Building on Zhuangzi V

Scott Bradley

The author of the 17th Chapter of the Zhuangzi expanded Zhuangzi's perspectival relativism so as to make it the central theme in his treatise and the primary point of entry into the Daoist vision. (Perspectival relativism is the belief that all our judgments of things are based on our individual perspectives and not upon universal and fixed verities.) The River God, who thinks she's great, meets the Ocean God who, though incredibly greater, admits himself to be but a pimple on the backside of all that is. The well-frog thinks himself a great lord of his realm only because he has no clue of the world outside the narrow confines of his well. We are like the well-frog in being in a very narrow place, but can become like the Ocean God who realizes that his apparent vastness is no different than the confines of a well. But if this is the case, the liberation of the well-frog does not differ in kind from the liberation of the Ocean God — for they are essentially the same in being limited. Nor does his liberation require removing himself from his well — for whatever 'vastness' one finds oneself in, it too is essentially the same in being limited. Philosophical Daoism's 'enlightenment' is thus not the realization of an objectively real "Vastness", but of a psychological vastness realized through one's limitedness.

Lusthaus ("Aporetics Ethics in the Zhuangzi") observes how our limits as portrayed in the 17th Chapter are not fixed boundaries, but rather utterly unfixed and unfixable. "Limits are not absolute but rather are characterized by an inability to determine and fix something unequivocally. This unfixability is precisely what functions as a limit . . . Thus what limits us is ironically the very absence of limits!" We find ourselves not so much locked in a prison cell as lost in a vastness of unlimited horizons. We are, as Zhuangzi points out, unfixed in an unfixable world. When he suggests that we unfix ourselves from our sense of being a fixed identity he is simply advocating harmonizing with the reality in which we find ourselves.

This expansion of Zhuangzi's deconstruction of our propensity to fix ourselves through the fabrication of presumed fixed norms and knowledge can be helpful in better understanding what he had in mind. There does seem to be something missing, however, and this I will call a 'mystical trigger', for lack of a better word. Zhuangzi's reason for reasoning through to the limits of reason was to show us another way. The intellectual argument is but a step on the way; it cannot in itself achieve what he envisioned as a liberating perspective, "the view from Dao". Something has to 'happen'; something must be 'done'. A new perspective has to be born in us. I see it as a mystical "leap" of surrender in trust. (I expect to discuss mysticism shortly.)

Thus the 17th Chapter can help us to understand Zhuangzi, but needs to be kept in the shadow of Zhuangzi — if it is Zhuangzi we wish to understand.

You can check out Scott's writings on Zhuangzi here.

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I Ching: Hexagram 61 - The Lines, Part 1

Nine at the beginning means:
Being prepared brings good fortune.
If there are secret designs, it is disquieting.

The force of inner truth depends chiefly on inner stability and preparedness. From this state of mind springs the correct attitude toward the outer world. But if a man should try to cultivate secret relationships of a special sort, it would deprive him of his inner independence. The more reliance he places on the support of others, the more uneasy and anxious he will become as to whether these secret ties are really tenable. In this way inner peace and the force of inner truth are lost.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

Pulling a Switcheroo

Trey Smith

When I spoke to Della by phone on Monday night, she was both alarmed and concerned. Our dog, Jaz, wasn't adapting well to being at the apartment in Ocean Shores. She missed her sister, Lily, and I think she missed the big goofy guy -- that's me (for those of you keeping score at home) -- as well. Not only was this typically energetic dog acting depressed and droopy, but it was something that she wasn't doing that really had Della worried.

And what was she not doing? Pooping and peeing!

When a lot of domesticated animals are placed in unfamiliar circumstances and settings, many have a tendency to poop and pee a lot, often in locations you would prefer them not to. I suppose it is their way of dealing with the stress and anxiety. In other cases, they simply may be marking their new territory.

Della had taken Jaz out to walk 5 times during the late afternoon and evening to do her "business." But Jaz wasn't cooperating. Jaz was so nervous about this new setting that she wouldn't move more than a foot or two away from Della. When we spoke again on Tuesday morning, Della reported that, after two morning walks, Jaz still hadn't relieved herself. Not even a smidge! And there was no evidence that Jaz had had an accident IN the apartment overnight.

By this point, Della was worried that poor Jaz's bladder must be ready to explode. After a brief discussion on this matter, we decided to pull a switcheroo. I would drive back to Ocean Shores with Lily and Lily would stay behind with Della and Jaz would come back to South Bend with me. (There were also some items Della really needed that I either forgot to purchase for her on Monday or we forgot to bring.)

So, for the third time in 4 days, I made the trip north to Ocean Shores. Because I am far more mobile than my wife, I was able to take Jaz on a longer walk and, during this walk, Jaz pooped AND peed. Lily wasn't very happy with the new arrangement as Della said she whimpered and barked for nearly 30 minutes after we left, but Lily is far more adaptable than Jaz, As Della pointed out, Jaz seems to be a bit autistic like me!

Once we arrived back home in South Bend, Jaz bounded out of the car. Here she can run around the block and in our fenced back yard unleashed. She immediately ran next door to see her canine friend, Cashew and loudly barked, "I'm back!" 

We will put off Jaz's adjustment to apartment living until the time that the big goofy guy has to experience the same adjustment as well.  Maybe things will go better when they both have to adjust at the same time.

Afternoon Matinee: Protest - When Ya Get Drafted

Performed by Dead Kennedys

Have you been reading the morning papers?

War is coming back in style

There's generals here, advisers there, and the Russians nibbling everywhere

The chessboard's filling up with red

We make more profits when we blow off their heads

The economy is looking bad, let's start another war

When ya get drafted

Fan the fires of racist hatred, we want total war

When ya get drafted

Drooling fingers, panic buttons

Playing with missiles like they're toys

There's easy money, easy jobs, especially when you build the bombs

They blow big cities off the map

Just guess who profits when we build 'em back up?

Yeah, what big business wants, big business gets, it wants a war

When ya get drafted

Trilateral Commission goonies laugh and scheme for more

When ya get drafted

Call the Army, call the Navy, stocked with kids from slums

When ya get drafted

If you can't afford a slick attorney

We might make you a spy

Forget your demonstrations, kids today sit on their ass

When ya get drafted

Just a six-pack and you're happy, we're prepared for

When ya get drafted, when ya get drafted

~ from Lyric Wiki ~

Taoist and Buddhist Tweets 91

Ta-Wan

It seems so unhealthy and alien to seek truth when it has already become apparent. Suddenly looking makes no sense whatsoever and instead one is drawn to view the life around them and be in a sustained state of awe and wonder.

You can check out Ta-Wan's other musings here.

Bit by Bit - Chapter 22, Part 8

Trey Smith

Shun asked Ch'eng, "Is it possible to gain possession of the Way?”

"You don't even have possession of your own body - how could you possibly gain possession of the Way!"

"If I don't have possession of my own body, then who does?" said Shun.

"It is a form lent you by Heaven and earth. You do not have possession of life - it is a harmony lent by Heaven and earth. You do not have possession of your inborn nature and fate they are contingencies lent by Heaven and earth. You do not have possession of your sons and grandsons - they are castoff skins lent by Heaven and earth. So it is best to walk without knowing where you are going, stay home without knowing what you are guarding, eat without knowing what you are tasting. All is the work of the Powerful Yang in the world. How then could it be possible to gain possession of anything?"
~ Burton Watson translation ~

We don't consciously make our hearts beat or our blood to circulate. Many times we don't even make our brains think! These functions typically happen of their own accord. Ch'eng is right; we don't truly possess our own bodies.

To view the Index page for this series, go here.

The Current "Hostage" Situation in DC

Trey Smith

While I certainly am not happy with the efforts of ultra conservative Republicans to shut down the federal government over their opposition to Obamacare, unlike a lot of people, I don't see anything wrong with their many votes to repeal it. Just because a bill is passed and becomes law doesn't mean that those opposed to the legislation should throw up their hands and move on to other concerns. If you believe that the direction the country is headed is wrong, you SHOULD continue to fight to steer it in the direction that you believe is better.

Let's say that a Tea Party candidate wins the presidency in some future year AND this group garners enough seats in Congress to set their agenda. If they then passed legislation that mandated that every person must own a gun OR they mandated that fundamentalist Christianity was enshrined as the national religion, I would HOPE that more progressive-minded members of Congress would try to repeal it at every opportunity. They might offer up legislation 50 times and lose all 50 votes. But I would hope that they wouldn't simply throw in the towel, shrug their shoulders and say, "Gosh, it's the law of the land now and so why fight it?"

I Ching: Hexagram 61 - The Image

Wind over lake: the image of INNER TRUTH.
Thus the superior man discusses criminal cases
In order to delay executions.

Wind stirs water by penetrating it. Thus the superior man, when obliged to judge the mistakes of men, tries to penetrate their minds with understanding, in order to gain a sympathetic appreciation of the circumstances. In ancient China, the entire administration of justice was guided by this principle. A deep understanding that knows how to pardon was considered the highest form of justice. This system was not without success, for its aim was to make so strong a moral impression that there was no reason to fear abuse of such mildness. For it sprang not from weakness but from a superior clarity.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

Building on Zhuangzi IV

Scott Bradley

Though I promised I would discuss Lusthaus's ("Aporetics Ethics in the Zhuangzi") use of graphic "models" (tables) in demonstrating the complexity of argument in the 17th Chapter of the Zhuangzi, they are in fact too detailed to do justice to here. Suffice it to say that they demonstrate how well composed that chapter actually is. This is interesting as a contrast to Zhuangzi's Inner Chapters which, as A. C. Graham has pointed out, seem to evince a man thinking on his feet. And this touches on the profound difference in terms of philosophical tone — spirit — between them. Zhuangzi is messy; his writing is full of dead-ends, U-turns, unanswered questions, and vague suggestions. This is most likely intentional. His whole point is to shake us loose from our belief that life can be explained so that we might rather respond to it on its own terms. His message is very much to be found in the medium. The author of the 17th Chapter by contrast lays out a well-planned, systematic and logical (and beautiful) argument for the relative nature of all our discriminating judgments. He essentially takes off where Zhuangzi left off, and apart from a bit too much 'knowing' (He knows, for example, "what is of Heaven and what is of man".), faithfully builds on Zhuangzi's thought. However, the danger here, from a Zhuangzian perspective, is that we might use these 'proofs' as the foundation for our mystical excursions. This would be to "take one's mind as one's teacher."

Though there are numerous facets to Zhuangzi's 'method', my feeling is that his vision of radical non-dependence is his most central theme. Here is where his understanding of freedom, unrestrained and carefree heart-wandering, is best illustrated. It is not that we become independent, but that in realizing our total dependence we are able to let go into that dependence. We "hand it all over to the inevitable", and in this act of trustful affirmation of the way things are, are released from all worry, fear, futile ambition, and even our very identity. All that's left to do is to play. Play in the pursuit of happiness, or world peace, or justice, or whatever takes your fancy — the point is that whatever you do will be done more effectively both in the world and in preservation of your inner joy.

To take one's mind as one's teacher is to depend on what that mind conjures up by way of explaining reality. The whole point of the "Qiwulun" chapter (2) about which all these books and articles have been written, and over which so much profound debate about skepticism and perspectival relativism has been exercised, is to demonstrate the fallacy of this dependence. It is a continuation of Zhuangzi's plea for the use of the unintelligibility of reality as an occasion for release into Mystery.

But this is not what scholars want to do. This is not what the mind wants to do. And this was possibly not what the author of the 17th Chapter wanted to do. In the end, what we have is very much like what Zhuangzi scathingly described Huizi as doing — instead of planting his "useless tree" (his useless self with its addiction to ‘reason’) in the "homeland of not-even-anything" where he could play and wander at ease, he vexed himself and others while "desk slumping" and arguing about "hardness and whiteness" (1:15; 2:28; 5:28).

You can check out Scott's writings on Zhuangzi here.

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I Ching: Hexagram 61 - The Judgment

INNER TRUTH. Pigs and fishes.
Good fortune.
It furthers one to cross the great water.
Perseverance furthers.

Pigs and fishes are the least intelligent of all animals and therefore the most difficult to influence. The force of inner truth must grow great indeed before its influence can extend to such creatures. In dealing with persons as intractable and as difficult to influence as a pig or a fish, the whole secret of success depends on finding the right way of approach. One must first rid oneself of all prejudice and, so to speak, let the psyche of the other person act on one without restraint. Then one will establish contact with him, understand and gain power over him. When a door has thus been opened, the force of one’s personality will influence him. If in this way one finds no obstacles insurmountable, one can undertake even the most dangerous things, such as crossing the great water, and succeed.

But it is important to understand upon what the force inner truth depends. This force is not identical with simple intimacy or a secret bond. Close ties may exist also among thieves; it is true that such a bond acts as a force but, since it is not invincible, it does not bring good fortune. All association on the basis of common interests holds only up to a certain point. Where the community of interest ceases, the holding together ceases also, and the closest friendship often changes into hate. Only when the bond is based on what is right, on steadfastness, will it remain so firm that it triumphs over everything.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

The Thing We Haven't Talked About

Trey Smith

In the back of our minds, we know the clock is ticking for our 13 year old cat, Dylan. One of the painful choices we had to make for this move was that only 2 of our 3 animal companions could go with us. One had to be the odd man out and that one is Dylan. He would have made the cut IF he was not so psychotic (Jaz then would have been the one), but he is simply too destructive to take to a rental situation.

At some point in the next 3 - 6 weeks, we need to find him a new living situation. It probably won't be with a new family owing to his advanced age. It is more likely that we will be forced to take him to a no-kill shelter. How do you say goodbye to a 13 year old cat you've had since he was only 3 or 4 weeks old?

While we know that the day is coming soon that we must have a tearful goodbye, we haven't really talked about it all that much. We made this fateful decision weeks ago, but we haven't gotten around to talking about the particulars. Silly as it is, I think both Della and I have thought that, if we don't talk about it, maybe it won't happen. But it is going to happen sooner as opposed to later.

As long as there are belongings to cull through and cleaning to be done here in South Bend, Dylan will continue to have his home. That said, in about one month's time, I hopefully will be nearing the end of this arduous process. When the end is but a few days away, we will have to talk about this issue that we've been avoiding like the plague.

And so, I find myself in an odd situation. On the one hand, I can't wait to join Della in Ocean Shores so that our little family is intact once again. On the other hand, I don't want to be too quick in my culling and cleaning because that will mean that it's time for Dylan to go. I want to maintain his home in South Bend for as long as I can and yet I want to shift my home up north.

As you can see, I'm torn.

It's even worse for Della. She understandably wants me to finish my duties here as soon as I can so that I can join her in our new life as apartment dwellers, but she concurrently understands that the sooner I join her means the final parting with her baby, Dylan. So, she's really torn too.

Afternoon Matinee: Protest - The Silence of Good People

Performed by Jack Chernos

It once was asked of Martin Luther King

How the progress of rights could be so long coming

His answer was not the evil of some

But the silence of good people

Although we may never arrive in the garden

The sin is not in failure, but never starting

My silent friend, it is you that I am speaking of

Of the silence of good people

We, we will not be silent

We, we will not be silent

We will not be silent

Although we have only hearts, bodies, and minds

Against guns and clubs, lies and threats and money

When the truth is released, each echo comes louder

On the voices of good people

We, we will not be silent ...

I've taken my place on the streets of our land

With my sisters and brothers by the tens of thousands

And I have sweet hope, because I can hear

The rising voices of good people

We, we will not be silent ...

~ from Union Songs ~

Taoist and Buddhist Tweets 90

Ta-Wan

The cat or dog is given a mirror and they become fascinated by the reflection, scratching at the mirror, jumping around, running to the back of the mirror, seeing nothing they return to the front, nudge it, on and on...

So it is also with the person when they first see the world.

With time they may realise the world is a reflection of themselves and smile.

You can check out Ta-Wan's other musings here.

Bit by Bit - Chapter 22, Part 7

Trey Smith

Nieh Ch'ueh asked P'i-i about the Way. P'i-i said, "Straighten up your body, unify your vision, and the harmony of Heaven will come to you. Call in your knowledge, unify your bearing, and the spirits will come to dwell with you. Virtue will be your beauty, the Way will be your home, and, stupid as a newborn calf, you will not try to find out the reason why."

Before he had finished speaking, however, Nieh Ch'ueh fell sound asleep. P'i-i, immensely pleased, left and walked away, singing this song:

Body like a withered corpse,
mind like dead ashes,
true in the realness of knowledge,
not one to go searching for reasons,
dim dim, dark dark,
mindless, you cannot consult with him:
what kind of man is this.
~ Burton Watson translation ~

Nieh Ch'ueh either found supreme peace in P'i-i's simple message...or he fell asleep due to boredom. It's hard to know which! ;-)

To view the Index page for this series, go here.

On Our Own Again

Trey Smith

Della is now in Ocean Shores beginning the process of putting away all the stuff we spent the last ten days packing. So, she's there and I'm here in South Bend -- both of us are on our own again (temporarily). But this post is not a lament about the current situation we face; it's about the situation our two dogs face.

Ever since Lily (the hairless dachshund) came to live with us, she and Jaz have been inseparable. Generally speaking, where one goes, the other goes. Now, however, they are separated by more than 50 miles and both of them are a bit discombobulated.

When we arrived home yesterday evening from the trip to Ocean Shores, Lily scampered into the house and checked every single room for her sister. When that search proved fruitless, she ran down the steps of the deck into the back yard and again there was no Jaz. When she made her way back into the kitchen, she looked at me as if to say, "What in the hell is going on here? Where is my buddy?"

Della phoned to say that Jaz is behaving in much the same way. She keeps going from room to room to room looking for Lily. Each time her search comes up empty, she plops down in front of the couch looking dejected.

Moving -- regardless of the reason or circumstances -- is stressful. Whether human or dog, we get used to the familiarity of where we are and become a bit out of sorts when that familiarity is gone. Most of the time, we learn to adapt, but the learning period is often fraught with varying degrees of anxiety.

I Ching: Hexagram 61 (Chung Fu)

above SUN THE GENTLE, WIND
below TUI THE JOYOUS, LAKE

The wind blows over the lake and stirs the surface of the water. Thus visible effects of the invisible manifest themselves. The hexagram consists of firm lines above and below, while it is open in the center. This indicates a heart free of prejudices and therefore open to truth. On the other hand, each of the two trigrams has a firm line in the middle; this indicates the force of inner truth in the influences they present.

The attributes of the two trigrams are: above, gentleness, forbearance toward inferiors; below, joyousness in obeying superiors. Such conditions create the basis of a mutual confidence that makes achievements possible.

The character of fu ("truth") is actually the picture of a bird's foot over a fledgling. It suggests the idea of brooding. An egg is hollow. The light-giving power must work to quicken it from outside, but there must be a germ of life within, if life is to be awakened. Far-reaching speculations can be linked with these ideas.

Translator of this version of the I Ching is Richard Wilhelm. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the I Ching label below.

Building on Zhuangzi III

Scott Bradley

In making his argument for Zhuangzi being a "critical thinker", Lusthaus ("Aporetics Ethics in the Zhuangzi"; Hiding the World in the World) devotes considerable time to an analysis of the 17th Chapter of the Zhuangzi, "Autumn Floods" ("Qiushi"). In doing so, he illustrates by way of graphic "models" (which he tells us are a common tool of the time) the systematic 'logic' of the author's arguments. These are a great help for an understanding of both the arguments and beauty of this most refined of Zhuangzian interpretations, and I will be exploring some of his insights in posts to follow. However, here I would simply like to point out that in clarifying the thought and method of the author of this chapter Lusthaus has also clarified how he differs from Zhuangzi. His use of this chapter as an explanation of Zhuangzi is thus highly suspect. Lusthaus consistently refers to the author of this chapter as "Zhuangzi" without the usual qualifications, namely that it is only for convenience. We cannot assume that he actually believes that Zhuangzi wrote this chapter since scholarship is nearly unanimous in believing that he did not. We can only assume, therefore, that he has chosen to overlook this inconvenient fact for the sake of making his case. For this reason, this particular presentation of evidence is fatally flawed.

We should be very careful in using materials from the Outer and Miscellaneous Chapters of the Zhuangzi to explain the Inner Chapters. They can certainly provide insight into what Zhuangzi was about, even by way of their divergence, but they are the work of other minds located in different perspectives. They are not the same. Ziporyn suggests that all the chapters of the Zhuangzi outside of the Inner Chapters (with the possible exception of a few that may be outside the purview of Daoism) are essentially responses to Zhuangzi. For this reason, his inclusion of a wide variety of commentaries in his translation of the Zhuangzi is a continuation of this on-going process of responding. In fact, he has encouraged me in my own ramblings (however misguided) for this same reason. Every interpretation of Zhuangzi is going to be unique, which Zhuangzi himself would have declared both right and necessary.

The author of the 17th Chapter has rationalized Zhuangzi's thought beyond what Zhuangzi himself chose to do. He seems to "know" a great deal more than his mentor. This does not mean that his presentation is 'wrong', only that we can learn from an appreciation of their differences. From my perspective, all that really matters is the extent to which either presentation, Zhuangzi's or his disciple's, helps to facilitate a mystical leap that liberates. I say "a" mystical leap because there are no doubt many varieties and ways of realizing them. Let me say again: all this pseudo-scholarly discussion notwithstanding, this is all about transformation, not understanding or creating a philosophy. My sense of the 17th Chapter is that it fairly faithfully builds on the Inner Chapters and provides some very helpful insights into the implications of Zhuangzi's philosophy, but should one choose the kind of mystical leap that Zhuangzi advocates, then it needs to be tempered by Zhuangzi's more visceral experience of not-knowing. Where it might take one on its own, I cannot say.

You can check out Scott's writings on Zhuangzi here.

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