The Book of Chuang Tzu (Penguin)

justice and they are often associated with the five vital organs.³⁴ But this is not the correct way according to the Tao (the Way) and Te (Virtue). In fact, webbed feet are simply useless extra pieces of skin; an additional finger is useless. So to associate these with the five vital organs is to confuse the use of kindness and justice. It places too much emphasis on hearing and sight. So heightened visual perception will cause confusion in distinguishing the five colours. One will be overwhelmed by interesting designs and dazzled by the bright and luminous shades of blue and yellow. As a result, it will be like Li Chu the keen-sighted. And doesn’t an extraordinary faculty for hearing lead to confusion about the five notes, and excessive use of the six tones created by metal, stone, silk and bamboo together with the huang chung and ta lu pipes. As a result, it will be like the music master Kuang.

The result is that someone like this misuses the power of Virtue and destroys his inner self in a quest for fame and fortune, leading everything under Heaven to follow his music in pursuit of the unobtainable – is this not so? This results in Tseng and Shih.³⁵ A great skill in debate leads to the construction of arguments like a builder using bricks, or a netmaker working with string. He makes his arguments circular and his heart delights to go into pointless nitpicking debate about similarity and divergence. He goes slogging on uphill still spouting nonsense – is this not so? This results in Yang and Mo.³⁶ As a result, all of these types of people walk a complex road, with little to do with the correct Tao, the true path of all the world.

One on the true path does not lose his innate given nature.

To such a man that which is united presents no problem;

That which is divided is all right;

What is long is not too long;

That which is short is not too short.

The duck’s legs for example are short, but trying to lengthen them would cause pain.

The legs of a crane are long, but trying to shorten them would produce grief.

What nature makes long we should not cut,

nor should we try to stretch what nature makes short.

That would not solve anything.

Perhaps then, benevolence and righteousness are not an inherent part of human nature? For look how much anxiety is suffered by those who wish to be kind.

If one toe is united to another by extra skin, trying to separate them will only cause tears. Likewise, if you try to bite off the extra finger, this will provoke screams: of these two, one has more, the other less, but the distress they cause is the same. The benevolent person of today looks at the evils of society with distressed eyes, while people who are not benevolent uproot their proper inborn nature and rush after wealth and honour. The conclusion, therefore, is that benevolence and righteousness are not part of the true nature of humanity! From the Three Dynasties³⁷ onwards they have created such trouble and nuisance for everyone.

When a template or plumb line is used, or a compass and set-square, in order to get things right, this involves cutting away parts of what is naturally there. When cords or buckles, glue or varnish are used, this means we affect the original Virtue. Likewise, the bending and pauses in the rituals and music, or the smiles and happy face of benevolence and righteousness, are meant to hearten everyone, but they ignore the inbuilt principles of existence. Everything has its innate nature.

Given this, then, what is curved is not curved by the use of a template nor made straight by using a plumb line. It is not rounded by using a compass, nor made square by using a set-square; not made adhesive through glue and varnish, nor bound together by ropes and bands. Then everything under Heaven is made as it is by the ways of nature, without understanding why or how. Everything achieves what is intended, but does not understand why or how. Both today and in the ancient past it has always been so, and nothing can affect this. There is no point in holding to benevolence and righteousness, like a mixture of glue and varnish, ropes and bands, as a means of trying to journey in the Tao and Te – the Way and Virtue – for this merely confuses everything under Heaven.

A minor deception alters the sense of purpose. A major deception alters the very nature of a thing. How is it that I can be so certain this is so? Ever since the time of the ruler Shun,³⁸ who began to teach about benevolence and righteousness, everything under Heaven has been troubled and distorted by this and everything under Heaven has never ceased rushing about trying to live up to this. Is this not because benevolence and righteousness have changed our basic nature? I will try and explain what I mean by this. Ever since the Three Dynasties, and on down to today, everything under Heaven has had its innate nature affected by others. The mean or petty person has been willing to risk his very body for gain. The scholar risks his own self for fame. The senior officials risk their lives for their families. The sage risks his very self for everything under Heaven. All of these different types, with differing claims to fame, have all damaged their innate nature and risked their lives in the same way.

For example, a slave boy and girl: the two of them were out, each looking after their sheep, but they lost the sheep. Ask the slave boy what happened – the fact is, he was holding his bamboo strips and reading; ask the slave girl what happened – the fact is, she was playing a game. These two were doing different things, but they both lost the sheep.

Po Yi³⁹ died for the sake of fame at the