TAOISM Chp3

^AZhuangzi is Taoism’s second most important classic, after Daodejing. Although Laozi is far more popular in Western countries, Zhuangzi has always been the favorite of Chinese intellectuals. One of the most interesting and controversial aspects of Zhuangzi is that, on the one hand, he offers the first concrete description on record of the Taoist immortals, but also, on the other hand, what seems a firm rejection of the Taoist ideal of physical immortality. Let’s look at these passages.

The perfect man is a spiritual being,” said Wang I. “Even if great oceans burned up, he would not feel hot. Even if the great rivers are frozen, he would not feel cold. And even if terrific thunder were to break up mountains and the wind were to upset the sea, he would not be afraid. Being such, he mounts upon the clouds and forces of heaven, rides on the sun and the moon, and roams beyond the four seas. Neither life nor death affects him. How much less can such matters as benefit and harm?” (Ch 2)

Notice however that these are not Zhuangzi’s words but those of Wang I; notice also that all this is in response to a lengthy discussion of the relativity of benefit and harm, one instance of which is surely the question of the benefit of life and harm of death; and although the “perfect man” certain has super-human powers, it is not clear whether the fact that “neither life nor death affects him” means he has achieved physical immortality, or just that he is not bothered about such things.

There must be a pure man before there can be true knowledge. What is meant by a pure man? The pure man of old did not scheme about things. If the opportunity was gone, he would not regret, and if he was in accord with his lot in life he did not feel satisfied with himself. Being of this character, he could scale heights without fear, enter water without getting wet, and go through fire without feeling hot. Such is the knowledge that at last ascend to Tao. The pure man of old slept without dreams and awoke without anxiety. He ate without indulging in sweet tastes and breathed deep breaths. The pure man draws breaths from the great depths of his heels, the multitude only from their throats. (Ch 6)

Notice here at least three notions of the pure man - one which resembles that in the Daodejing, that is, a person at one and at peace with the world, but also a superhuman person who can go through fire without feeling hot and so on; and finally one who seems to have mastered some sort of yoga breathing technique (though in neither quotation it is unequivocally asserted that the pure or perfect man has achieved physical immortality). ^top

^BOn the other hand, The Zhuangzi is also full of stories of wise men, not conquering, but accepting the limits nature has placed upon us, not trying to overcome death but accepting it as a natural part of life. And more important, Zhuangzi encourages us not to identify ourselves with our present existence as a human being. Looking at things in a larger, broader perspective, we have come from nonhuman elements (before we were born the elements that make us up might have been parts of clouds, the earth, plants or animals) and we will return to nonhuman forms (in the earth, daisies, and so on). For Zhuangzi it is foolish to privilege the human form we are in right now – of course this life is good but what’s wrong with what we were before or afterwards?

How do I know that the love of life is not a delusion? And how do I know that the hatred of death is not like a man who lost his home when young and does not know where his true home is. Li Chi was the daughter of the border warden of Ai. When the Duke of Chin first got her in marriage, she wept until the bosom of her dress was drenched with tears. But when she came to the royal residence, shared with the duke his luxurious couch and ate delicate food, she regretted that she had wept. How do I know that the dead will not repent having previously craved for life? (Ch 2)

Zhuangzi’s wife died and Huizi (Hui Shih) went to offer his condolences. He found Zhuangzi squatting on the ground and singing, beating on an earthen bowl. He said, ”Someone has lived with you, raised children for you and now she has aged and died. Is it not enough that you should not shed any tear? But now you sing and beat the bowl. Is this not too much?” “No,” replied Zhuangzi.

When she died how could I help but be affected? But as I think the matter over, I realize that originally she had no life; and not only no life, she had no form; and not only no form, she had no material force (qi). In the limbo of existence and non-existence, there was transformation and the material force (qi) was evolved. The material force was transformed into form, form was transformed to become life, and now birth has transformed to become death. This is like the rotation of the four seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter. Now she lies asleep in the great house of the universe. For me to go about weeping and wailing would be to show my ignorance of destiny. Therefore I desist.” (Ch 18)

The pure man of old knew neither to love life nor to hate death. He did not rejoice in birth, nor did he resist death.... Life and death are due to fate (ming) and their constant succession like day and night is due to Nature, beyond the interference of man.... The universe gives me my body so I may be carried about, my life so I may toil, my old age so I may repose, and my death so I may rest. To regard life as good is the way to regard death as good. A boat may be hidden in a creek. This may be said to be safe enough. But at midnight a strong man may come and carry it away on his back. But if the universe is hidden in the universe itself, then there can be no escape from it. This is the great truth of things. (Ch. 6) ^top

^CAs we can see from this last quotation, Zhuangzi often speaks in stories, or parables, many of them quite fanciful. Most of us love life but hate death and so we do everything we can to preserve our life and avoid death, like carefully hiding a boat in a small creek off the main river, but however careful we are there is no guarantee we can extend our lives (even the most carefully hidden boat may be stolen during the night). But if we identify ourselves, not with our present conscious, living human form, but with the entire universe, then no one can take that away from us. Zhuangzi loves playful, sometimes outrageously imaginative stories (of giant birds, talking rivers, bent trees, butchers, etc.), so these accounts of the immortals do not necessarily represent something Zhuangzi himself believed in; he may simply have been reporting (embellishing, elaborating on) wild, fanciful stories current in his day which appealed to him as wild and fanciful, but nonetheless interesting and thought-provoking. ^top

^DThe story of the death of Zhuangzi’s wife provides another indication of the close connection between Taoists, especially Zhuangzi, and the Ming Jia, especially Zhuangzi’s friend, Hui Shih (Huizi). Apparently the two men often enjoyed clever play with words.

Zhuangzi and Hui Shi were taking a leisurely walk along the dam of the Hao River. Zhuangzi said, “The white fish are swimming at ease. This is the happiness of the fish.” “You are not a fish,” said Hui Shi. “How do you know its happiness?” “You are not me,” replied Zhuangzi. “How do you know that I do not know the happiness of fish?” Hui Shi said, “Of course I do not know, since I am not you. But you are not a fish, and it is perfectly clear that you do not know the happiness of fish.” “Let us get to the bottom of the matter,” said Zhuangzi. “When you asked me just now how I knew the happiness of fish, you implied that I did know the happiness of fish and were asking how I knew. So by your own admission I knew it all along!” (Ch 17)

But in a more serious vein, Zhuangzi seems to take quite seriously Hui Shih’s mystical conclusion that because of the relativity of things we should become one with the Universe. And becoming one with the universe is part of Zhuangzi’s naturalism. As we will see throughout this book, there are many ways to interpret the Taoist love of naturalism – Zhuangzi pursues one such line of thought, that birth and death are perfectly natural, death is bad only from a human perspective; but being human is itself a limited perspective compared to being part of the universe - from which death can never take us. ^top

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