‘I am just a woodcarver,’ Ching replied. ‘How could I have “art”? One thing is certain, though, that when I carve a bell support, I do not allow it to exhaust my original breath, so I take care to calm my heart. After I have fasted for three days, I give no thought to praise, reward, titles or income. After I have fasted for five days, I give no thought to glory or blame, to skill or stupidity. After I have fasted for seven days, I am so still that I forget whether I have four limbs and a body. By then the Duke and his court have ceased to exist as far as I am concerned. All my energy is focused and external concerns have gone. After that I depart and enter the mountain forest, and explore the Heavenly innate nature of the trees; once I find one with a perfect shape, I can see for certain the possibility of a bell support and I set my hand to the task; if I cannot see the possibility, I leave it be. By so doing, I harmonize the Heavenly with Heaven, and perhaps this is why it is thought that my carvings are done by spirits!’
Tung Yeh Chi was showing his driving skills to Duke Chuang. He drove up and down holding a straight central line like a plumb line, and turned to left and right with the grace of a curve drawn with a compass. Duke Chuang was impressed, and felt that no one could do better, so he commanded him to do a further hundred circuits.
Yen Ho came by and went in to see the Duke, saying, ‘Chi’s horses are almost worn out.’ But the Duke said nothing. Shortly after, the chariot broke down and the Duke said, ‘Sir, how did you know this would happen?’ Ho replied, ‘The strength of the horses was spent but he urged them on. That’s why I said they would collapse.’
Workman Chui could draw as straight as a T-square or as curved as a compass, because his fingers could follow the changes and his heart did not obstruct. Thus his mind was one and never blocked. The feet can be forgotten when you walk in comfortable shoes. The waist can be forgotten when your belt fits comfortably. Knowledge can forget yes and no, if the heart journeys contentedly. Nothing changes inside, nothing proceeds from outside, if you respond to what occurs in a contented way. By starting with what is contented, not undergoing that which is disturbing, it is possible to know the contentment of forgetting what contentment is.
There was a man called Sun Hsiu who came to the gate of Master Pien Ching Tzu to call upon him, and said, ‘I used to live in the countryside and no one I ever met said that I didn’t behave properly, nor did anyone I met say that, when confronted with problems, I didn’t display fortitude. However, when I worked in the fields, the crops were never good, and when I worked for the ruler, things didn’t go well in the world. Therefore, I have been expelled from the countryside and exiled from the court, yet what is the nature of my offence against Heaven? How did this misfortune become my destiny?’
Ching Tzu replied, ‘Sir, have you not heard of how the perfect man behaves? He forgets his liver and intestines and disregards his ears and eyes. With no defined goal he meanders through the rubbish. What he is good at is doing nothing. Indeed, it is called being but not expecting any reward, bringing up but not controlling. Now you display your knowledge in order to impress the foolish; you strive for fame to highlight your distance from others, polishing yourself so as to be as bright as the very sun and moon. Thus far you have harmonized with your body, having the usual nine apertures, and you have not been struck midway through life by blindness or deafness, lameness nor any deformity, so in comparison to many, you are fortunate. So why do you wander around grumbling about Heaven? Be gone, Sir!’
Master Sun left. Master Pien came in, sat down and rested, then turned his face to Heaven and moaned. His followers said, ‘Teacher, why are you groaning?’
Master Pien said, ‘I have just been visited by Hsiu and I told him about the Virtue of the perfect man. I fear he was disturbed and has ended up completely confused.’
His followers said, ‘Not necessarily. Were the words of Master Sun correct? Were our teacher’s words wrong? If wrong, then nothing can make it right. But what if Master Sun’s words were wrong? And our teacher’s words were right? This means he was already confused, so nothing has changed!’
Master Pien said, ‘Not necessarily. Once upon a time a bird landed on the outskirts of the capital city of Lu. The ruler of Lu was very pleased and prepared a special sacrifice for it to enjoy and the Nine Shao77 music was performed for its entertainment. The bird was distressed and bewildered and did not eat or drink. This is known as trying to sustain a bird with that which sustains us. If you want to feed a bird, then let him go in the midst of a forest, or float on a river and lake and devour snakes. This is what a bird wants.
‘Now Hsiu, he is foolish and has heard little, so when I try to tell him about the perfect man’s virtue, it is as if I was trying to take a mouse for a ride in a horse-drawn waggon, or trying to make a quail happy by providing the sounds of bells and drums. It is not surprising that he
