Who can ascend to Heaven, ride the clouds, journey through the infinite,
and forget about existence for ever and ever?’
The three men looked at each other and smiled, agreeing in their hearts with one another and becoming firm friends.
Some time later Master Sang Hu died. Before he was buried, Confucius heard of his death and sent Tzu Kung to participate in the rituals. On arrival, Tzu Kung found one of the dead man’s friends was making up songs while the other played a lute. Together they sang,
‘Woe! Sang Hu! Woe! Sang Hu!
You have returned to the true form,
while we are still but men!’
Tzu Kung hurried forward and said, ‘Is it really seemly and proper to sing before a dead body?’
The two men looked at him, laughed and said, ‘What does a man like this know about proper ceremony?’
Tzu Kung went back to Confucius, told him what had happened, and asked, ‘What kind of people are they? They are uncouth and pay no heed to their external appearance. They sing in the presence of a dead body without any change of face! There is no appropriate title for them. What kind of people are they?’
Confucius said, ‘They go beyond the human world, while I travel within. That beyond and that within can never meet. It was a mistake to send you to join the mourning. They have truly become one with the Maker of All and now wander as the original breath of Heaven and Earth. They view life as a grotesque tumour, a swelling they inhabit. They view death as the removal of this growth. Since they see life like this, they simply do not consider whether death or birth comes first. They view their bodies as just so many collected different pieces. They forget their liver and gall and ignore their ears and eyes. They begin and cease without knowing what is beginning or ceasing. Unaware, they wander beyond the mundane world and stroll in the world of non-action. Why should they have to worry about proper conduct just to please ordinary people?’
‘In that case, Master,’ said Tzu Kung, ‘why do you conform to convention?’
‘I am one punished by Heaven,’ said Confucius. ‘Nevertheless, this is what I will share with you.’
‘Can you tell me a little more?’ said Tzu Kung.
‘Fish enjoy water, humans enjoy the Tao. Enjoying water, the fish stick to the pond and find all they need to survive there. Enjoying the Tao, people do nothing and their lives are fulfilled. The saying goes that fish forget about each other in the pond and people forget each other in the Tao.’
Tzu Kung said, ‘May I ask about the man alone?’
‘The man alone is only alone when compared to others, but he is alongside Heaven. It is said that the mean-minded man of Heaven is a nobleman amongst ordinary people and the nobleman is a mean-minded man of Heaven.’
Yen Hui asked Confucius, ‘When Meng Sun Tsai’s mother died, he cried without tears, there was no distress in his heart. When he mourned, there was no sorrow. Although he was deficient on these three points, nevertheless he is renowned throughout the state of Lu for his excellence as a mourner. Is it possible to obtain such a reputation, even when there is nothing to substantiate it? I find this very surprising.’
‘Master Meng Sun Tsai did what was right,’ said Confucius. ‘He was far beyond mundane understanding. He could have restricted his actions even more but that was not really feasible. Nevertheless, he did cut out a great deal. Meng Sun Tsai does not know how he came to be born, nor how he will die. He just knows enough not to want one or the other. He doesn’t know why he should continue, he just follows what happens without understanding! As we are all in a process of change, how can we know what unknown thing we will be changed into? As what we are changing into has not yet happened, how can we understand what change is? Perhaps you and I are in a dream from which we are yet to awake! In Meng Sun Tsai’s case the body changes but this does not affect his heart. His body, housing his soul, may be affected, but his emotions are not harmed. Meng Sun Tsai alone has awoken. People cry, so he cries. He considers everything as his own being. How could he know that others call something their own particular self? You dream you are a bird and rise into the Heavens. You dream you are a fish and swim down deep into the lake. We cannot tell now if the speaker is awake or asleep. Contentment produces the smile; a genuine smile cannot be forced. Don’t struggle, go with the flow and you will find yourself at one with the vastness of the void of Heaven.’
Yi Erh Tzu went to visit Hsu Yu, who asked him, ‘In what way has Yao been helpful to you?’
Yi Erh Tzu said, ‘Yao said to me, “Practise benevolence and justice. Speak up for what is right and against what is wrong.” ’
Hsu Yu said, ‘So why have you troubled yourself to visit me? Master Yao has already branded on you the practice of benevolence and justice and mutilated you with the distinction between right and wrong. So how can you now expect me to help you meander alone in freedom and aimlessness, enjoying things as they happen through the process of change?’
‘Maybe that is so,’ said Yi Erh Tzu, ‘but I’d like to find some small corner for myself.’
Hsu Yu said, ‘No, it can’t be done! If you have been blinded, it is impossible to appreciate beauty of face or form. Eyes with no pupils cannot see the beauty of fine, coloured silks.’
Yi Erh said, ‘Wu Chuang paid no attention to her looks; Chu Liang ignored his strength; the Yellow Emperor disregarded his wisdom – all these were transformed by being worked upon. How can you know
