Chinese Tales
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Robber Chih: (On Right and Wrong)
Right and wrong in the eyes of kings and great robbers hardly differs at times.The following is a costly anecdote from Zhuang, the master of fables. It has been condensed here.
Zhuang
said:Robber Chih seized the wives of others and had strength to fend off any enemy and curse people in the vilest language. People all lived in dread of him. One day Confucius (Kung Fu) went up to his camp and wanted to reform him. Robber Chih flew into a great rage of it. His hair stood on end and bristled. He said,
"Crafly hypocrite, you make up your stories, babbling absurd eulogies of kings. You pour out fallacious theories. By clacking your tongue you seem to invent "right" or "wrong", and leading astray rulers - setting up ideal of "filial piety", and hoping to worm your way into favour with the rich and eminent. You'd better run home. If you don't I'll take your liver."
His voice sounded like the roar of huge tiger with glaring eyes. However, Confucius managed to talk to him, due to utter politeness to his face. He wanted the bandit to stand up as a gentleman of true talent, he said. Robber Chih could then win further fame in step with the already established set-up affairs of things. The bandit declined,
"Those wo can be swayed with offers of gain are mere idiots. Who are fond of praising men to their faces are also fond of damning them behind their back.
I've heard that in ancient times the birds and beasts were many. The Yellow Emperor [legendary ancestor of the Chinese] couldn't attain the primal virtue of older days. He fought instead, till blood flowed. Later it came about that the strong oppressed the weak, the many abused the few. You come cultivating the way of kings, speaking your deceits, leading astray, hoping thereby to lay your hands on wealth with your honeyed words. How can this "way" of yours be worth anything? Even the Yellow Emperor couldn't preserve his virtue. A close look into emperors and men of worldy gains and esteem shows that all of them for the sake of gain brought confusion to the Truth - forcibly turned against their true form. They deserve the greatest shame!" said Robber Chih. [Co 323-31 (mere extracts)]
The clever man is well on guard against all sorts of disintegrating forces. He senses danger before it's too late.
The Way Is Described
Master Chuang's most famous description of the Way (Tao)
Master Tung-kuo asked Chuang-tzu, "This thing called the Way - where does it
exist?"Chuang said, "There's no place it doesn't exist."
"Come," said Master Tung.kuo, "you must be more specific!"
"It is in the ant."
"As low a thing as that?"
"It is in the panic grass."
"But that's still lower!"
"It is in the tiles and shards."
"How can it be so low?"
"It is in the piss and shit," said Chuang. [Co 240-1]
Realist Thinking, a Gate to Heed far Better
MASTER CHUANG once said:"Call a man a sycophant and he flushes with anger; call him a flatterer and he turns crimson with rage. ... See him set forth his analogies and polish his fine phrases to draw a crowd, until the beginning and end, the root and branches of his argument no longer match! See him spread out his robes, display his bright colours ... in hopes of currying favour with the age - he doesn't recognise himself as a sycophant or a flatterer. See him with his followers laying down the law on right and wrong - and yet he does not recognise himself as one of the mob. This is the height of foolishness!
He who knows he is a fool is not the biggest fool; he who knows he is confused is not in the worst confusion.
The man in the worst confusion will end his life without ever getting straightened out; the biggest fool will end his life without ever seeing the light. If three men are travelling along and one is confused, they will still get where they are going - because confusion is in the minority. But if two of them are confused, then they can walk until they are exhausted and never get anywhere - because confusion is in the majority. And with all the confusion in the world these days, no matter how often I point the way, it does no good. Sad, is it not? ...
Lofty words make no impression on the minds of the mob. Superior words gain no hearing ... With all the confusion in the world these days, no matter how often I point the way, what good does it do?" said Master Chuang. [Extracts from Co 139-40]
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Literature
Co: Watson, Burton, tr. The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu. New York: Columbia University Press, 1968.
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