天人合一
The Unification of Heaven and Humanity into One (part I)
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其动，止也；其死，生也；其废，起也。此又非其所以也。有治在人，忘乎物，忘乎天，其名为忘己。忘己之人，是之谓入于天。
-庄子·天地-
Such movement ceases, [from] such death [comes] born, such discarding is raised [again]. These are also not such results [from humans]. There is governance with humans, [yet] forgetting matters, [and] forgetting Heaven, its name is Forgetting Oneself. People who forgetting themselves are called [the ones] who Entered into Heaven.
-Zhuangzi ·Heaven & Earth-
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The Unification of Heaven and Humanity into One is an important Chinese philosophical and historical topic. As its explanations are diverse, it is still a matter of heated discussion. Its theories are regarded by some as the greatest contribution of Chinese culture to humankind. It asks humans and the great nature to co-exist harmoniously and abandon the idea of the conqueror and the conquered.
Yet, in order to shed illuminating light on this issue, it is warranted to turn one’s gaze to the classics and its historical references. One of the earliest concepts of Heaven’s and Humanity’s Unification into One was developed in the philosophical ideological system of Daoist thinker Zhuangzi, hereby constructing the main body of this Chinese traditional culture. In Zhuangzi’s chapter Autumn Waters [qiu shui秋水], He Bo [河伯] said:
曰：「何謂天？何謂人？」北海若曰：「牛馬四足，是謂天；落馬首，穿牛鼻，是謂人。故曰：無以人滅天，無以故滅命，無以得殉名。謹守而勿失，是謂反其真。」
What is called Heaven? What is called Humanity? Ruo from the Northern Sea said: Oxen and horses’ , the four hoofed [ones, are called Heaven, [What] falls from the horse’s head and what pierces the oxen’s nose is called Human. That is the reason why it is said: Be without the destruction of Heaven by humans, be without the extinction of Heaven by humans, be without the extinction of Life-Destiny by reasoning [and] be without perishing for the cause of one’s reputation by gain. Adhere strictly to this and do not let it go amiss, this is called the reversal of to one’s truth. [1]
The universe’s naturalness is considered the Great Heaven and Earth, while humanity, thus, is a microcosms and miniature version of the Great Heaven and Earth. Humanity and naturalness essentially and inherently are interconnected. This is the reason why all human affairs uniformly respond and follow from the laws and rules of nature, in order to reach harmony between humanity and naturalness. In the words of Lao Zi :
人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。
Humanity [follows] the laws of the Earth,
Earth [follows] the laws of Heaven,
Heaven [follows] the laws f the Dao,
[and] the Dao [follows] the laws of naturalness.
[1] An alternate translation of this passage by Sabine Wilms can be found under:
https://www.happygoatproductions.com/…/thoughts-on-civility…
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Post-Scriptum: The full article will appear in the appendix of Purple Cloud Press’ forthcoming publication of 《The 49 Barriers of Cultivating the Dao》 by Xing De, a manual for refining Inner Nature based on Liu Yiming’s 50 Barriers.
