Immediately Lord Yuan woke up and asked a diviner to find out what this meant.
‘This is a sacred turtle,’ said the diviner.
‘Is there a fisherman called Yu Chu?’ asked the Lord.
‘There is,’ he was told.
The Lord said, ‘Command that Yu Chu comes here.’
Next day, Yu Chu arrived and the ruler asked him, ‘What have you caught recently?’
He replied, ‘I have caught a white turtle in my nets recently. It is about five feet in circumference.’
‘Present your turtle,’ said the ruler.
When the turtle came, the ruler couldn’t decide whether to kill it or keep it. His heart was troubled, so he asked the diviner, who said, ‘Kill the turtle and use it to make divinations and receive an oracle.’ So the turtle had its shell removed and seventy-two holes drilled into its shell for divination.101 Not one of them failed to offer a good oracle.
Confucius said, ‘The sacred turtle could manifest itself in a dream to Lord Yuan but could not escape the nets of Yu Chu. It had sufficient wisdom to give seventy-two correct divinations, but it could not escape having its vital organs cut out. This is how it is, wisdom has its limits and even spirituality has something beyond its reach. Even perfect wisdom can be defeated by a multitude of scheming people.
‘Fish seem not to fear nets, they only seem to fear pelicans. Rid yourself of petty knowledge and allow great wisdom to enlighten you. Rid yourself of goodness, and goodness will naturally arise. When a child is born, it needs no great teacher; nevertheless it learns to talk as it lives with those who talk.’
Hui Tzu argued with Chuang Tzu and said, ‘What you say is useless!’
‘You have to understand what is useless, then you can talk about what is useful,’ said Chuang Tzu. ‘Heaven and Earth are vast indeed and yet human beings only use the tiny part of the universe on which they tread. However, if you dug away beneath your feet until you came to the Yellow Springs, could anyone make use of this?’
‘Useless,’ said Hui Tzu.
‘So indeed it is true that what is useless is clearly useful,’ said Chuang Tzu.
Chuang Tzu continued, ‘If someone has the itch to travel, what can stop him? But if someone does not wish to travel, then what can make him? The one who hides in conformity or the one who is distant and seeks oblivion, both fail to achieve perfect understanding and Virtue! They stumble and fall but do not recover. They crash ahead like fire and never look back. Even if they are a ruler with ministers, this too passes. These titles change with each generation and neither is better than the other. It is said that the perfect man leaves no trace of his actions.
‘To respect the past and despise the present, this is what scholars do. Even the followers of Chi Hsi Wei, who view this generation in that way, are swept along without choice. Only the perfect man is able to be in the world and not become partisan, can follow others and not get lost. He does not absorb their teachings, he just listens and understands without any commitment.
‘The eye that is penetrating can see clearly;
the ear that is acute hears well;
the nose that discriminates distinguishes smells;
the mouth with a keen sense of taste enjoys the flavours;
the heart that feels deeply has wisdom
and the wisdom that cuts to the quick is Virtue.
‘Through all that is, the Tao will not be blocked, for if it is blocked, it gasps, and if it gasps, chaos breaks through. Chaos destroys the life in all. Everything that lives does so through breath. However, if breath will not come, this cannot be blamed on Heaven. Heaven seeks to course breath through the body day in and day out without ceasing: it is humanity which impedes this. The womb has its chambers and the heart has its Heavenly journey. However, if rooms are not large enough, then mother-in-law and wife will argue. If the heart does not wander in Heaven, then the six openings of sensation will compete with each other. The great forests, the hills and mountains surpass humanity in their spirit because they cannot be overcome.
‘Virtue overflows into fame and desire for fame overflows into excess. Plans arise from a crisis and knowledge comes through argument. Obstinacy fuels resolution and official actions arise from the desires of all. When spring comes, the rains come along with the sunshine, the plants surge into life and harvesting tools are made ready again. Half of all that has fallen begins to sprout, and no one knows why for sure.
‘Quietude and silence are healing for those who are ill;
massage is beneficial to the old;
peaceful contemplation can calm the distressed.
To be sure, it is only the disturbed person who needs these.
Someone who is at ease and is untroubled by such things has no need of this.
The sage reforms everything below Heaven, but the spiritual man does not enquire how.
The worthy person improves his generation, but the sage does not enquire how.
The ruler governs the country, but the worthy person does not enquire how.
The petty man makes do in these times, but the ruler does not enquire how.
‘The gatekeeper of Yen Gate had a father who died and the gatekeeper was praised for the extremities of self-deprivation he inflicted on himself, and was honoured by the title of Model Officer. Some others in the area also underwent such extremities, and half of them died. Yao offered the country to Hsu Yu and Hsu Yu fled from him. Tang offered the kingdom to Wu Kuang and Wu Kuang became angry. Chi To heard this and retreated with his followers to the waters of the Kuan, where the local nobles came and commiserated with him for three years. For the same reason, Shen Tu Ti threw himself into the
