and discuss. Material and I should not be treated as an independent and a respective individual studying object.

121 Those of perfection by practice know the way. They never brought forward queer theories and thought to bewitch people. They just employed the most common way and concepts to live and do things, never doing things unconventional or unorthodox.

122 The brief that its turmoil submerged and people does in Rome as Rome does, we call it the brightness.

123 To meet the requirements of brightness, we have ways.

124 As we say, each individual is a combination of right and wrong. When we get close to a man, or enter an organization, or listen to a man, we just choose the “right” that is in our category and embrace it. So we can melt into the environment and stay in peace.

125 Our employing the way of “Turmoil being submerged” is to act at our discretion. But we should be prudent in words, thinking and action because they themselves are possessed of mystery and secret.

126 For instance, before the beginning of a thing, there is nothing. Time before the beginning of a thing is “nothing” too. The “nothing” however is “something” because “nothing” exists as “something” in the time.

127 Then I deduce it ahead. Is there another “nothing” before the said “nothing”? Take an instance. Let’s set another (second) “nothing” as “something”, and then there must be a “nothing” out of the “something”. The third “nothing” clearly responds to the “something” in “nothing” of “something”. It is another form of “something”. Now that it is so, there should be something that is far from another form. If our mind contains the beginning, and “something” and “nothing”, then the thing in the world is classified into something and nothing, you and me, her and his. However if we look them as integration, it becomes simple.

128 From the time when the world started to now, the time and space have never taken apart. They are integrative. There is no bigness and smallness, no the long and the short. Comparing with bigness, we are small forever; comparing with smallness, we are very big.

129 Comparing with atom and molecule, the end of autumn hair is a jumbo. Comparing with cosmos, mountains are tiny mounds. Abortive baby is long life, comparing with atom’s half-life of a millionth second. Pengzhu’s eight hundred year is transient, comparing with cosmos of ten billions years.

130 Therefore when I set myself free, strive to exceed myself, and come into mind devoid of non-self and being flexibility; I coexist with cosmos and melt into everything. Right and wrong, advantage and disadvantage disappears. Everything and everyone are my hands and feet.

131 My eyes, ears, nose and tongue and I coexist in my body for common purpose of life. They grow and finally go apart into dust. Right hand does much but it doesn’t blame for left hand’s laziness. Mouth seems to enjoy everything nice, eating, kiss, speaking and so on but buttocks never complaint for the unfair.

132 So when people look everything as integration, his mind become peaceful, stable and tranquil and the way to practice is open to him.

133 We should understand the truth in cosmos is universal. Facing truth, native and stranger, Chinese and American are equal.

134 The truth works not only nowadays but in past. Truth is universally applied, not limit to locations, people, and time.

135 It is not like words. The saying goes “a mouth has two lips, and it teems with gossips”. At different standpoints, the words are different. When a man is out of office, he scolds others in a very humiliating fashion; when he is in power, he changes the fashion.

136 So when discrimination comes into our mind to cause right and wrong, the intimate and the estranged, we have been far from the truth and Tao, and confining ourselves into a limited ambit.

137 At that time the opposition of left and right comes out; the five traditional cardinal human relations are listed out to make people incumbent on their relatives. The standpoint is divided so that each struggles for his benefit. Disputes therefore arise.

138 In order to reach a goal, people struggle and scramble each other.

139 The eight phenomena mention above are the sources of many worldly problems, obsession, and scramble.

140 A man of perfection by practice clearly knows the point. He has no comment and no discussion on the concepts and ideas beyond the material world. He just hears other’s comment and discussion.

141 As for the things and phenomena in this material world, he just talks as they are, and objectively observes and learns about them, never mix his own opinions.

142 As for the historical events which had been in final judgment, he could express his opinion, but he doesn’t waste time and energy to argue with other for their justice.

143 As for things and ideas of different characteristics, those of perfection by practice classify some of them and leave alone some, and comment on some and neglect some.

144 The difference between a man of perfection by practice and a common people is comprehensiveness that the man is possessed of, because he knows the way that everything is integrative. Common people want to figure out the true and the false, right and wrong so as to show he is knowledgeable. In fact he doesn’t understand the real image of thing. Thing is an integration of right and wrong; the right and wrong is relative, not absolute.

145 The truth is expressed as the first sentence of Tao Te Ching, “The Tao that can be told of is not the Absolute Tao. The names that can be given are not Absolute names.” The truth can’t be titled for it is difficult to express the truth in language.

146 The course of cosmos is profound and broad, with overall meaning which we can’t understand. So we don’t comment on natural phenomenon of the law of jungle according to our moral criterion of kindness and incumbency.

147 A man of perfection by practice earnestly lives a simple, easy and nonchalant life that is indifferent to fame and wealth. It seems austere but he enjoys it very much, never feeling insufficient.

148 A man of perfection by practice deems that a man should be gutsy and dauntless to do thing as the archaism goes “Though thousands of people are there to fight against me, I still go.” His courage is admirable; however, it will not hurt anyone. He will not eradicate or tread anyone to reach his goal by hook and crook.

149 Once the truth is spoken out via language, its meaning is limited in a certain ambit. The dispute in words forever is incomplete. Kindness and love will lose balance once there is an object to show. They meet this side and miss that side. To be a great kind man is spoiled by selfishness.

150 The simple, easy and nonchalant life is a good thing but taking it too far is wrong.

151 As to rapid development of textile technology, a piece of clothes are cheap. The useless clothes thrown away by a family can be counted by bags. Therefore, a piece of warm and tidy clothes can’t reveal the wealth and austerity of a family. However, if a man nowadays still wears a piece of clothes with patches, his motive for keeping the life will be in doubt. He may intend to show the different life style, instead of living the simple, easy and nonchalant life. The attitude that the objective conditions are put into consideration should not be adopted by a man of perfection when practice.

152 For a man of perfection by practice, braveness is a dauntless and unyielding power to march; is decision to accomplish task. Once he gains the power, he succeeds in everything. Nevertheless if he uses the power to hurt others, the power of justice will go to nothing, as a sentence in the poem Ode to Justice by Wen Tianxiang goes: Daunting because of loss of justice. Nothing can be done.

153 The great Tao, the eloquence, general kindness, overall probity, and great braveness are good but they degenerate once they go with selfishness.

154 Due to the degeneration, we should be discreet and modest in the way of practice.

155 The truth is profound and broad, so we should not surmise it by our limit and shallow knowledge or infer it by our viewpoint.

156 In Zen practice, consciousness should be aside, the self-nature should play roles. We should carry out a pithy formula “be empty, no your action, be innocent as kid”. By doing this pithy formula, we would go the right way in practice.

157 By the way, in the Taoism, the realm of spirit means "argument without words and Tao not declaring itself as Tao."

158 The self-nature is endless and resourceful in our body. It plays overridingly leading role in our body; however, we don’t know at all how it operates in consciousness.

159 We boldly consign our consciousness to self-nature which can lead it. Our consciousness relies on expert, just as we trust pilot of plane or capital of ship. In more time of Zen practice, we should set aside our consciousness. The action and attitude of above is called “Concealing Light” in the Taoism.

160 It was aforementioned “Tao by its very nature can never be defined”. In the view of the Taoism, there should be no boundary in the world and there should be no border among countries. The place where people live should not be divided into countries. Unification falls in the Taoism.

161 Of old, to unify China to abolish border for people’s convenience of exchange, the Emperor Yao planed to assault the three small countries around his country, Zong, Kuai and Xu’ao. He however still hesitated to do it. Sometime he doubted whether his assaulting plan was right or not, so he was sullen and in bad mood.

162 Hereupon Yao asked Shun, “What’s wrong with me? Why do I doubt the right thing?”

163 Shun answered, “The three small undeveloped countries are very poor. Your action is to save their people and to take them out of poverty. What’s bad?

164 In the past, people suffered the hotness from ten suns. You ordered Houyi to shoot down the nine. Since then people had never suffered and enjoyed the coolness. Shooting sun is the expression of violence; however, it is done under necessary situation, what’s bad?

165 Today you plan to assault the three countries that are poor, troublous and autocratic and are expected by people to renovate. There is no difference from Houyi shooting down the suns. In the view of virtue, its justice is more beyond doubt. Do it without hesitation!”