Today’s Between Master and Disciples – “The Inner Teachings of Chuang Tzu, Chapter 6: Teachings from Those who were Great who are No Longer Alive” – will be presented in Chinese with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech-Slovak, English, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mongolian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

The great philosopher Chuang Tzu lived from approximately 370 to 301 BCE. He is considered one of the greatest literary and philosophical figures of China. His philosophy is contained in the book bearing his name, Chuang Tzu. His teachings were true to wu-wei, the Taoist doctrine which means to refrain from action contrary to Nature. He espoused a way of life which is simple and natural, yet fulfilling. He advocated for a flexible and pragmatic approach to understanding concepts. Today, we present to you an excerpt from Chapter 6, “Teachings from Those who were Great who are No Longer Alive,” from The Inner Teachings of Chuang Tzu. In this excerpt, Chuang Tzu discussed the “Way of Nature” or the “Dao,” and by understanding the true Dao, emperors, kings, and leaders would be able to bring peace and tranquility to their nations.

We thank you for your company for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples.

Tune in next Thursday for part 2 of the excerpt from Chapter 6, “Teachings from Those who were Great who are No Longer Alive,” from The Inner Teachings of Chuang Tzu. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants up next right after Noteworthy News. May Providence guide you in light, wisdom and peace.

We enjoyed your company for today’s episode of Between Master and Disciples on Supreme Master Television. Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants is up next right after Noteworthy News. Blessed be your good hearts and noble endeavors!

Zhuangzi Chapter 6 ~ Teachings from Those who were Great who are No Longer Alive

One who has knowledge about what actions are of the heavens and what actions are of people has reached attainment. One who knows the actions of the heavens merges her life with the heavens. One who knows the actions of people accepts that knowledge is a part of her intellect and increases that knowledge because she accepts her own ignorance. In the end she will have lived out her natural lifespan and not have been cut down in the middle of her youth. She's fulfilled every aspect of her knowledge.

Even so, there's still something to be concerned about. Having knowledge can only go so far and then it's subject to measurements. One gets to a certain point then starts questioning how far they've gotten. How could I sort out whether what I think is coming from the heavens isn't coming from people, and what I think is coming from people isn't coming from the heavens? Moreover, one has to become a true person before they can have true knowledge.

What is a true person?

The true person of ancient times wasn't opposed to the idea of being different than the rest of society, didn't try to be macho, and didn't plan for a lucrative career. Someone like that could move from one situation to another with no regret, and measure up her self-worth without becoming smugly self-satisfied. Someone like that could climb to dizzying heights without trembling in fear, enter water without feeling wet, and enter fire without feeling the heat. This kind of perception enables one to ascend on the tails of Dao.

The true person of ancient times could sleep without dreaming, could awaken without anxiety, could eat food without relishing in it, and could completely fill her lungs when breathing. A true person breathed all the way down to her heels, while other people's breath only filled the top of their lungs. Those who bend over in submission seem to spew forth words from their mouths like vomit. Those who harbor old desires deeply within them leave only a shallow space for the heavens to maneuver.

The true person of ancient times wasn't aware of expressing joy in life, nor of feeling aversion to death. He didn't feel a need to be gracious when he left, nor did he feel a need to be aloof when he entered. He could leave as swiftly as he arrived, and there was nothing more to it. He didn't forget where he began, but didn't question where he'd end up. He celebrated what was received, and recaptured what had been forgotten. This is called not using the mind to contribute to Dao, and not using people to assist the heavens. That's what was called a true person.

Being such, his heart was adaptable, his appearance was unruffled, his forehead was unwrinkled. With a coolness like autumn and a warmth like springtime, joy and anger flowed through him like the four seasons. He found contentment with all things and didn't think about when he'd reach the pinnacle. Therefore, if a wise person has to resort to using weapons, his country might be destroyed but the people's hearts wouldn't be lost. The benefits would carry over to all the future generations, but not because of his love for any person.

Therefore, trying to transfer happiness into other living things will not make one a sage. Experiencing intimate personal relationships will not make one benevolent. Trying to keep in time with the heavens will not make one worthy. One who isn't able to reconcile advantage with disadvantage will not be a good ruler. One who loses himself seeking fame won't be a good student. One who inadvertently loses his body won't be good at serving others. Hu Bu Xie, Wu Guang, Bo Yi, Shu Qi, Ji Zi, Xu Yu, Ji Tuo, and Shen Tu Di (men who were moralists and reformers in ancient times) were all in service to what other people served, agreeably followed what other people followed, but they couldn't be comfortable enough with their own natures to follow themselves.

A true person of ancient times appeared to be acting properly, even though she didn't conform to the norm. She seemed to be lacking, but didn't grovel for favors. She had some rough edges, but wasn't obstinate. She was extensively empty, but didn't superficially attract anything. She brightly lit up everything around her as though she was ecstatic! She soared like an eagle as though there was no need to find a place to land! Her facial expression took on a glowing quality. What she was willing to concede, stopped with her own virtue. She seemed harsh to those of her own generation! She was so diverse that there was no way to control her.

When there was a new fad or trend she didn't follow it. She was so inattentive that she forgot what she was going to say. She regarded suffering as a compression of the body, rituals as flights of fancy, knowledge as opportunity, and virtue as a means of protection. Because she regarded suffering as a compression of the body, she was gentle with reprimands. Because she regarded rituals as flights of fancy, she went along with the times. Because she regarded knowledge as an opportunity, she used what was available in dealing with her affairs. Because she regarded virtue as a means of protection, she encouraged others to walk on their own feet in order to reach the pinnacle and people genuinely attended to what they were involved with. So, she united with what was enjoyable, and she united with what wasn't enjoyable.

Being united is unity, and not being united is unity. Being united, she followed the heavens. Being not united, she followed people. When the heavens and people join together, there's no need for one to be victorious over the other. A true person is said to be like this. Death and life are destined. They're as certain as the sky progressing from night into dawn. There are certain things a person can't do anything about. All living things are in that situation. There are those who set up a special figure as the Father of the Heavens (God) and are only able to love the image they have of him as a person. There might be something even above that! People set up someone who they believe has special powers to heal them, but their bodies eventually die anyway. There might be something even more effective than that!

When a stream dries up the fish gather together in a crater on the land. They moisten each other with their saliva and splatter each other with foam. It'd be better for them to be swimming freely in rivers and lakes than to be concerned with having to do these things to keep each other alive. Rather than to praise Yao and condemn Jie, it would be better to forget both of them and how different their Ways were. The great clump of earth (the world) is loaded down with our physical forms, struggles to keep us alive, cradles us in our old age, and provides a place to rest our bodies after we die.

Therefore, what's good at keeping us alive will also be good at providing a place for us to die. A man may try to hide away a boat in a valley, which would be like trying to hide a tool in a swamp, but he believes it's in a secure place. Even so, around midnight a strong person might come along and hoist the whole thing onto his shoulders and walk away with it. Since it was so dark outside, no one would know. Hiding something small within something larger might seem like the appropriate thing to do, yet anything could still be carted off. If a man were to hide everything in the world within the world, there would be no place left for anything to be removed to. Living things are already constantly in this great situation. Someone might have an especially attractive body, and they'd be pleased about that.

However, a human shape can be changed by any number of things, and those changes might not necessarily ever come to an end. Is there pleasure to be found in counting the victories? Therefore, a wise person will travel where things take them rather than trying to constrain things where they don't belong. Whether it's better to die young or to live to an old age; whether things will start out good or end up good – people just keep looking for ways to find meaning in those things. It's like everyone is looking for more things to be concerned about, as though they're waiting for one thing to come along and change everything! Dao expresses itself and provides evidence of itself, but not by taking actions or showing a shape. It doles out things, but doesn't take anything back. It can enter within you, but can't be perceived. It was rooted in itself and grew from its own roots before there was a universe.

It was so ancient that it was there before anything existed. It provided vital energy for both demons and gods. It gave life to both the heavens and the earth. It reaches higher than the ether of the sky, but doesn't become tall. It reaches lower than the core of the earth, but doesn't become deep. It began before the heavens and earth, but can't be measured by time. It was around from the most remote ages, but doesn't become old. The clansman Shi of Wei got it so as to support the heavens and earth. Fu Xi got it and found the key to the breath of Mother Nature. Wei Dou (a star in the constellation Sagittarius considered to be the center point of our galaxy) got it so as to eternally stay true to its course. The sun and moon got it so as to constantly keep moving. Kan Pi (a spirit, said to have a human face and the body of an animal) got it so as to penetrate the Kun Lun mountains. Ping Yi (a spirit of the Yellow River) got it so as to travel through the great river. Jian Wu (a mountain spirit) got it so as to dwell on Mount Tai. Huang Di got it so as to rise up into the clouds in the heavens. Zhuan Xu got it so as to dwell in the Black Palace. Yu Qiang (god of the North Sea) got it and stood on the North Pole. Xi Wang Mu got it and sat on Shao Guang. No one knows where it (this mountain) begins or ends.

Peng Zu got it and was able to live from the time of the beginning of the Zhou dynasty through the succession of five rulers (five lifetimes for most people). Fu Yue got it so as to become Prime Minister to Wu Ding. Then he suddenly was in control of the whole empire, perching on the hand of Sagittarius and riding into Scorpio's basket as though he was a shooting star. Nan Bo Zi Qi (Exalted Count of Southern Curiosity) asked of Nu Yu (Independent Woman): "You're old in years, but your face beams like a child. Why is that?" "I’ve learned about Dao." Nan Bo Zi Qi said: "Can Dao be obtained through studying?" "What? How could that be possible? You're not the kind of person who could do that anyway. There was a guy named Bu Liang Yi (Rigidly Biased Fortuneteller) who had the ability to become a sage, but wasn't wise enough to learn about Dao. I'm wise enough to learn about Dao, but don't have the ability to become a sage. I really wanted to teach him. Oh, what great hopes I had that he'd end up becoming a true sage!

It's not so easy to change one who has the ability to become a sage into one who is wise enough to learn about Dao simply by explaining it to them. Yet I kept a close watch on him and tried to explain it. After three days he could disregard the world. After he disregarded the world, I still kept at him. After seven days he could disregard living things. After he disregarded living things, I still kept at him. After nine days he could disregard life. After he disregarded life, he could then penetrate everything like the first rays of sun in the morning. Being able to penetrate everything like the first rays of sun in the morning, he could then see each thing individually. Being able to see each thing individually, he could then overcome a sense of past and future. Being able to overcome a sense of past and future, he could then enter where there is no death and no birth. What kills life isn't death. What brings forth life isn't birth. As for how he related to things – without following, without rejecting, without constructing, without destroying. A name for this would be Embracing Contentment.

One who embraces contentment – embraces and then becomes complete. Nan Bo Zi Qi asked: "Are you the only one who's heard about this?" "I heard about this from Master of Various Texts. Master of Various Texts heard about it from Oral Tradition. Oral Tradition heard about it from Clear Sightedness. Clear Sightedness heard about it from Midday Whisperer. Midday Whisperer heard about it from Humble Servant. Humble Servant heard about it from Oblivious Chanter. Oblivious Chanter heard about it from Dark Mysteries. Dark Mysteries heard about it from Solitary Star. Solitary Star heard about it from Uncertain Beginning."

Zhuangzi Chapter 6 ~ Teachings from Those who were Great who are No Longer Alive

Zi Si (Great Sacrificial Attendant), Zi Yu (Great Charioteer), Zi Li (Great Plowman) and Zi Lai (Great Messenger) all came together to have a chat saying: "Who can consider what doesn't exist as his head, life as his spine and death as his buttocks? Whoever knows that life and death, surviving and perishing, are part of the same whole, I'd like to take them as a friend."

The four of them all looked at each other and laughed. They felt a profound intimacy with each other in their hearts, and they knew they'd formed a deep friendship with each other. Some time later, Zi Yu got sick. Zi Si went to see how he was doing. "How remarkable! This thing I've been turned into, that's become so inflexible and stiff!"

His back had become curved and hunched, his five vital organs protruded to the outside, his chin was hidden in his bellybutton, his shoulders were higher than the top of his head, and his fingers were curved into hooks that pointed up to the sky. Even though his vital energy seemed to be completely out of whack, his heart was clear and he didn't seem concerned. He dragged himself over to the well, looked at his image in the water and said:

"Ugh! Look at this thing I've been turned into, and how inflexible and stiff it is." Zi Si asked: "Do you hate it?" "What's the point in hating what's been taken away or what's been given to me! Supposing my left arm gradually turned into a chicken – then I could use it to tell when it was nighttime.

Supposing my buttocks gradually turned into a wheel and my spirit into a horse – then I could ride on it. What need would I have for any other means of transportation! Furthermore, whatever is received comes at the right time. Whatever has been lost must be adapted to. Calmly accepting and dwelling in compliance, then neither grief nor joy would be able to creep in.

This is what's been called being released from bondage, and for those who can't find a release, there will always be something to put them into bondage. Besides, living things can't be victorious over what Nature has been causing to occur since the beginning of time. What reason could I find for hatred!" Some time later, Zi Lai became ill, panting and gasping while near death. His wife and children were grouped around him sobbing.

Zi Li went to see how he was doing and said to them: "Shame on you! Get away from him! Don't show sadness – he's merely going through changes." He then leaned against the door jamb and said to his friend: "How remarkable! The changes you're experiencing! What will you become next – what will you turn into? Will you become a rat's liver? Will you become an insect's arm?" Zi Lai said: "When a father and mother produce a child, east, west, south and north converge at a point that sets the destiny he must follow.

When those multiple energies within a person converge, he's directed by them as though they were his father and mother. They've brought me close to death, and if I try to prevent it then I'm being foolhardy. How silly to look at this as some sort of crime that's been committed! The great clump of earth (the world) is loaded down with my physical form, struggles to keep me alive, cradles me in my old age, and provides a place to rest my body after I die.

Therefore, that which is good at keeping me alive will also be good at providing a place for me to die. Now if a great blacksmith was pounding some metal, and the metal jumped up at him and said: 'I absolutely must be made into Mo Ye (a famous ancient Chinese double edged sword)', the blacksmith would think that piece of metal was an ill omen.

Now, if I were ever to try to go against the shape my form has taken and say: 'Make me a whole person, nothing but a whole person', then Mother Nature would think that this person was an ill omen. Now, if the universe is like one great big oven, and Mother Nature is like a master blacksmith, where is it that we shouldn't go? As naturally as we fall into a sound sleep, we just as naturally suddenly wake up."

Zi Sang Hu, Meng Zi Fan and Zi Qin Zhang were three friends who got along well with each other. One of them said: "Who can join with others while not joining with others; act with others while not acting with others? Who can ascend to the heavens, travel on the mist, stirring up things without any end in sight, all the while forgetting about life without getting exhausted?"

The three of them all looked at each other and laughed. Feeling a profound intimacy with each other in their hearts, they knew they'd formed a deep friendship with each other. Not long after that Zi Sang Hu died. When he had not yet been buried, Kong Zi (Confucius) heard about it and sent Zi Gong (a disciple of Confucius) to go see what was going on.

One of the friends was composing a tune while the other was playing music. They sang together: "Oh, Sang Hu has arrived! Oh, Sang Hu has arrived! And already returned to his original being, While we're still serving as humans!" Zi Gong rushed into the room and asked: "How in the world could you both be singing over a dead body – is that proper conduct?" The two friends looked at each other and laughed, then said: "How could that guy know what proper conduct is?" Zi Gong returned to tell Kong Zi what had happened: "What kind of people are those guys? They can't even control their behavior and have no respect for their friend's physical body. They sit right next to the dead body singing without showing any signs of adapting their demeanor to the situation, in complete disorder. What kind of people are they?"

Kong Zi said: "They both wander around outside the set boundaries, whereas I wander within the limits set by society. Those outside and those inside don't mingle with each other, and it was stupid of me to send you there to console them. The only boundaries those two adhere to are those set on people by Nature, and they wander among the singular essence of the universe. They consider life to be an insignificant attachment hanging there like a wart, and death to be the final removal of the ulcerated growth. Being that way, how would they have any conception of life and death or past and future!

They avail themselves of the strange anatomy of their bodies, rely on the harmony of their vessel, forget about their internal organs, don't pay much attention to their ears and eyes, and repeatedly experience endings and beginnings without having a clue what's going on. In that way they pace back and forth through the dust and dirt while not being affected by it – free and unfettered without acting like they have something to gain. How could they be troubled or anxious about society's rules and mandates, or be troubled about being observed by everybody else's eyes and ears!"

Zi Gong said: "That being so, Master, why do you rely on the boundaries?" "I'm the heaven's sacrificial lamb. That's something I could share with you." Zi Gong said: "Then I'd appreciate hearing more about boundaries." Kong Zi said: "Fish were established together in water. People were established together in Dao. Those who are established together in water penetrate to the depths of a pond and find nourishment. Those who are established together in Dao don't cater to others and their lives are easier. Therefore it's been said: 'Fish forget about each other when in rivers and streams. People forget about each other when on the path of Dao.'"

Zi Gong said: "May I ask about the non-conformist?" "As for the nonconformist, he seems odd to other people, but is tuned in to the heavens. Therefore it's been said: 'Someone who has little to do with Nature would be looked up to by people. Someone who is looked up to by people would have little to do with Nature.' "

Yan Hui asked Zhong Ni (Confucius): "When Meng Sun Cai's mother died, he wept without shedding a tear, didn't feel sadness in the center of his heart, and mourned without wailing. Although he didn't do any of those three things, he's still thought of as the best mourner in the state of Lu. How can someone who's evidently so superficial to their core still receive accolades? I, for one, find this astonishing."

Zhong Ni said: "Mr. Meng Sun has reached a pinnacle! He's advanced beyond mere knowledge. By being at ease with what's been taken away, that shows a bit of being at ease. Mr. Meng Sun doesn't think much about life, nor does he think much about death. He doesn't think much about what happened in the past, nor about what's going to happen in the future. He seems to adapt to whatever happens around him.

By waiting for events to come about on their own without trying to figure them out, he's already adapted to them! Moreover, if limitations eventually change, how can perceptions not change along with them? If limitations remain the same, does that mean that perceptions will stop changing? Maybe you and I are peculiar in that we're dreaming and haven't yet awakened? That guy (Meng Sun) was startled by the transformation of a shape (his mother's death), but his heart wasn't damaged by it.

He dwells where each moment is like a new dawn, and isn't affected emotionally by death. Mr. Meng Sun is uniquely awake. If people cry, he too cries. That's because he can put himself in their place. Moreover, he can make connections beyond what I can hear with my own ears. So how could I really know about myself simply by listening to the words I speak? You might dream you're a bird and soar up into the sky, or dream you're a fish and sink to the bottom of a deep pond.

We can't tell whether the words we're using are based on being awake or if they're coming from a dream. "Trying to make a situation more pleasant isn't as good as laughing out loud. Faked laughter isn't as good as the kind that naturally erupts. Be comfortable with those eruptions and give up trying to modify them – only then can one enter into the boundless unity of Nature." Yi Er Zi (Mr. Trace of a Beard) went to see Xu You (a legendary hermit). Xu You said: "How has Yao enriched you?" Yi Er Zi replied:

"Yao told me: 'You must bow down with benevolence and righteousness while speaking clearly about Right and Wrong.'" Xu You said: "Then why have you driven all the way out here? Since the Great Yao has already stained you with ideas about benevolence and righteousness, and stunted you with ideas about Right and Wrong, how will you be able to wander in many directions, swinging freely with reckless abandon, spinning down a path that constantly moves?" Yi Er Zi replied: "You might be right, but I'd still like to check out that kind of path by walking along side it." Xu You said: "That's not remotely possible.

A blind man can't truly appreciate the pleasures of seeing beautiful things and outstanding colors. One who has impaired eyesight can't even tell the difference between green and yellow embroidery on a robe." Yi Er Zi said: "Wu Zhuang lost all sense of her beauty. Ju Liang lost all sense of his strength. Huang Di abandoned all sense of his knowledge. All of them eventually became refined by picking up on what was sent out.

How can I know if some great force might come along and get rid of my stains and replace what was stunted, making me able to ride along with you and follow you as my teacher?" Xu You said: "Humph! But then, you never can tell. I'll give you the general outline of what I'd say to you: ‘My teacher! My Teacher! Gave to all living things, but not because that's righteous. Promoted clarity throughout all generations, but not because that's benevolent.

Increased from the beginning of time, but not because that's admirable. Enabled the universe to contain all the shapes which have been cut and carved, but not because that's a special skill. From this place begin your wandering.’ Yan Hui said: "I've reached a new plateau in my cultivation." Zhong Ni (Confucius) asked: "What do you mean by that?" "I've forgotten all about benevolence and righteousness." "That's great, but you're still not finished."

On another day they met again and Hui said: "I've reached a new plateau in my cultivation." "What do you mean by that?" "I've forgotten all about rituals and celebrations" "That's great, but you're still not finished." On another day they met again and Hui said: "I've reached a new plateau in my cultivation." "What do you mean by that?" "I sit in forgetfulness." Zhong Ni perked up at this and asked: "What do you mean by sitting in forgetfulness?" Yan Hui replied: "My bones seem to droop like branches overloaded with fruit.

My intelligence and cleverness become overshadowed by darkness. Any knowledge has evaporated as well as any sense of my own shape. I feel embraced by a great openness. That's what I mean by sitting in forgetfulness." Zhong Ni said: "Being embraced in that way, then you'd be without preferences. Transforming in that way, then you'd easily change. As a result, you've become almost a Sage! I beg you to allow me to take you as my teacher and follow you." Zi Yu and Zi Sang were friends.

When there had been a continuous downpour for ten days, Zi Yu said, "Zi Sang might have gotten sick!" So he packed up some food and went to feed his friend. When he reached Zi Sang's door, he heard what sounded like something between a song and wailing. A voice accompanied by a drum and lute sang out: "Father? Mother? The heavens! Mankind!" The sounds were all jumbled and didn't seem to make sense, as though the lyrics were so rushed that parts were missing.

Zi Yu went into the house and said: "I've just heard the lyrics to your song. What are you trying to say?" "I was just wondering what's caused me to get to such an extreme state, but I can't figure it out. Would my father and mother have wanted me to end up so poor?

The heavens are impartial as to what it will protect. The earth is impartial as to what it will support. Why would the heavens and the earth make me in particular so poor? I keep asking what it is that's done this to me, but I can't get an answer. If it can just happen that one could reach this extreme state, it must be due to destiny."