The Way of Chuang Tzu

by Thomas Merton

THE EMPTY BOAT He who rules men lives in confusion; He who is ruled by men lives in sorrow. Yao therefore desired Neither to influence others Nor to be influenced by them. The way to get clear of confusion And free of sorrow Is to live with Tao In the land of the great Void.

If you can empty your own boat Crossing the river of the world, No one will oppose you, No one will seek to harm you.

A wise man has said: “He who is content with himself Has done a worthless work. Achievement is the beginning of failure. Fame is the beginning of disgrace.”

Who can free himself from achievement And from fame, descend and be lost Amid the masses of men? He will flow like Tao, unseen, He will go about like Life itself With no name and no home. Simple is he, without distinction. To all appearances he is a fool.

To dwell nowhere And rest in nothing Is the first step toward resting in Tao. To start from nowhere And follow no road Is the first step toward attaining Tao.”

It is not reported That Non-Doing ever heard of the matter Or made any comment.

“His body is dry Like an old leg bone, His mind is dead As dead ashes: His knowledge is solid, His wisdom true! In deep dark night He wanders free, Without aim And without design: Who can compare With this toothless man?”

WHERE IS TAO? Master Tung Kwo asked Chuang: “Show me where the Tao is found.” Chuang Tzu replied: “There is nowhere it is not to be found.” The former insisted: “Show me at least some definite place Where Tao is found.” “It is in the ant,” said Chuang. “Is it in some lesser being?” “It is in the weeds.” “Can you go further down the scale of things?” “It is in this piece of tile.” “Further?” “It is in this turd.”

Why look for Tao by going ‘down the scale of being’ As if that which we call ‘least’ Had less of Tao? Tao is Great in all things, Complete in all, Universal in all, Whole in all.

That which gives things Their thusness cannot be delimited by things. So when we speak of ‘limits,’ we remain confined To limited things. The limit of the unlimited is called ‘fullness.’ The limitlessness of the limited is called ‘emptiness.’ Tao is the source of both.

It causes being and non-being But is neither being nor non-being. Tao assembles and it destroys, But it is neither the Totality nor the Void.”

The man who has some respect for his person Keeps his carcass out of sight, Hides himself as perfectly as he can.

The branches will grow for a thousand ages, And a thousand ages from now Men will be eating one another raw!”

But the mad cannot make Another man’s mind their own.

Keep your life collected in its own center.

Lao asked: “Do you come from Keng?” “Yes,” replied the student. “Who are all those people you have brought with you?” The disciple whirled around to look. Nobody there. Panic! Lao said: “Don’t you understand?” The disciple hung his head. Confusion!

Lao said: “What are you trying to say?” The disciple: “When I don’t know, people treat me like fool. When I do know, the knowledge gets me into trouble. When I fail to do good, I hurt others. When I do good, I hurt myself.

Lao Tzu replied: “Can you embrace the One And not lose it? Can you foretell good things and bad Without the tortoise shell Or the straws? Can you rest where there is rest? Do you know when to stop? Can you mind your own business Without cares, without desiring reports Of how others are progressing?

“If you persist in trying To attain what is never attained (It is Tao’s gift!) If you persist in making effort To obtain what effort cannot get; If you persist in reasoning About what cannot be understood, You will be destroyed By the very thing you seek.

The unconsciousness And entire sincerity of Tao Are disturbed by any effort At self-conscious demonstration. All such demonstrations Are lies.

THE INNER LAW He whose law is within himself Walks in hiddenness.

He who walks in hiddenness Has light to guide him In all his acts.

He who seeks to extend his control Is nothing but an operator.

When he tries to extend his power Over objects, Those objects gain control Of him.

He who is controlled by objects Loses possession of his inner self: If he no longer values himself, How can he value others? If he no longer values others, He is abandoned. He has nothing left!

There is no deadlier weapon than the will! The sharpest sword Is not equal to it! There is no robber so dangerous As Nature (Yang and Yin). Yet it is not nature...

Perfect sincerity offers No guarantee.

Your love and justice Are fraudulent. They are mere pretexts For self-assertion, for aggression. One action will bring on another And in the chain of events Your hidden intentions Will be made plain. “You claim to practice justice. Should you seem to succeed Success itself will bring more conflict.

“You are at war with yourself! You do not believe in justice, Only in power and success.

Those who are caught in the machinery of power take no joy except in activity and change—the whirring of the machine! Whenever an occasion for action presents itself, they are compelled to act; they cannot help themselves. They are inexorably moved, like the machine of which they are a part. Prisoners in the world of objects, they have no choice but to submit to the demands of matter! They are pressed down and crushed by external forces, fashion, the market, events, public opinion. Never in a whole lifetime do they recover their right mind! The active life! What a pity!

“When justice and benevolence are in the air, a few people are really concerned with the good of others, but the majority are aware that this is a good thing, ripe for exploitation. They take advantage of the situation. For them, benevolence and justice are traps to catch birds. Thus benevolence and justice rapidly come to be associated with fraud and hypocrisy. Then everybody doubts. And that is when trouble really begins.

“There are three classes of people to be taken into account: yes-men, blood-suckers, and operators. “The yes-men adopt the line of some political leader, and repeat his statements by heart, imagining that they know something, confident that they are getting somewhere, and thoroughly satisfied with the sound of their own voices. They are complete fools. And because they are fools, they submit in this way to another man’s line of talk. “The blood-suckers are like lice on a sow.

TAO Cocks crow Dogs bark This all men know. Even the wisest Cannot tell Whence these voices come Or explain Why dogs bark and cocks crow When they do.

Beyond the smallest of the small There is no measure. Beyond the greatest of the great There is also no measure. Where there is no measure There is no “thing.” In this void You speak of “cause” Or of “chance”? You speak of “things”

When I look beyond the beginning I find no measure. When I look beyond the end I find also no measure.

Does Tao exist? Is it then a “thing that exists.” Can it “non-exist”? Is there then “thing that exists” That “cannot not exist”?

Tao is a name That indicates Without defining.

Where there is no longer word or silence Tao is apprehended.

Hui Tzu said to Chuang Tzu: “All your teaching is centered on what has no use.” Chuang replied: “If you have no appreciation for what has no use You cannot begin to talk about what can be used.

The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to.

In either case I shall be eaten. Why are you so partial to birds?”