Tree on Hill (1)

1 That year, Chuang Tzu guested at his friend’s home which was located in the countryside. An early morning, he had a walk at a hill behind the house where he saw a lefty big tree standing prominently beside the path. A feller, who passed it, took no glance at it. Chunag Tzu felt curious why the feller had no interest in it.

2 The feller answered, “The tree is useless at all. Why to fell it?”

3 Taking a nod, Chuang Tzu remarked out of personal feeling. “This tree lives through its life and flourishes for its uselessness.”

4 The next day, his friend, in order to express his welcome, asked the servant to slay a goose as dish to serve Chuang Tzu.

5 The servant asked, “Which goose should I choose, the one can quack, or the one can’t?” His friend said, “Choose the silent one. The quacking one can be used to watch the door.”

6 Chuang Tzu’s disciple who guested with him asked, “Yesterday, we saw the tree on the hill that lives through its life for it is useless. Now the goose that can’t quack is slain as dish. If we learn lesson from the two cases, what we should follow, to be the usefulness or the uselessness?”

7 Smiling, Chuang Tzu replied, “I am between the usefulness and the uselessness. Which one favored, I stand by the one. Well, just kidding. Don’t take it seriously. Standing between them sounds nice but it has problem in actual practice. Acting in that way may cause trouble too. The men of perfect practice don’t do like that. They don’t care criticism or praise; they march or retreat according to the opportunity; they work or recluse by themselves, living leisurely through life. There is no prejudice in their heart. Taking offices or acting as hermit depends on the environment and the opportunity at that time. They don’t favor or exclude something on purpose.

8 The men of perfect practice are masters of all things. They are not manipulated by any thing, living a really free life.

9 A man has this kind of self-cultivation, who and what is possible to cumber him? In the past years, Shengnong Shi and Yellow Emperor followed this practice strictly.

10 The rule of Tao is different from the rule of traditional operation of human.

11 The traditional operation of human is: it parts once combine; it is ruined once accomplished.

12 Once a knife is ground sharp, it becomes dull gradually at once.

13 Once you are promoted to a high and noble position, you will be confronted with heartless criticism at once. Anything that you do would hurt somebody or devastate something.

14 The wise and able men bully others; and the stupid and ignorant men are treated unfairly.

15 Alas! In the society of human, we seem not to see anything eternal. So I pressingly tell you that the world is transience and the eternality is found only in Tao.”