Thursday, October 17, 2013

When the Shoe Fits IV

Scott Bradley

When the understanding forgets right and wrong, the mind fits comfortably. When the encounter with each thing fits comfortably, the internal is not altered and the external is not made master. When everything fits, from beginning to end, even this fitting is forgotten, and that is the perfect fit.
(Zhuangzi 19; Ziporyn)
There sure is a lot of fitting going on here. It's almost as if the author were saying, "Be comfortable!" No, that's precisely what he's saying. "Be comfortable in every circumstance; be so comfortable you don't even think about being comfortable."

We have come to the end of this passage, and it seems so clear that further comment would only obscure it. Here is another view of the Zhuangzian vision of life at its best. And that's all that's on offer, a happier life.

The external is certainly my master. Perhaps this is why I like Zhuangzi so much — his way exposes precisely where the problems lie. Perhaps we can say of his way, as Laozi said of his, "My way is easy, but few can follow it."

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

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