Zhuangzi, named Zhou and Zixiu, was a famous philosopher during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and the founder of the Pre-Qin Zhuangzi School. He inherited and developed Laozi's philosophical thoughts, advocated the political views of "the unity of nature and man" and "governing by doing nothing", and left many works that enlightened the wisdom of future generations, such as "Equality of Things", "The Great Master" and "Xiaoyao". "Travel" etc. Zhuangzi insisted on himself throughout his life, acted spontaneously, and examined the world from an artistic and aesthetic perspective. His philosophical thoughts had a great influence on later generations.
There is a fable in "Zhuangzi" called "The Yellow Emperor Asks for the Mysterious Pearl": The Yellow Emperor was swimming in Chishui, and when he climbed up the Kunlun Mountains and looked south, he accidentally lost his mysterious pearl. He sent the wise "Zhi", the good-sighted "Li Zhu" and the good debating "Chicun" to look for them, but none of them were found. In the end, he had no choice but to send "Xiang Zang" who had no intention of doing anything to look for him, but unexpectedly he found him. Why can't people with intelligence and talent be found, but people who have no intention of doing anything finally find them? Huang Di was very puzzled by this. In fact, this story reflects Zhuangzi’s straightforward worldview of “doing nothing but doing everything”.
Xuanzhu is a symbol of "Tao". The Yellow Emperor came to the world and governed the country, hoping to educate the people and make a difference. But this kind of "doing something" is contrary to Zhuangzi's "Tao" of "governing by doing nothing". From this, Zhuangzi believed that Huangdi had lost his way. The description of the process of searching for the Tao further reflects the frankness of Zhuangzi's personality. Huangdi asked three men who were wise, discerning, and good at debating to search for it separately, but none of them found it. Later, I asked "Xiang Wang", who had no intention, no desire, and no desire, to look for it, but found it.
Zhuangzi believes that natural inaction is the existence form of all things in the universe, and advocates following the laws of nature and doing nothing. Moreover, he believed that all rituals, music, and education were like shackles to people, painful and useless. "The beauty of heaven and earth is not mentioned, the laws of the four seasons are clear but not discussed, the principles of all things are not explained", "Simple, but no one in the world can compete with it for beauty"... Zhuangzi believes that only by following the laws of nature can human beings be able to Like all living things in the world, they have original beauty, and anything that goes against nature will eventually lead to injustice in the world.
The "governing by doing nothing" advocated by Zhuangzi is very similar to Laozi's political views. Later generations will refer to Laozi and Zhuangzi as "Laozi and Zhuangzi", which shows how close their relationship is. Many people think that since they all advocate "inaction", their "Tao" should be the same. In fact, there is a big difference between Zhuangzi's "inaction" and Laozi's "inaction". Compared with Lao Tzu, a politician who actively engages in the world, Zhuangzi is more like a poet who is free and unconstrained.
Many people know the story of Bole Xiangma, and they all think that Bole did a favor to Chollima by making him stand out from the ordinary horses. But Zhuangzi didn't think so. He believed that Bole Xiangma was actually harming the horse, and his actions brought endless disasters to Qianlima. For a horse, it is his nature to eat grass when he is hungry, drink water when he is thirsty, spread his hooves and run when he is happy, and kick when he is unhappy. But since the arrival of Bole, who is good at managing horses, horses can no longer live according to their nature. Bole's method of managing horses is actually nothing more than shearing, burning, cutting hoofs, and branding horses... His process of raising and training horses is like the most cruel punishment, full of blood. After these "tortures", the horse has indeed become a talented and useful horse to humans. The consequences of this are of course good for the horse owner, but it is a disaster for the horse itself. Ma paid a heavy price for a so-called talent that was meaningless to him.
Zhuangzi believed that governing a country is similar to taming a horse, and those who govern a country often make mistakes similar to those who tame horses. The natural state of man is like an untamed wild horse. Many monarchs think that they are good at governing the country, but their methods of governing the country are just changes in human nature. Originally, people plowed fields and weaved cloth, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, carefree and free. At this time, people have no desires, only the simplest and most primitive part of their nature. Later, monarchs and saints appeared. They put forward a bunch of rules and morals for people to abide by, and advocated various codes of conduct. They hoped to extend their ideas to the common people in the world, and use their own likes and dislikes, and their own views of right and wrong to judge people. Standards of right and wrong. Under such circumstances, people abandon their original nature and gradually begin to doubt and think about all the right and wrong, good and bad in the world. After that, they become more and more complex and become better and better at using their intelligence and wisdom. For your own benefit.
Zhuangzi hated this method of governing the country that went against human nature. There was no "governance" in his political outlook. He advocated following the laws of nature and obeying human nature. Therefore, whether it is taming horses or governing the country, it goes against his straightforward world view. Transforming people and the world is what all rulers and saints are most passionate about, so it is normal for his views not to be adopted. In Zhuangzi's view, rulers and saints all have good intentions and hope to transform the world into a better place. But what they did and the consequences of their actions were evil. Perhaps the reason why Zhuangzi retreated from the world was because he could not bear and was unable to change this reality.
Lao Tzu has an ideal "Utopia" in his heart, and he has drawn a blueprint for this ideal "Utopia". Therefore, although he was frustrated everywhere, he still had the world in mind and was always ready to fight to save the world. However, Zhuangzi's willfulness determined that he was unable to integrate into the society at that time, and he was unable to influence the society at that time with his thoughts. Therefore, he had no choice but to retreat into his own world, close himself up, and no longer pay attention to the world. Instead, he began to focus only on his own inner cultivation and his own nature, and began to pursue a kind of freedom to wander around the world. His retreat and indifference are not actually due to a lack of care or concern for reality, but more of a sense of dissatisfaction with reality and a sense of despair that he is unable to save everything.
We have all heard the story of Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly. It tells that one day in the past, Zhuang Zhou dreamed that he had turned into a butterfly. In the dream, he forgot that he was Zhuang Zhou, danced lightly, and felt very happy. Suddenly he woke up from his dream. Zhuang Zhou opened his eyes and looked around confusedly, only to find that he was still lying on his cold and hard bed. Are there any butterflies anywhere? Zhuang Zhou was confused and didn't know whether Zhuang Zhou in the dream dreamed of the butterfly in the dream, or whether the butterfly in the dream dreamed of Zhuang Zhou in the dream.
This story embodies Zhuangzi’s thought of equalizing all things. There is a big difference between Zhuang Zhou and Butterfly, but the Great Way always exists. Whether it turns into Zhuang Zhou or a butterfly, whether it goes from leisure to hustle and bustle, or from hustle and bustle to freedom, these are just different forms of its existence. The dancing butterfly is a symbol of freedom and beauty, while Zhuang Zhou himself is a symbol of hustle and bustle. What this story wants to illustrate is that although everything in the world looks very different, its essence is the same. This is the so-called "equalization of things". It was also because of this idea of equalizing all things that Zhuang Zhou felt that he could dream of butterflies, and similarly, butterflies could dream of him.
This idea of equalizing all things also deeply affected his view of life. He believes that if we can break the forgetfulness of life and death and the separation of things and self, we can achieve a light and happy life. Since ancient times, humans have had an innate fear of death. Because from a common sense point of view, "life" is a state of perception and response to the world and all things. This kind of perception and response is actually an affirmation of our life existence. "Death" means leaving this world, no longer communicating with it, and no longer having any perception of everything. This kind of ignorance is of course a sign that life no longer exists. But in Zhuangzi's philosophical world, this statement is very naive and wrong. His thought of equalizing all things affected his view of life and death and allowed him to see through the essence of life. He feels that life is a process of dust returning to dust, dust returning to dust, and death is not the opposite of life, but only an indispensable part of it. Human body and spirit are not owned by ourselves, but are given by nature. After death, the body and spirit return to nature, so life and death are just two different states of existence of human vitality. The process from birth to death is as natural as the flow of day and night, the change of seasons, and the transformation of fallen leaves into spring mud. In this process, we are eternal, but the form of existence is always changing.
This comprehensive view of life and death is based on Zhuangzi's observation and thinking of life and all things, and is the embodiment of his wisdom. After the death of his wife, who had supported him all his life, Zhuangzi did not show sadness. Instead, he sat on the ground and "sung with drums and basins." His good friend Huizi even felt that he went against the principles of the world. However, he is not heartless. His explanation was that his wife was originally lifeless, even breathless, and shapeless, mixed in the avenue. Later, due to the changes in the avenue, she gradually became breathy, and then became tangible and alive. Now, due to the changes in the avenue, it has lost its life and body, and has returned to its most primitive state. She is lying in the grave now, not disappearing, but existing in another form. Human beings' journey from birth to death is a natural process, so we should not feel sad. Keiko thinks that although his behavior makes sense theoretically, it doesn't make sense emotionally. This reflects the conflict between Zhuangzi's and Huizi's views on life and death. Huizi's view of life and death remains at the stage based on ordinary human reason, while Zhuangzi always treats issues about life and death from his poet-like artistic aesthetic perspective.
Zhuangzi and Huizi not only have very different views on life and death, but also have very different ways of thinking. The debate between the two of them on "the joy of knowing fish" in Haoliang is still widely circulated today. This story tells that Zhuangzi and Huizi were playing on Haoliang. Zhuangzi said: "The fish swims freely in the water. This is its happiness." Huizi said: "You are not a fish. How do you know its happiness?" Zhuangzi said: "You are not me, how do you know that I don't know the happiness of the fish?" This story reflects Zhuangzi's idea of the unity of things and me. He gave his emotional consciousness to the fish. , so the fish has joy and sorrow, and has the ability to express its emotions and communicate with others. In this story, Huizi and Zhuangzi are one rational and the other emotional, so of course they cannot reach a consensus. If the wisdom of Huizi, who was a representative of the famous debate school at that time, is reflected in his rational logical thinking, then the wisdom of Zhuangzi is mainly reflected in his rich and beautiful intuitive orientation.
In addition, we can also see Zhuangzi's wisdom from his philosophy of life. As the saying goes: "Being with the king is like being with a tiger." Although many people have good wishes in getting along with the king, they do not get good results in the end due to improper methods.
Zhuangzi believes that the key to taming a king is to let nature take its course and exert influence in accordance with his nature. Regarding the king who was cruel by nature, Zhuangzi felt that he should be close to him and accommodate him on the surface, but he could not compromise with him too much in his heart. Because if we don’t get close to him and accommodate him on the surface, then he may endanger our lives. Interfering with the king's behavior from the perspective of a minister is tantamount to using a mantis' arm as a chariot. Although the mantis' arm is the most powerful part of the mantis' body, this power is still minimal for a large chariot. Using your forearms to block a speeding car is tantamount to asking for death. Therefore, although the spirit is commendable, as a minister, the price to pay for forcibly intervening in the king's behavior is too high.
Although it is not advisable to "take advantage of the situation", it does not mean that we have to compromise blindly, because too much compromise will also bring disaster to us. There are only two results for being too compromising: being assimilated by him or being regarded as a monster by him. Both results are completely opposite to our original intention.
The difficulty in being a companion to the king lies in knowing the right balance between persistence and compromise. In the middle period of the Warring States Period, society was surrounded by crises. With Zhuangzi's wisdom, it was obviously easy to become an official. In fact, someone did extend an olive branch to Zhuangzi, and this person was King Wei of Chu. But faced with the temptation of King Chu Wei's high official and generous salary, Zhuangzi calmly said "no". After extending the story of "the mantis stalks the cicada, but the strange bird behind it" to the real world, Zhuangzi saw the cunning and cruelty that people show to each other for their own benefit. Perhaps it was precisely because of his fear of the complex interest relationships among people and his excessive insistence on himself that Zhuangzi rejected King Chu Wei and chose a quiet and indifferent life. It was this choice that allowed him to live in a small The self-world realizes the true meaning of life and creates a broader and freer country.
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, people from Wuling who made a living by fishing strayed into the Peach Blossom Spring. The grass there is delicious, the fallen flowers are colorful, there are fertile fields and beautiful ponds, as well as mulberry, bamboo, chickens and dogs. Men, women, old and young all enjoy themselves and live a very free and comfortable life. Tao Yuanming, the great "hermit poet", described to us the "Utopia" in his mind. Until now, people are still yearning for such a paradise. Seclusion has been a very romantic thing since ancient times. What literati in ancient and modern times yearn for most is the living condition of "you can enter the court, and you can retreat far away from the rivers and lakes". Therefore, many masters in the works of martial arts master Jin Yong live in seclusion in the world. For example, Huang Laoxie lives in seclusion on the beautiful Peach Blossom Island; Xiao Longnu lives in seclusion at the bottom of the beautiful Jueqing Valley; Wu Yazi lives in seclusion in the beautiful Wuliang Mountains... The reason for this is not only the dangers of the world, but also the helplessness of going back. There should also be a yearning for a secluded life. In their own world, these martial arts masters who live in seclusion have either practiced unparalleled magical skills or retained their stunning beauty, and experienced the most wonderful part of life in a carefree state. But compared with Zhuangzi's achievements in retirement, they are obviously much inferior. Zhuangzi can be said to have brought the role of seclusion to the extreme.
"When the spring dries up, and the fish stay together on the land, it is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes than to forget each other in the rivers and lakes." . This is the spiritual embodiment of Zhuangzi's pursuit of freedom, and it is this pursuit of freedom that makes him stay away from the market and stay alone in his pure spiritual land.
There is a passage in "Xiaoyaoyou" that Yao wanted to give up the world to Xu You, so he said to Xu You: "The sun and moon have come out, but the candles are still lit. Isn't it difficult to compare the light of the sun and the moon? ?The rain has fallen in time, but people are still carrying water for irrigation. Isn't this in vain? If sir can occupy the position of king, then the world will be peaceful, but I am still occupying his position. I feel very ashamed. Please allow me to give up my position. Mr. Yu.”
Many people dream of ruling the world, but Xu You refused Yao's request to give way to him on the grounds that he did not want to pursue fame and fortune, and he did not want to overstep his bounds. Zhuangzi expressed his views on fame and fortune through Xu You's words - "Fame is the guest of reality." Fame and fortune are all frivolous things in life, but many people regard them as the foundation of life and fall into the abyss of fame and fortune and cannot extricate themselves. Temporary false fame may bring short-term happiness to people, but if you are greedy for this short-term happiness and indulge too much in chasing false fame, you will lose more than you gain. Zhuangzi's rejection of King Wei of Chu should also have this reason. He did not want to be burdened by false fame, and just wanted to live a real life like a leisurely cloud and a wild crane. He believed that "a perfect person has no self, a god has no merit, and a saint has no name." Eat when you are hungry, sleep when you are tired, write, draw, and meet friends when you are happy, complain a little when you are unhappy, be detached, move forward and retreat freely, forget favors and disgrace, have leisurely feelings, and have leisurely fun, as seen in Zhuangzi Coming here is the best state of life.
In Zhuangzi's fable, not only Xu You refused the throne of the king, but also many talented sages: Zizhou Zhifu, Zizhou Zhibo, Shanjuan, etc. also refused the throne given to them by the monarch. In the fable, Yao and Shun searched for worthy men to abdicate the throne, but no one they found was willing to accept it. Because in the eyes of these sages, being king of the south and ruling the world brought them not only glory and wealth, but also the hard work they had to do to maintain a false reputation. In their eyes, being free and easy is a more attractive option than owning the world. This is the typical view of Taoist hermits.
Qu Quezi and Chang Wuzi talked about their dreams, and Chang Wuzi said: "People who drink and have fun in their dreams may be sad and cry when they wake up; people who are sad and cry in their dreams may go hunting happily after they wake up." When you are dreaming, you don’t know that you are dreaming. Sometimes there is a dream within a dream. After you wake up, you realize that it is just a dream. And when a person fully realizes it, he will find that life is just a dream. Big dream. Stupid people in the world think they are awake and think they have seen everything and understand everything. They talk about gentlemen, ministers, etiquette, music, and morality all day long. It is simply extremely shallow."
Zhuangzi believes that there is no difference between dreams and reality. If you immerse yourself in the dream and feel the joy, anger, sorrow and joy in the dream, then the dream will be as real as life. Life is like a dream, and dreams are like life. Any reality will eventually disappear. No matter whether a person is great or small, noble or humble, he will eventually disappear in the long flow of time. Even if he has stirred up a few waves, he will surely return to peace. All glory or despair will be wiped out over time. So when we work so hard to pursue useless fame, we are just immersed in an illusory dream. If you are immersed in dreams and burdened by false fame, how can you let go of the so-called fame and fortune, enjoy every day when you can feel everything in the world, and spend your life happily?
Zhuangzi lived in a carefree state, unburdened by fame and unencumbered by worldly affairs. In a dream, Zhuangzi understood this truth, so he was willing to obey nature rather than people. He lives in the mountains and swamps, hiding in the wilderness, hoping to forget everything in the world and never wake up in this dream of freedom and freedom.
When Zhuangzi was about to die, his disciples planned to bury him richly, but Zhuangzi was unwilling. He said: "I use the heaven and the earth as my coffin, the sun and the moon as my twin stones, and the stars as my pearls. All things in the heaven and earth are my burial companions. Isn't that enough? Is there anything better than this?" The disciple said: "I'm worried that crows and eagles will peck at your body." Zhuangzi said: "If you abandon the body on the ground, crows and eagles will peck at it, but if you bury it in The ground will be eaten by ants too. Take the food from the crow's mouth and give it to the ants, why are you so partial!"
In Zhuangzi's view, death is an extremely natural thing, and people return to nature through death. After death, Zhuangzi also opposed generous burials in terms of the handling of the body. He may have thought that lavish burials were the work of fools, and that such a flashy form was against the laws of nature. He is as carefree as he is, and of course he feels that following nature, returning to the embrace of nature without going against the will of God, burying all things in the world with him, resting happily, and transforming with things, is how people should treat death and their remains correctly. manner.
Zhuangzi insisted on the authenticity of human nature. His life was the romantic life of a poet and a hermit. His carefree attitude towards life still has an important enlightenment effect on modern people who are lost in the steel forest and immersed in the pursuit of false fame.
