On Leveling All Things (3)

1 Qu quezi asked Chang Wuzi, “It is thought that a man of perfect practice is apathetic to the worldly affair”

2 He isn’t busy in making a fortune and isn’t anxious to avoid adversity. He doesn’t beg other for something and doesn’t abide by the worldly custom.

3 Sometime he says nothing but what he does release much information. Sometime what he mutters sounds nothing and elusive. He, as a person of perfect practice, is roaming in the realm out of the world.

4 Confucius thought it is a stupid and hollow saying.

5 However, I think it is extremely exact and a concrete description of those of perfect practice. It isn’t a hollow nonsense. What do you think?”

6 Chang Wuzi said, “You quote so much saying. Even the emperor is confused with it. How do you understand? How do you think it is a wonderful saying?

7 What’s more I think your conclusion is drawn too early, just as hardly do you dream a brood of chicken when see eggs; as hardly do you slobber over toasted birds when take your sling to hunting.

8 Let me explain. May not all I say is right, just for your reference.

9 A man of perfect practice actually integrates himself with cosmos. Despite of the great change of world and his rank in the society, he always conserves his soul and life style.

10 Common people are busy in their whole life while a man of perfect practice is tranquil and composed. His life is harmonious, moderate and stable. A quick temper one may think he is a little foolish and dull but the man doesn’t know this man actually has combined himself into Tao that is forever uniform. Existing through time, Tao fits everything that all exists on it and no exception. ”

11 To maintain our health, everyday we waken up in the morning, clean face, dress, do sport and have breakfast. We take close and considerate care of our body.

12 Do we understand that may be it is just a misunderstanding which cherishes our life so much? The misunderstanding is made because we don’t know the true factors of before and after of our life and grasp tightly the middle part of it.

13 Our fear to the last part of life – death, just is like a kid crying aside the road due to straying on streets and getting lost.

14 Liji was the provincial magnate Ai’s daughter. When she was engaged to King of Jin, crying between life and death, she felt very uncertain about leaving home to a strange place.

15 After marriage, living in the palaces, she and King of Jin cooed over each other. Then she felt that it was ridiculous to cry at home in the eve of marriage. Had the life in palaces been so comfortable, why would I cry?

16 The same goes. Our fear to our death is ridiculous too, isn’t it? Will we eventually think it is childish and stupid to fear death, and laugh at ourselves for our reluctance to leave the world?

17 Ingurgitation in a banquet in dream is very happy. Sudden wakening up from the dream makes you feel something lost and regretful. On the contrary, when heart breaking and regretting doing blunder in a dream, you waken up and feel lucky because it is just a dream.

18 When wakening up from the dream, we sweep off the annoyance in dream. Having been gotten up and then toileted, we go out for tour with our friends, what a nice day.

19 When we dream, we don’t feel that we are in dream. Somebody even have study in dream to interpret the dream. Only when wakening up, we just come to our sense and know it is a dream.

20 Wakening after sleeping, sleeping after wakening, we live through our life.

21 In our long life, do we someday waken up and find life is not more than a spring dream?

22 Most people in the world think themselves awake. When they surely point out this man is a dean and the other is a director of board, their admiration of those men is worn on complexion and action.

23 How shallow is people’s heart. Why can’t they know that life is transient, and there is slight difference in life and the spring dream. You and Confucius all are in dream. Me too, though I point out that both of you are in dream.

24 It is really a paradoxical and ambiguous topic. Maybe there is a sage appearing to give us concrete explanation, but he will appear in some time after ten thousand years. Let’s pray for meeting him at a certain place in that time.

25 If you argue with me, you win and I lose. Does it mean that your views are right and mine wrong? On the contrary, if I win and you lose, does it means that I am right and you are wrong?

26 If we draw, does it mean that both of us are right or wrong in part? How on earth the factor is? It is rather difficult to make clear because we all stay in an obscure and dark environment.

27 Referee is a must in any debate. Who should be the referee for our debate? If the referee inclines to your views, is his arbitration fair? If the referee disagrees both on your views and mine, how does he arbitrate the debate? To the same, if the referee agrees on both of us, he also can’t make arbitration.

28 Like this, the three, you, I, and the third can’t arbitrate the right and wrong in debate. Who can arbitrate the debate for us?

29 Debate in words or speech is forever relative. It can’t achieve an absolute result. The way to seek for the absolute truth is to gear the opposite views to the concept that everything is integrative and then to deduce it with the evolution law of nature.

30 How to gear different thoughts and concepts to the concept that everything is integrative? First, we should be aware that what we think right is possible not really right. It looks so from the outside while it is possible not so in the inside. Debate can’t tell the difference between the right concept and the wrong one. As the inside and the outside of an affair are the same, debate, however, can’t prove it for us.

31 Don’t waste time on debate because it is fruitless. Let’s live cozily in the profound and boundless Tao.