Under the Heaven (4)

1 Other well-known thoughts were from these schools whose representatives were Peng Meng, Tian Pian and Shen Dao. They insisted that people should be an absolutely free man, gathering but cliquing, worshiping nature and being selfless. They claimed that people should not be bound by any material under any condition. Being anxiety-free, they took things as they came; they didn’t think themselves right and insist to doing something on his own way.

2 The key thought of this school was that all things are integrated. You take away any part; you omit the other part. They said, “Heaven can cover all things but can’t bear; earth can bear all thing but can’t cover.” Real Tao covers all but it can’t be made clear by language.

3 They knew that all things have its advantage and also have its disadvantage in some respect. They thought that biasing a part inevitably miss the image of the whole. Therefore, teaching itself can't lead the learner to know the truth; only practice of Tao is possible.

4 For the reason, Shen Dao excluded knowledge and self-awareness. He never did things on his own will until when they were out of absolute necessity. His principle to walk in the world was that to be fair to treat all things. Shen Dao said, “A man says: I understand it. Actually he possibly doesn’t know it well. A little of knowledge that a man acquaints is the start where he leaves truth further and further.”

5 Such believe led to their self-will, obstinacy and irresponsibility, caring for nothing and uninhabited. Shen Dao laughed at worldly people who worshiping sage. He despised sages, slandering them at his will. Facing problem, he had no fixed opinion, just doing the way what the situation was necessary for surviving.

6 He didn’t plan for any purpose and didn’t care for it after it passed. He didn’t believe plan and so on. He didn’t take measures until when it must be done. He whirled as whirlwind and drifted in wind as a feather, and he was more like grindstone racing. No matter what, his behaviors had helped him to avoid the chance of against the law.

7 He held that animal doesn’t stop to do his own things without sake; it doesn’t waste efforts to think what to do tomorrow. Animal forever receives life as it comes. It does what it should do and needn’t plan in advance. For following this principle, Shen Dao had no praising and no blaming by others in his life.

8 The gist of Shen Dao’s conduct were to imitate the operation of universe; to do things without plan in advance; sage and man of wisdom are useless; a piece of earth however, contains the philosophy of Tao.

9 Shen Dao was remarked by common people that his theory is suitable only for the death, not for the living. His theory makes learner freak and perverted.

10 Tian Pian learnt from Peng Meng. Peng Meng’s teacher even said, “Ancient people who learn Tao sought for the realm of no praising and no blaming; that realm is so unfathomable that can’t be described with language.”

11 Under the unavoidable condition, they used the opposite and reversed ways to describe it. Tell the truth, the Tao that they have described is not Tao. What they think right is not right actually. Generally speaking, They, Peng Meng, Tian Pian and Shen Dao, don’t understand the real Tao. What they know just is the superficial knowledge of it.