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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1They have certainly one peculiarity in common ;—many references to sayings which cannot be traced, but are introduced by the formula of quotation, ‘ Therefore, it is said.’ Book XVI. SHAN HSING. ‘Rectifying or Correcting the Nature’ is the meaning of the title, and expresses sufficiently well the subject-matter of the Book. It was written to expose the ‘ vulgar’ learning of the time as contrary to the principles of the true Taoism, that learning being, according to Li Shd-éih, ‘the teachings of Hui-3ze and Kung-sun Lung.’ It is to be wished that we had fuller accounts of these. But see in Book XXXIII. Many of the critics are fond of comparing the Book with the 21st chapter of the 7th Book of Mencius, part 1,— where that philosopher sets forth ‘ Man’s own nature as the most important thing to him, and the source of his true enjoyment, which no one can read without admiration. But we have more sympathy with Mencius’s fundamental views about our human nature, than with those of AK wanggaze and his Taoism. Lin Hsi-#ung is rather inclined to doubt the genuineness of the Book. Though he admires its composition, and admits the close and compact sequence of its sentences, there is yet something about it that does not smack of Kwang-jze’s style. Rather there seems to me to underlie it the antagonism of Lao and Awang to the learning of the Confucian school. The only characteristic L2 148 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XVII. of our author which I miss, is the illustrative stories of which he is generally so profuse. In this the Book agrees with the preceding. Book XVII. Kart SHut. Khit Shui, or ‘Autumn Waters,’ the first two characters of the first paragraph of this Book, are adopted as its title. Its subject, in that paragraph, however, is not so much the waters of autumn, as the greatness of the T4o in its spontaneity, when it has obtained complete dominion over man. No illustration of the T4o is so great a favourite with LAo-3ze as water, but he loved to set it forth in its quiet, onward movement, always seeking the lowest place, and always exercising a beneficent influence. But water is here before Kwang-3ze in its mightiest volume,—the inundated Ho and the all but boundless magnitude of the ocean ; and as he takes occasion from those phenomena to deliver his lessons, I translate the title by ‘The Floods of Autumn.’ To adopt the account of the Book given by La Shakih :—‘ This Book,’ he says, ‘shows how its spontaneity is the greatest characteristic of the Tao, and the chief thing inculcated in it is that we must not allow the human element to extinguish in our constitution the Heavenly.
2‘ First, using the illustrations of the Ho and the Sea, our author gives us to see the Five Tis and the Kings of the Three dynasties as only exhibiting the Tao in a small degree, while its great development is not to be found in out ward form and appliances so that it cannot be described in words, and it is difficult to find its point of commencement, which indeed appears to be impracticable, while still by doing nothing the human may be united with the Heavenly, and men may bring back their True condition. By means of the conversations between the guardian spirit of the Ho and Zo (the god) of the Sea this subject is exhaustively treated. ‘Next (in paragraph 8), the khwei, the millepede, and other subjects illustrate how the mind is spirit-like in its spontaneity and doing nothing. The case of Confucius (in par. 9) shows the same spontaneity, transforming violence. BK, XVIII, BRIEF NOTICES OF THE DIFFERENT BOOKS. 149 Kung-sun Lung (in par. 10), refusing to comply with that spontaneity, and seeking victory by his sophistical reasonings, shows his wisdom to be only like the folly of the frog in the well. The remaining three paragraphs bring before us AK wang-jze by the spontaneity of his T4o, now superior to the allurements of rank; then, like the phoenix flying aloft, as enjoying himself in perfect ease; and finally, as like the fishes, in the happiness of his self-possession.’ Such is a brief outline of this interesting chapter. Many of the critics would expunge the ninth and tenth paragraphs as unworthy of Awang-jze, the former as misrepresenting Confucius, the latter as extolling himself. I think they may both be allowed to stand as from his pencil. Book XVIII. ArH Lo. The title of this Book, Kih Lo, or ‘ Perfect Enjoyment,’ may also be received as describing the subject-matter of it. But the author does not tell us distinctly what he means by ‘Perfect Enjoyment.’ It seems to involve two elements,— freedom from trouble and distress, and freedom from the fear of death. What men seek for as their chief good would only be to him burdens. He does not indeed altogether condemn them, but his own quest is the better and more excellent way. His own enjoyment is to be obtained by means of doing nothing; that is, by the Tao; of which passionless and purposeless action is a chief characteristic ; and is at the same time the most effective action, as is illustrated in the operation of heaven and earth. Such is the substance of the first paragraph. The second is interesting as showing how his principle controlled Kwang-3ze on the death of his wife. Paragraph 3 shows us two professors of Td4oism delivered by it from the fear of their own death. Paragraph 4 brings our author before us talking to a skull, and then the skull’s appearance to him in a dream and telling him of the happiness of the state after death. Paragraph 5 isoccupied with Confucius and his favourite disciple Yen Hui. It stands by itself, unconnected with the rest of the Book, and its
3Paragraph 5 isoccupied with Confucius and his favourite disciple Yen Hui. It stands by itself, unconnected with the rest of the Book, and its See ace See es -e =: - a ~O--6 eeeee- em ee = 150 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK, XIX. genuineness is denied by some commentators. The last paragraph, found in an enlarged form in the Books ascribed to Lieh-3ze, has as little to do as the fifth with the general theme of the Book, and is a strange anticipation in China of the transrotation or transformation system of Buddhism. Indeed, after reading this Book, we cease to wonder that Taoism and Buddhism should in many practices come so near each other. Book XIX. TA SHANG. I have been inclined to translate the title of this Book by ‘ The Fuller Understanding of Life,’ with reference to what is said in the second Book on ‘The Nourishment of the Lord of Life.’ There the Life before the mind of the writer is that of the Body ; here he extends his view also to the Life of the Spirit. The one subject is not kept, however, with sufficient distinctness apart from the other, and the profusion of illustrations, taken, most of them, from the works of Lieh-jze, is perplexing. To use the words of Li Shi-#ih:—‘ This Book shows how he who would skilfully nourish his life, must maintain his spirit complete, and become one with Heaven. These two ideas preside in it throughout. In par. 2, the words of the Warden Yin show that the spirit kept complete is beyond the reach of harm, In 3, the illustration of the hunchback shows how the will must be maintained free from all confusion. In 4, that of the ferryman shows that to the completeness of the spirit there is required the disregard of life or death. In 5 and 6, the words of Thien Khai-#ih convey a warning against injuring the life by the indulgence of sensual desires. In 7, the sight of a sprite by duke Hwan unsettles his spirit. In 8, the gamecock is trained so as to preserve the spirit unagitated. In 9, we see the man in the water of the cataract resting calmly in his appointed lot. In 10, we have the maker of the bellstand completing his work as he did in accordance with the mind of Heaven. All these instances show how the — 9 - CS eat ects | ee BK. XXL. BRIEF NOTICES OF THE DIFFERENT BOOKS, 151 spirit is nourished. The reckless charioteering of Tung Yé in par. II, not stopping when the strength of his horses was exhausted, and the false pretext of Sun Hsid, clear as at noon-day, are instances of a different kind; while in the skilful Shui, hardly needing the application of his mind, and fully enjoying himself in all things, his movements testify of his harmony with Heaven, and his spiritual completeness.’ Book XX. SHAN MO.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1They have certainly one peculiarity in common ;—many references to sayings which cannot be traced, but are introduced by the formula of quotation, ‘ Therefore, it is said.’ Book XVI. SHAN HSING. ‘Rectifying or Correcting the Nature’ is the meaning of the title, and expresses sufficiently well the subject-matter of the Book. It was written to expose the ‘ vulgar’ learning of the time as contrary to the principles of the true Taoism, that learning being, according to Li Shd-éih, ‘the teachings of Hui-3ze and Kung-sun Lung.’ It is to be wished that we had fuller accounts of these. But see in Book XXXIII. Many of the critics are fond of comparing the Book with the 21st chapter of the 7th Book of Mencius, part 1,— where that philosopher sets forth ‘ Man’s own nature as the most important thing to him, and the source of his true enjoyment, which no one can read without admiration. But we have more sympathy with Mencius’s fundamental views about our human nature, than with those of AK wanggaze and his Taoism. Lin Hsi-#ung is rather inclined to doubt the genuineness of the Book. Though he admires its composition, and admits the close and compact sequence of its sentences, there is yet something about it that does not smack of Kwang-jze’s style. Rather there seems to me to underlie it the antagonism of Lao and Awang to the learning of the Confucian school. The only characteristic L2 148 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XVII. of our author which I miss, is the illustrative stories of which he is generally so profuse. In this the Book agrees with the preceding. Book XVII. Kart SHut. Khit Shui, or ‘Autumn Waters,’ the first two characters of the first paragraph of this Book, are adopted as its title. Its subject, in that paragraph, however, is not so much the waters of autumn, as the greatness of the T4o in its spontaneity, when it has obtained complete dominion over man. No illustration of the T4o is so great a favourite with LAo-3ze as water, but he loved to set it forth in its quiet, onward movement, always seeking the lowest place, and always exercising a beneficent influence. But water is here before Kwang-3ze in its mightiest volume,—the inundated Ho and the all but boundless magnitude of the ocean ; and as he takes occasion from those phenomena to deliver his lessons, I translate the title by ‘The Floods of Autumn.’ To adopt the account of the Book given by La Shakih :—‘ This Book,’ he says, ‘shows how its spontaneity is the greatest characteristic of the Tao, and the chief thing inculcated in it is that we must not allow the human element to extinguish in our constitution the Heavenly.
2‘ First, using the illustrations of the Ho and the Sea, our author gives us to see the Five Tis and the Kings of the Three dynasties as only exhibiting the Tao in a small degree, while its great development is not to be found in out ward form and appliances so that it cannot be described in words, and it is difficult to find its point of commencement, which indeed appears to be impracticable, while still by doing nothing the human may be united with the Heavenly, and men may bring back their True condition. By means of the conversations between the guardian spirit of the Ho and Zo (the god) of the Sea this subject is exhaustively treated. ‘Next (in paragraph 8), the khwei, the millepede, and other subjects illustrate how the mind is spirit-like in its spontaneity and doing nothing. The case of Confucius (in par. 9) shows the same spontaneity, transforming violence. BK, XVIII, BRIEF NOTICES OF THE DIFFERENT BOOKS. 149 Kung-sun Lung (in par. 10), refusing to comply with that spontaneity, and seeking victory by his sophistical reasonings, shows his wisdom to be only like the folly of the frog in the well. The remaining three paragraphs bring before us AK wang-jze by the spontaneity of his T4o, now superior to the allurements of rank; then, like the phoenix flying aloft, as enjoying himself in perfect ease; and finally, as like the fishes, in the happiness of his self-possession.’ Such is a brief outline of this interesting chapter. Many of the critics would expunge the ninth and tenth paragraphs as unworthy of Awang-jze, the former as misrepresenting Confucius, the latter as extolling himself. I think they may both be allowed to stand as from his pencil. Book XVIII. ArH Lo. The title of this Book, Kih Lo, or ‘ Perfect Enjoyment,’ may also be received as describing the subject-matter of it. But the author does not tell us distinctly what he means by ‘Perfect Enjoyment.’ It seems to involve two elements,— freedom from trouble and distress, and freedom from the fear of death. What men seek for as their chief good would only be to him burdens. He does not indeed altogether condemn them, but his own quest is the better and more excellent way. His own enjoyment is to be obtained by means of doing nothing; that is, by the Tao; of which passionless and purposeless action is a chief characteristic ; and is at the same time the most effective action, as is illustrated in the operation of heaven and earth. Such is the substance of the first paragraph. The second is interesting as showing how his principle controlled Kwang-3ze on the death of his wife. Paragraph 3 shows us two professors of Td4oism delivered by it from the fear of their own death. Paragraph 4 brings our author before us talking to a skull, and then the skull’s appearance to him in a dream and telling him of the happiness of the state after death. Paragraph 5 isoccupied with Confucius and his favourite disciple Yen Hui. It stands by itself, unconnected with the rest of the Book, and its
3Paragraph 5 isoccupied with Confucius and his favourite disciple Yen Hui. It stands by itself, unconnected with the rest of the Book, and its See ace See es -e =: - a ~O--6 eeeee- em ee = 150 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK, XIX. genuineness is denied by some commentators. The last paragraph, found in an enlarged form in the Books ascribed to Lieh-3ze, has as little to do as the fifth with the general theme of the Book, and is a strange anticipation in China of the transrotation or transformation system of Buddhism. Indeed, after reading this Book, we cease to wonder that Taoism and Buddhism should in many practices come so near each other. Book XIX. TA SHANG. I have been inclined to translate the title of this Book by ‘ The Fuller Understanding of Life,’ with reference to what is said in the second Book on ‘The Nourishment of the Lord of Life.’ There the Life before the mind of the writer is that of the Body ; here he extends his view also to the Life of the Spirit. The one subject is not kept, however, with sufficient distinctness apart from the other, and the profusion of illustrations, taken, most of them, from the works of Lieh-jze, is perplexing. To use the words of Li Shi-#ih:—‘ This Book shows how he who would skilfully nourish his life, must maintain his spirit complete, and become one with Heaven. These two ideas preside in it throughout. In par. 2, the words of the Warden Yin show that the spirit kept complete is beyond the reach of harm, In 3, the illustration of the hunchback shows how the will must be maintained free from all confusion. In 4, that of the ferryman shows that to the completeness of the spirit there is required the disregard of life or death. In 5 and 6, the words of Thien Khai-#ih convey a warning against injuring the life by the indulgence of sensual desires. In 7, the sight of a sprite by duke Hwan unsettles his spirit. In 8, the gamecock is trained so as to preserve the spirit unagitated. In 9, we see the man in the water of the cataract resting calmly in his appointed lot. In 10, we have the maker of the bellstand completing his work as he did in accordance with the mind of Heaven. All these instances show how the — 9 - CS eat ects | ee BK. XXL. BRIEF NOTICES OF THE DIFFERENT BOOKS, 151 spirit is nourished. The reckless charioteering of Tung Yé in par. II, not stopping when the strength of his horses was exhausted, and the false pretext of Sun Hsid, clear as at noon-day, are instances of a different kind; while in the skilful Shui, hardly needing the application of his mind, and fully enjoying himself in all things, his movements testify of his harmony with Heaven, and his spiritual completeness.’ Book XX. SHAN MO.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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