Yun Chiang was travelling east, carried along upon the wings of a whirlwind. Suddenly he met Hung Mung, who was jumping around, slapping his thighs and hopping like a bird. Yun Chiang saw this and stopped dead, standing still in respect, and said, ‘Elderly man, who are you? What are you doing?’
Hung Mung continued to slap his thighs and hop like a bird, then replied, ‘Enjoying myself!’
Yun Chiang said, ‘I would like to ask a question.’
Hung Mung looked at Yun Chiang and said, ‘That’s a shame!’
Yun Chiang said, ‘The very breath49 of Heaven is no longer in harmony. Earth’s very breath is ensnared, the six breaths do not mix, the four seasons do not follow each other. Now I want to combine the six breaths in order to bring life to all things. How do I do this?’
Hung Mung slapped his thighs, hopped around and said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know!’
Yun Chiang could go no further with this questioning. But three years later, travelling east, he passed the wilderness of Sung and came upon Hung Mung again. Yun Chiang, very pleased, rushed towards him, stood before him and said, ‘Heaven, have you forgotten me? Heaven, have you forgotten me?’ Bowing his head twice, he asked for teaching from Hung Mung.
Hung Mung said, ‘Wandering everywhere, without a clue why. Wildly impulsive, without a clue where. I wander around in this odd fashion, I see that nothing comes without reason. What can I know?’
Yun Chiang replied, ‘I am also wildly impulsive, but the people follow me wherever I am. I cannot stop them following me. Now, because they follow me, I want to have a word of teaching from you.’
‘The disruption of the ways of Heaven distresses the true being of things, halting the fulfilment of Heaven’s Mysteries,’ said Hung Mung. ‘This causes the animals to disperse, the birds to sing throughout the night, misfortune to hit the crops and the woods, and disaster to blight the very insects themselves. Alas, all this is caused by the people’s error of thinking they know how to rule!’
‘What should I do then?’ said Yun Chiang.
‘Oh, you distress them! Like a spirit, a spirit I will dance away,’ said Hung Mung.
‘I have had such trouble meeting you,’ said Yun Chiang. ‘Oh Heaven, just give me one other word.’
‘Oh ho!’ said Hung Mung. ‘Strengthen your heart. Remain sure in actionless action, and all things will then transform themselves. Reject your body, throw out hearing and eyesight, forget that you are anyone, become one with the Vast and the Void. Loosen the heart, free the spirit, be calm as if without a soul. All living things return to their root, return to their root, not knowing why. Constantly in darkness, constantly in darkness, and throughout their physical existence they never depart from this. If they tried to understand this, they would depart from this. Ask not for its name, seek not for its shape. So all life comes to birth through itself.’
Yun Chiang replied, ‘Heaven, you have honoured me with this Virtue, taught me through Mystery; my whole life I sought it, now I have it.’ He bowed his head twice and got up. He said farewell and left.
Ordinary people are happy when someone agrees with them and distressed when others disagree with them. This happiness and distress comes from the desire to be marked apart from the common crowd, a desire set within their hearts. But if they have set their hearts upon distinguishing themselves from the rest, how does this draw them out beyond the rest? Better to go with everyone and be at peace rather than struggle, for, regardless of how clever you are, the others have more skills. However, when people want to rule a country on someone’s behalf, they do so by following the ways of the kings of the Three Dynasties, but they do not see the evil which comes with such methods. The country is at the mercy of their fortune, but this usually ends in destruction! Only perhaps one in ten thousand men can save the country by this; the chances are less than one in ten thousand, so they ruin the country. It is very distressing that those in power do not understand the risks of using such people!
The one who has a great country owns a great thing.
Having such a great thing, he should not be treated as if he were just anyone.
Being himself something and yet not just a humble something,
he should consider all others as just things.
If he really, truly clearly comprehends
that treating other things as just something,
he is not himself just a humble something,
he will not just be content with ruling all things under Heaven.
He will go out and come in through the whole cosmos,
ranging wide across all lands,
solitary in going, solitary in returning.
He is the sole possessor,
and as sole possessor he is the most perfect of all.
The great man in what he teaches is like the shadow that follows a body, the echo that follows a sound. Presented with a question, he replies, confronting the questioner with such a depth of understanding, as if the whole of the cosmos was poured out. He lives in silence; he acts no-where, guides those who are rushing hither and thither in their search and journeys through that which has no origin. His movements leave no trace as he goes in and out. He is as the sun, beyond time. To describe him, you talk about his unity with the great All. The great All has no self. Having no self, he does not see himself having belongings! The one who wants possessions is the nobleman of old, while the one who has nothing is the real companion of Heaven and Earth.
Most things are mundane but useful.
The people are lowly but have to be relied upon.
Affairs are secretive but need to be fulfilled.
Laws are crude but necessary.
Righteousness is distant but is
