There was once a man in Sung who carved a mulberry leaf out of jade for his prince. It took three years to complete, and it mutated Nature so exquisitely in its down, its glossiness, and its general configuration from tip to stem, that, if placed in a heap of real mulberry leaves, it could not be distinguished from them. This man was subsequently pensioned by the Sung State as a reward for his skill. Lieh Tzu, hearing of it, said: 'If it took the Creator three years to make a single leaf, there would be very few trees with leaves on them. The Sage will rely not so much on human science and skill as on the operations of Tao.'Rather than provide my own scintillating commentary, what does this passage say to you? What point do you think Lieh Tzu is trying to get across?
~ Book of Lieh-Tzü, from Book Seven ~
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A Mulberry Leaf
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Oooh! A puzzle :)
ReplyDeleteThere once was an old Chinese sculptor,
Who started out carving a Vulture.
But when seen from beneath, it looked more like a leaf,
And so became part of the culture.
Nothing succeeds like the Tao.
Perfection is created from nothing, without intervention.
Man may only copy what is already there. This is valuable, but unnecessary.
What is necessary already exists.
(First a question. What is the Creator if Taoism is not monotheistic, or is it?)
ReplyDeleteWe can only find peace by manipulating our inner selves, not by manipulating the reality without.
We use tools for survival and to aid us in our path. But, true change only comes from within.
I believe he was saying that the wise man must understand the limitations of the physical realm and understand the unlimited potential of our source in which we are all a part of.
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