The universe is the unity of all things. If one recognizes his identity with this unity, then the parts of his body mean no more to him than so much dirt, and death and life, end and beginning, disturb his tranquillity no more than the succession of day and night.
4 comments:
Fantastic quote, well worth meditating on!
That is not to say that our bodies should be ignored, for all the parts must be given weight to help us navigate the world around us. Their individual conditions are reflected in our ch'i.
Chuang Tzu also said:
"Why do you listen to your heart. You have so many organs in your body, what’s the difference between the heart and the liver or lung anyway. Why do you let your heart be the guide? Actually there is no difference, if you look at them they are all one, they are all part of the whole."
And he said:
"Make your will one. Don't listen with your ears, listen with
your mind. Don't listen with your mind, but with your ch'i."
Woody, where exactly in the Chuang Tzu (and what translation) does your quote come from?
Hi JM,
I've known this version for years now but to be honest I can't remember where I got it from. It's a modern interpretation of the bit in chapter 21 where Confucius goes to visit Lao Tzu (or Lao Tan).
I've had a search and it appears all over the internet, but so far I haven't found a quite giving the source - which is a shame.
The closest I've got so far is that it might be referred to in "Chinese Thought, from Confucius to Mao Tse-Tung - by Herrlee Glessner Creel" which was published in 1971. Presumably there's a reference in there but I don't have a copy. I'll let you know if my search gets any closer.
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