Daoism Series 23: 荘子 Zhuang Zi

荘子

Zhuang Zi

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Honorifically titled Zhuang Zi (?–290), actually named Zhuang Zhou, is one of the most influential philosophers of Daoism who lived during the Warring States period. Little is known about him, and what has been passed down is mostly extracted from his book by the same name, Zhuang Zi, which is also entitled the True Scripture of the Southern Florescence. The life of Zhuang Zi is recounted in Si Ma Qian’s [司马迁] Record of the Grand Historian, chapter 63, entitled ‘The Biographies of Lao Zi and Han Fei’:

庄子者，蒙人也，名周。周尝为蒙漆园吏，与梁惠王、齐宣王同时。其学无所不闚，然其要本归于老子之言。故其著书十馀万言，大抵率寓言也。作渔父、盗跖、胠箧，以诋訿孔子之徒，以明老子之术。畏累虚、亢桑子之属，皆空语无事实。然善属书离辞，指事类情，用剽剥儒、墨，虽当世宿学不能自解免也。其言洸洋自恣以适己，故自王公大人不能器之。楚威王闻庄周贤，使使厚币迎之，许以为相。庄周笑谓楚使者曰：“千金，重利；卿相，尊位也。子独不见郊祭之牺牛乎？养食之数岁，衣以文绣，以入大庙。当是之时，虽欲为孤豚，岂可得乎？子亟去，无污我。我宁游戏污渎之中自快，无为有国者所羁，终身不仕，以快吾志焉。

Zhuang Zi was a resident of Meng, and his given name was Zhou. [Zhuang] Zhou once served as a petty official in the Lacquer Garden of Meng around the time of King Hui of Liang and King Xuan of Qi. There was no [aspect] that his studies did not pry into, yet, the essence of his study] is intrinsically attributed to the words of Lao Zi. This is the reason why for his written books of ten thousand odd words, for the most part, they are usually fables. He composed ‘Old Fisherman ’, the ‘Robber Zhi’, and ‘Prying Open Boxes, to slander the disciples of Confucius and to illuminate the art of Lao Zi. Among with the likes of Wei Lei Xu and Kang Sang Zi, [Zhuang Zi] belongs to [the category] of those with all empty words and without factuality. Nevertheless, he was adept at composing writings and analysing expressions, pointing to the facts and inducing the situations [by analogy], which he employed to attack and rip apart the Confucians and Mohists. Even for the established scholars today, they cannot fully comprehend [Zhuang Zi’s writings]. His words are like the sparkling water of the ocean, doing as they please [with no restraint] in order to suit themselves, that is the reason why kings and dukes as well as those in charge did not regard [his words] as valuable.

When the King Wei of Chu heard about the worthiness of Zhuang Zhou, he dispatched an envoy with generous coins to invite him [to court], promising him with the post of the chief minister. Zhuang Zhou laughed and addressed the envoy from Chu:

Ten Thousand pieces of gold, what a huge gain! The high rank of the chief minister, what an honoured position! Have you, sir, not seen the ceremony where the ox is sacrificed in the outskirts? It is fed with fodder for several years and it is then covered with an embroidered fabric, so that it can enter the great temple. At that time, even if it wishes to be a suckling pig that no one notices, how could it fulfil [that wish]? Sir, you must leave immediately; do not defile/taint me. I rather have the delight to play in the dirty ditch, and I will not be restrained by a person who possesses a kingdom. Till the demise of my body, I will not serve as an official, so that I can take delights in my own volitions.

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Post-Scriptum: This article will be published in full as part of a book, entitled ‘Arts of Daoism’ about meditation, stillness cultivation, abstention from grains [bi gu辟谷], sleeping gong [shui gong睡功], dreams, vegetarianism and diet in Daoism, formulae for fasting and meditation incense, including several chapters from the alchemical classic The Essentials of the Shortcut to the Great Achievement [da cheng jie yao 大成捷要]. It will be a mixture of anecdotal and oral transmissions from my teacher Li Shi Fu and translations of a number of chapters from ancient texts. It is set to be released before Christmas 2020, and a first draft is already finalized.

Post-Post-Scriptum:

The first picture is by Tao Lengyue ‘Zhuang Zi Dreaming of Butterfly’; the second picture of Zhuang Zi’s butterfly dream stems from the Smithsonian Museum’s Collection.