TRANSLATION BY TORSTEN SCHWANKE / SHI TUO-TANG
CHAPTER I
Adaptation to life
All beings are generated from Heaven. Their nourishment and perfection is the responsibility of man. He who can nourish what is produced by Heaven without doing it violence is rightly called the Son of Heaven. In all his actions, the Son of Heaven has the goal of perfecting nature through art. That is the reason why he appoints officials. The purpose of appointing officials is to cultivate and perfect life. Nowadays there are infatuated rulers who have numerous officials, but by doing so they only damage life. In this way they miss the purpose of their appointment. For example: one arms oneself with weapons to secure oneself against enemy incursions. If one now arms weapons and conversely uses them to attack oneself, the purpose of the armour is obviously missed.
Water is clear by nature. If it is clouded by earth, this clarity cannot appear. Man is by nature destined to long life. If it is clouded by external things, that long life cannot appear. External things are there to be used to gain life through them, not to be used to gain life. Nowadays there are infatuated people who often try to gain the external things at the cost of their lives. In this way they show that they do not appreciate true value. Those who do not know true value take the important for unimportant and the unimportant for important. But he who does this will necessarily be unsuccessful in all his actions. A prince who acts in this way becomes a tyrant; an official who acts in this way becomes an outrage; a son who acts in this way becomes unruly. If there is even one of these three classes of men in a state, it will surely perish unless it is very fortunate.
For example, if a music, though pleasant to hear, is deafening by its hearing, it should not be listened to at all. If a figure is pleasant to look at, but blinded by looking at it, one should not look at it at all. If a food is pleasant to eat, but its consumption makes the mouth stale, it should not be eaten at all. Therefore, the wise man behaves towards the impressions of the senses of the ear, the eye and the mouth in such a way that he enjoys them if they are beneficial to life, but deprives himself of them if they are harmful to life. This is the way to the cultivation and perfection of life.
The worldly people who attach importance to wealth are quite blinded in regard to the pleasures of the senses. If one strives day and night for happiness and attains it, one becomes self-indulgent. But how does a self-indulgent man manage not to spoil his life? If 10,000 people take up the bow and shoot together at a target, the target is sure to be hit. If 10,000 things glitter and shine to spoil a life, that life will surely spoil. But if all things help to promote that one life, that life will surely last long. Therefore the wise man so arranges the use of all things that they may complete his Heaven-given life. Whoever completes this life, his spirit comes into harmony, his eye becomes clear, his ear understanding, his smell fine, his taste sharp, and all his limbs become dexterous and free. Such a man finds faith without speaking, does what is right without thinking beforehand, finds his goal without thinking beforehand. For his spirit pervades Heaven and earth, and his mind encompasses the universe. He faces things in such a way that all are at his disposal and must serve him; in this he is like Heaven and earth. When he is high up on the king's throne, he does not become proud; when he is low down as a common man, he does not become sad about it. Of such a man it may be said that he has made his character perfect. Honour and riches without the knowledge that prosperity leads to misery is worse than poverty and lowliness. For he who is poor and lowly finds it difficult to snatch things to himself. Even if he wanted to indulge in luxury, how could he? On the street the carriage and in the house the lift, one seeks them to make oneself comfortable, but they are called machines for inducing paralysis. Fat meat and old wine, one looks for them to strengthen oneself, but they are called poisons that make the bowels rot. Delicate cheeks and white teeth and the seductive tones of chong and we, one seeks them to please oneself, but they are called the axe that cuts down life. But these three evils are the consequences of honour and wealth. That is why among the ancients there were those who refused to be honoured and rich because they valued life. Those who do not want to be beguiled by vain names, but take reality seriously, must not let this admonition go unheeded.
CHAPTER II
The importance of one's own ego
Chui was very skilful, and yet people prefer their own fingers to Chui's; the reason is because their possession is useful to them. People do not like the nephrite stones of Mount Kun and the pearls of the rivers Giang and Han as much as their own stained nephrite stone or their little baroque pearl; the reason is that their possession is useful to them. Now my life belongs to me too, and the benefit it has for me is particularly great. It is so important to me that even an imperial throne is out of the question. It is so valuable to me that I cannot exchange it even for the possession of the whole world. Its security is irreplaceable, for once I have lost it, I cannot find it again all my life. These three things are what the wise, who have recognised the truth, pay special attention to. But whoever pays attention to this and still damages it, does not understand the basic conditions of life. But whoever does not understand the conditions of life, what use is all caution to him? He is like that blind musician who loved his son but still let him sleep on chaff, or like that deaf man who brought up a child but joked with him in the middle of the thunder in the hall. Both have their infirmities and therefore do not know what prudence means. For those who do not know what prudence means, there does not even exist the difference between life and death, duration and demise, possibility and impossibility. For whom this difference does not yet exist, he holds to be right what is by no means right, and to be wrong what is by no means wrong. But if what he thinks is wrong is right, and what he thinks is right is wrong, he is a great fool. On such people comes the punishment of Heaven. He who leads his own life according to these principles will surely die in half his days. Whoever leads a state according to these principles will surely lead it towards decay and ruin. Premature death, decay and ruin do not come of themselves, but are brought about by foolishness. On the other hand, it is the same with long life and lasting prosperity. That is why the wise man is not concerned about the fates that are brought about, but about that which brings about these fates. Then everything falls to him without anyone being able to prevent it. This consideration must be made quite clear.
If an athlete like Wu Hu wanted to pull an ox by the tail with all his strength, the tail would sooner break off or his strength run out than the ox would follow him because he was pulling him backwards. But if a little boy leads him by the nose ring, the ox follows him wherever he wants, because it goes forward.
The princes and lords of this world, whether worthy or unworthy, all wish to live long and see many days. But if they drag their lives backwards every day, what use is their wishing? What makes life long is that you let it go forward. But what does not make life go forward are the lusts. That is why the wise man restricts above all the lusts. If a hall is large, it is too shady; if a terrace is high, it is too sunny. If you have too much shade, you get rheumatism; if you have too much sun, you get paralysis. These are the evils that come when shade and sun are not in proportion. That is why the kings of antiquity did not live in large castles. They did not build themselves high terraces, they did not taste all kinds of delicacies, they did not dress thickly and warmly. For if one is dressed too thickly and warmly, the pores become clogged. If the pores are clogged, strength falters. If one tastes all kinds of delicacies, the stomach becomes overloaded. If the stomach is overloaded, there is indigestion. But if there is indigestion and strength falters, how can one live long? The saintly kings of antiquity had parks, animal gardens, tree gardens and ponds, just big enough to enjoy the sight and get physical exercise. They built themselves castles and palaces, terraces and pavilions, just big enough to shelter from heat and humidity. They had chariots and horses, clothes and furs, just enough to make themselves comfortable and warm their bodies. They had food and drink, cool wine and mead, just enough to satisfy the taste and satisfy the hunger. They had music and beauty, sounds and songs, just enough to give their souls harmonious enjoyment. The holy kings were careful to cultivate their lives in these five things. Not that they liked to save and shun expenditure, but they wanted to put their lives in order.
CHAPTER III
The value of justice
The holy kings of antiquity, when they ruled the world, held justice to be first and most important. Through justice the world comes into peace. Peace springs from justice. Let us look at the ancient records. There were many who attained world domination. They all attained it through righteousness. Those who lost it, lost it through injustice. The firm foundation of all rule is based on righteousness. Thus it is said in Hung Fan:
Without favour and envy
Is the king's security.
Without favour and plain
Is the king's duty.
To do nothing out of grace
Honours the king's path.
To do nothing out of hate
Honours the King's measure.
The world does not belong to a man, but the world belongs to the world. The harmony of light and shade favours no single species. The morning dew and the early rain favours no single thing. So also the Lord of all the people must not be partial to any single person.
When Bo Kin was about to take leave of his father, he asked him for advice on the administration of the state of Lu. Then the Prince of Jou said to him, "Create benefit, do not seek benefit."
A man from Ching once lost his bow. He did not want to look for it, but said, "A man from Ching has lost it, a man from Ching will also find it; why look for it?" Master Kung heard it and said, "If he would leave the Ching, it would come on." Lau Dan heard this and said, "If he leaves the man, it will start." So Lau Dan was most righteous.
Nature is great. It produces but knows no children; it perfects but knows no possession. All beings partake of its blessings, obtain its benefits, and none know whence they come. Such was the manner of the three exalted ones and the five lords.
Guan Dschung was once ill. Then Duke Huan visited him, asked him and said: "Father Dschung's illness is serious; in cases of serious illness the people's comrades must not conceal it. Whom shall I put in charge of the state?"
Guan Chung replied, "I have tried hard and exhausted my wisdom before, and I have not succeeded in locating anyone. Now I am so ill that it may end with me at any moment, what can I say?"
Duke Huan said, "It is an important matter, and I would like you to give your advice, father Dschung."
Guan Dschung reverently agreed and said, "Whom does Your Highness wish to make Chancellor?"
Duke Huan replied, "Is Bau Schu Ya suitable?"
Guan Dschung replied, "No, he is not suitable. I was very friendly with Bau Schu Ya. He is a man who leads a pure, incorruptible, capable and straightforward life. But he looks at people who are not like him as if they were not worthy to be called human beings. Once he has heard of a person's faults, he never forgets them throughout his life. If there is no one else, wouldn't Shi Pong be suitable? Shi Pong is a person who has high aims, but who also lets himself be taught by lowly people. He is dissatisfied with himself that he is not like Huang Di. On the other hand, he has compassionate understanding for people who are not like him. He does not think he has to hear everything in the state; he does not think he has to know everything that goes on; he does not think he has to have seen all the people. Therefore, if there is no one better, Shi Pong is suitable."
The chancellorship is a high office. In order to administer a high office properly, one must not want to know petty details and care about petty prudence. That is why it is said, "A great carpenter does not take up the axe himself; a great cook does not handle the bowls; a great hero does not beat himself; a great general does not plunder.“
As long as Duke Huan practised justice and abstained from the vice of selfishness and had Guan Dschung as his chancellor, he was the greatest among the five leaders of the princes, but when he became selfish, favoured his favourites and employed Shu Diau, it came about that his corpse remained unburied until the worms crawled out the door.
Man is foolish in his youth and becomes wise in his old age. But it is better to be foolish and righteous than wise and selfish. To be drunk all day and yet want to perform the mourning ceremony properly, to be intent on one's own gain and yet want to practise justice, to be greedy and cruel and yet want to rule as a king: these are things that even a Shun cannot do.
CHAPTER IV
The value of life
The wise man deeply heeds the truth that there is nothing more precious under Heaven than life. Ears and eyes, nose and mouth are but the servants of life. If the ear is eager for sounds, if the eye is eager for beauty, if the nose is eager for fragrances, if the mouth is eager for taste, but if these desires are harmful to life, he inhibits them. Conversely, what is unpleasant to the four senses, but beneficial to life, he does. From this it follows that the ear and the eye, the nose and the mouth cannot act arbitrarily but are subject to certain limitations, just as an official cannot act arbitrarily but is subject to certain limitations. This is the way of holding life in value.
Yau once offered the world empire to Dsi Dschou Dschï Fu. Dsi Dschou Dschi Fu replied, "I would be quite suitable to become world ruler, but I suffer from melancholy, which I want to cure first; I don't have time for the world empire yet. The world empire is something very important, and yet he did not want to damage his life for its sake; how much less for the sake of other things. Only he who does not harm his life for the sake of the world may be trusted with the world.“
The people of Yüo had killed their prince three times in a row. Prince Sou took this to heart and fled to the red hole. Since they now had no prince in Yüo, they looked for Prince Sou but did not find him They followed him to the red hole, but Prince Sou refused to come out. So the people of Yüo drove him out by fumigating the cave with mugwort. Then they put him on the royal chariot. Prince Sou took hold of the tether and, looking up to the sky, boarded the chariot and sighed, "Oh, being a prince! Why could I not be spared it!" Prince Sou did not hate being a prince, but he hated the sufferings that come with being a prince.
It can be said of Prince Sou that he did not want to let his life come to harm for the sake of a kingdom. That was why the people of Yuo wanted him to be prince by all means.
The prince of Lu once heard that Yan Ho was a man who had found the truth. He therefore sent a messenger to present him with introductory gifts. Yan Ho stood under the door in rough robes and fed the cattle himself. When the messenger of the prince of Lu arrived, Yan Ho himself met him under the door.
The messenger said, "Is this Yan Ho's house?"
Yan Ho replied, "Yes, this is Yan Ho's house."
Then the messenger wanted to give him the gifts.
Yan Ho replied, "I am afraid you have not heard rightly; if you leave the things there, you will get into trouble as a messenger. It will therefore be better for you to enquire again."
The messenger turned back and inquired again. Then he returned and looked for him, but he was no longer to be found.
This Yan Ho did not hate honour and wealth per se, but only because he took life importantly, he hated them. The princes of this world often treat the wise haughtily with riches and honours. That is why they do not get to know them. Is that not sad? That is why it is said: The very essence of truth serves to cultivate the ego. What then remains serves to keep land and house in order, and their waste only is that which can be used to rule the world. Seen from here, the works of rulers and kings are only things that the wise leave lying around; they are not the way to make the I perfect and to cultivate life. The ordinary lords of today virtually put their ego in danger and throw away their lives in order to run after the things of the outside world. But how can that be achieved through this?
How can that be brought about by this? All the work of the wise is based on the fact that they investigate by what means something occurs and by what means it is brought about.
For example, if a man wanted to throw a precious pearl of the prince of Sui at a bird sitting a thousand fathoms high, everyone would laugh at him. Why? Because what he uses is so valuable and what he wants to achieve is so worthless. But isn't life even more valuable than a pearl from the prince of Sui?
The philosopher Hua Dsi said, „Perfect life is the highest, imperfect life the next, dying the third, and raped life the lowest. To honour life is to make it perfect. In a perfect life, the six inclinations are duly satisfied. Imperfect life is when the six inclinations are partially satisfied. Life becomes imperfect by taking lightly that which makes life honourable. The more life becomes imperfect, the less that which makes life honourable. To die is to have no sensations at all and to return to the state before birth. Raped life is when the six inclinations are not satisfied with what corresponds to them, but are fobbed off with what is repugnant to them. Everything that such a person does is shameful. The greatest shamefulness is injustice. Through injustice, life is raped. Yes, rape of life is even worse than injustice.“
That is why it is better to die than to live a raped life. How does one know this? If the ear hears what is repugnant to it, that is worse than hearing nothing at all. If the eye sees what is repugnant to it, that is worse than seeing nothing at all. That's why you cover your ears when there's thunder, and your eyes when there's lightning. This is an example of it. So it is with all the six affections. If they have sensations that are repugnant to them and yet they cannot escape them, that is worse than if they have no possibility of sensations at all. But to have no sensations at all is the state of death. That is why living in a state of rape is worse than dying. If one likes to eat meat, it does not mean that he loves rotten rats. If one loves to drink wine, it is not meant that he loves corrupt wine. So too, by upholding life, it is not to be understood that one upholds a life that has been raped.
CHAPTER V
Success and fame
If one takes the right path, success and fame cannot be avoided. They come as necessarily as the shadow follows the body, as the echo follows the voice. A good angler brings up fish from a depth of ten fathoms because his lure attracts. A good archer brings down the birds from a height of a hundred fathoms because his bow is strong. A good prince makes barbarians and catfish change their customs and abandon their habits and submit to him because his virtue is powerful.
If the water is deep, fish and turtles turn to it. If the forests are dense, the birds of the air turn to them. If the meadows are lush, the game turns to them. If a human ruler is capable, the heroes turn to him. Therefore, a wise king does not seek to have people turn to him, but seeks to know why they turn to him.
If you force someone to laugh, he is not happy because of it. If one is forced to cry, he is not sad. Thus one who is only forced to walk on the right path can only accomplish small things and nothing great. The vinegar in the barrel must be yellow and sour, so that the little vinegars gather in it; if it is only water, it will certainly not work. If you want to attract mice with a cat or flies with ice, you can try as hard as you like, but you will not succeed. If you wanted to drive away flies with rotten fish, the flies would come all the more without being able to be prevented. This is because they cannot be driven away by an attractant. If tyrants like Gia and Dschou Sin wanted to attract the people by means of deterrents, they might have made the fines and punishments as severe as they could, what good would it do! When the great cold is there, people appreciate the warmth. When the great heat broods in the sky, people run after the coolness. Thus people know no constancy. If they see their advantage, they gather together; if it disappears, they go away.
He who wants to be a world ruler must not ignore what people run after. Nowadays there is great cold and heat, but people do not run anywhere, for wherever they turn they meet the same thing.
Whoever wants to dominate the world must show people something different under all circumstances. He who in his actions does not stand out from the general confusion may perhaps bring real advantage, but the people will not run to him. Because people today no longer flock to anyone, that's why the great kingship is over. That is fortunate for the cruel sovereigns, but it causes the people to despair. Therefore, if there is a good lord today, he must not fail to take heed; if there is a worthy prince, he must not fail to act accordingly. Goodness and badness must be clearly distinguished, just as the allotted time of life cannot be changed, just as a good name and a bad name cannot be interchanged. Tyrants like Gia and Dschou Sin sat on the highest throne and the whole world belonged to them. They had the power to destroy all the people on earth, and yet they did not succeed in leaving a good name. Their loyal servants Guan Lung Pong and the king's son Bi Gan might take upon themselves the cruellest kinds of death to counter the mistakes of their rulers, and yet they failed to make them a good name. Fame is something that cannot be shared with anyone else. Everyone must act accordingly.
CHAPTER VI
Start with yourself
Tang asked I Yin, "How does one go about winning the world?" I Yin replied, "If you want to win the world, the world cannot be won; but it can be won if you first win your own body."
The basis of all things is that one must first put one's own body in order and appreciate it as a precious commodity. One must always use new forces and reject the outmoded ones, thus the nerve tracts become good conductors of the vital force. If one renews the vital force daily and removes all the disturbing forces, one will complete the years of one's life. He who can do this is called a true man.
The wise kings of antiquity perfected themselves and the earth was perfected; they put themselves in order and the earth was put in order. Thus he who can bring forth a good echo pays attention not to the echo but to the sound. He who can cast a beautiful shadow pays attention not to the shadow but to the body. He who can handle the world empire pays attention not to the world empire but to himself. In the book of odes it is said:
A glorious man is our prince
And his conduct blameless.
Since his conduct is without blame,
All the nobility of the land follow him.
This says that he who controls his own person realises his teachings, and the person becomes good. If he practises what is right, thereby other people also become good. If it is his delight to fulfil his princely profession perfectly, all his servants come into order through this very thing, and all the people have their advantage from it. These three things are brought about by non-action. The way of non-action is said to overcome nature. To act rightly is to benefit oneself. To be a prince means to be free from oneself. He who is free from himself is able to hear justly. One benefits oneself through equanimity and calmness. He who overcomes nature adapts himself to the divine laws of his being. He who follows the divine laws of his being becomes understanding, clear-sighted and long-lived. He who possesses equanimity and tranquillity promotes the possession of his people and makes them inclined to his influence. He who knows how to hear rightly prevents falsehood and remains free from infatuation.
So also in the reverse case. If the ruler deviates from his way, his borders are conquered by the enemies. If he deviates from the right course in secret, his name will be reviled in public. It is like a fir tree a hundred fathoms high: if it is damaged at the root, its branches wither at the top. Thus the rulers of the houses of Shang and Jou first harboured wrong thoughts in their breasts, and therefore their commands failed in the outside world.
He who succeeds in attaining the right attitude succeeds in making himself heard. He who succeeds in making himself heard succeeds in his undertakings. He who succeeds in his undertakings succeeds in success and fame. The five rulers first sought the truth and left the care for their virtue behind. Therefore, they attained a virtue that could not be surpassed by anyone. The three royal families sought virtue first and put enterprise in the background. That is why they achieved more beautiful success in their undertakings than anyone.
The five leaders of the princes were first concerned with enterprise. They put military power in the background, which is why they had a stronger war power than anyone else.
Nowadays, cunning plans appear everywhere and treacherous methods are offered for use. The wars of aggression do not cease, and yet the declining states and the disgraced princes multiply more and more. This is because they turn their attention to the outmost.
Prince Ki of the House of the Lords of Hia fought with the Lord of Hu in the field of Gan and did not defeat him. The six high councillors then asked him to repeat the fight, but Lord Ki of the House of the Lords of Hia said, "We may not. My country is not small, my people are not few, and yet I have not been victorious. this is because my virtue is too weak and my instruction of the people too insufficient." He then subjected himself to all kinds of restrictions. He did not use double cushions to sit on, there were no two courses at meals, the zithers and lutes were not strung, the bells and pakues were not set up, his sons and daughters wore no jewellery, he loved his neighbour and had reverence for old age; he honoured the worthy and used the able. Scarcely a year had passed when the Lord of Hu submitted himself.
Therefore: He who wants to conquer others must first conquer himself; he who wants to judge others must first judge himself; he who wants to know others must first know himself. In the book of odes it says: He grasped the reins like a tissue.
Master Kung said, "He who understands this word is able to control the earth.“
Dsi Gung said, "What need is there of such haste?"
Master Kung said, "I do not mean haste, but I mean that what one works here emerges there as a firm line of order. Thus the sage weaves, as it were, the culture of his personality, and as a result the fixed lines of order appear in the world kingdom."
Thus said the Master Hua Dsi, "When hills and mountains are completed, the cave animals find their rest. When the great depths of the ocean are completed, the fish and the turtles find their rest. When pines and cypresses are fully grown, the wayfarers find shade on the path."
Master Kung came before Prince Ai of Lu. Prince Ai said, "Someone said to me that the state could be controlled from the castle. I think that is an exaggerated word."
Master Kung said, "It is not an exaggerated word. I have heard it said that what one can do for oneself, one can do for others, and that what one fails to do for oneself, one fails to do for others. Only he who has recognised that everything must be traced back to his own person is capable of mastering the earth without going out of the door."
CHAPTER VII
Judging the others
The way to rule is limitation. What a ruler must dare is the inner. The highest is to go within oneself; lower is to demand something from others. The wider the circles to which one turns with one's demands, the smaller will be the concession one finds. The more vehemently one strives for something, the further one gets from the goal.
What does it mean to go within oneself? Restrict the lusts and desires of the senses; refrain from refined considerations, avoid perverse inclinations and let one's thoughts wander in infinity, directing one's heart to the natural path. So he who acts does not harm his nature. He who keeps his nature undamaged recognises the nerve force. He who recognises the nervous force recognises the spirit. To know the spirit is to attain the One. All the thousand forms of the world are completed after they have attained the One.
Therefore: He who has realised the One is able to behave accordingly in the face of all changes and alterations of the outer world. He is vast and great and abysmally deep, so that no one is able to measure his ultimate. His nature and changes are bright and beautiful, he resembles the sun and the moon and never stops. The heroes greet him, from distant lands they flock as his guests, and no one can prevent it. The power of his spirit is all-pervading and unlimited, and none is able to bind him.
Therefore, he who has known the knowledge of the One returns to simplicity. In his desires he is easily satisfied; he seeks his nourishment in moderation and simplicity, and no one can get hold of him. Far from the world, he enjoys his own inner being and purity, and no one is able to measure him. Terror cannot put him in fear, severity cannot intimidate him, and no one can subdue him. Therefore: He who has recognised the knowledge of the One is able to act as the occasion requires. His activity is self-contained without end. He raises and humbles, as it must be; he takes and gives in accordance with reason, and no one can hinder him. In his words he is not guilty of any error; everything he says has a hand and a foot, and no one can change anything about it. He exposes the hypocrites and helps the worthy to succeed, and no one can deceive him.
Therefore, he who has known the knowledge of the One is like Heaven and earth in his kind. What situation should he not be able to cope with. To what nature should he not be able to correspond! It is like a charioteer who has it in him. Under him the chariot becomes light, the horses run fast and go far, and even with meagre feeding they do not tire.
In ancient times, the rulers who were doomed sought the sins of others. Therefore they killed and judged daily without ceasing. Thus they ran to their downfall without coming to their senses.
The rulers who made the first three dynasties flourish looked for sins in themselves. That is why they made daily efforts and did not tire until they achieved world domination.
What does it mean to demand something from others? Men are alike in kind, but different in wisdom and worthiness. Yet all have clever words and clever phrases to defend themselves. By these unfit rulers can be confounded.
If you wish to judge men, if they are successful, pay attention to whom they honour. If they are noble, observe whom they recommend. If they are rich, observe whom they care for. In what they hear, observe how they do afterward; if they have withdrawn, observe their loves. In their ordinary conversations, watch what they say. If they are in distress, observe what they do not put up with. If they are lowly, observe what they will not stoop to.
Make them merry to test their self-control; make them cheerful to test their exuberance; make them angry to test their moderation; make them fearful to test their independence; stir them up to test their compassion; press them to test their will.
These eight considerations and six tests are what an efficient ruler bases his judgement of people on. In judging people, one will also take into account the six degrees of kinship and the four intimate relationships.
What are the six degrees of relationship? They are: Father, mother, elder brother, younger brother, wife and child. What are the four intimate relations? They are: Friends, old acquaintances, countrymen and neighbours.
In private matters, keep to the six kinds of relatives and the four kinds of confidants. In public affairs, keep to the eight observations and six tests to recognise people's true and false nature, greed and waste, good and bad sides, and you will never be mistaken. People can then no more escape being recognised than if someone wanted to escape being wet by the rain; wherever he turns, he gets wet in the same way. This is how the wise kings of antiquity knew how to recognise people.
CHAPTER VIII
The round way
The way of Heaven is round, the way of earth is square. So the holy kings took this as a model and appointed lords and servants accordingly.
What do we mean by saying that the way of Heaven is round? The life-force penetrates upwards and penetrates downwards, in a round circuit, self-contained, without stagnation or hindrance. That is why it is said: The way of Heaven is round.
What is to be understood by the fact that the earth's path is angular? All beings are different in kind, different in form. They all have their specific functions, which they cannot interchange. That is why it is said that the earth's path is angular. The ruler must dwell in the round, the servant in the square. Where square and round are not interchanged, the state flourishes.
The regular alternation of day and night belongs to the round path. The moon's wandering through the lunar houses from the raven to the virgin belongs to the round path. The light's migration through the four seasons, once above, once below, so that each comes into its own, belongs to the round path. When creatures stir, they germinate; from germination there is life, from life to growth, from growth to greatness, from greatness to maturity, from maturity to decay, from decay to death, and after death back to the earth. That is part of the round path.
The clouds and winds move westward in ceaseless train and do not pause in summer or winter. The springs of water flow to the east and do not stop for day or night. Above they do not dry up, and the depths are not filled. The little streams become great, and the heavy waters in the sea become light and rise up as clouds. That is part of the round way.
Huang Di said, "The ruler must not have a definite place; if he has a place, he has no place." That is: He must not be stuck anywhere. This is also part of the round way.
Man has nine openings. If he keeps his attention on one, the other eight are empty. But if the other eight remain empty, the body dies. Thus, if one hears and tastes at the same time, taste ceases. If one hears and sees at the same time, hearing ceases. This means that if one enjoys one thing, one must not get stuck in the other. Inhibition of the cycle leads to ruin. That is also part of the round path. The one is the most important thing. We do not know its origin, we do not know its end, we do not know from where it comes, we do not know where it leads. And yet all things are based on him as his ancestor. The wise kings imitate him in order to make their nature lawful, to consolidate their rule and thus to be able to issue commands. The command comes from the mouth of the Lord. The servants receive it and carry it out. There is no interruption day or night; its effects extend everywhere. It harmonises with the heart of the people and reaches out to all four directions. All around it changes its circuit and returns to the place of the ruler. This is also part of the round path.
If a command is round, approval and disapproval, praise and blame cannot hinder it in its effect. If nothing can hinder it, then the way of the ruler is effective. Therefore, the commands are the means by which the ruler carries out the will of God. It is by worthiness and unfitness that welfare or punishment is determined. The fitness of a man's body and limbs is based on their being receptive to the influences of the soul. If they are not receptive to these influences, one cannot use one's body and limbs. It is the same with the servants of a prince. If the orders do not influence them, he cannot use them. If a prince has servants whom he cannot use, it would be better if he had none at all; if a true prince rises, he makes that one lose them too. Shun, Yu, Tang and Wu all did the same. Even before they became king, they appointed high officials and were above all anxious that they should keep themselves square. Through this corneredness, the duties of each individual were established. If the duties are fixed, it does not happen that the subordinates are in cahoots.
Yau and Shun were worthy rulers, both left the kingdom to the most worthy and did not give it to their sons and grandsons; and yet they did the same: they made sure that the officials were square (each had his specific duties).
The rulers today all wish that the succession to the throne should not be lost in their family and give their kingdoms to their sons and grandsons. But in appointing officials, they are unable to assign them square (clearly delineated) duties. They cause confusion by their selfish desires. But what does this mean? Their desires are directed towards the distant future, and their knowledge is limited to the very near.
The five notes of the scale all agree because their pitch is precisely determined. The notes Gung, Dschi, Schang, Yu, Guo all have their specific place, and the corresponding tones harmonise so that no dissonance is possible. That is why they endure every possible connection with each other. A worthy prince will do the same when appointing officials. Every official stands in his office and takes care of his business in dependence on the prince. Then the prince will certainly have his peace. If a kingdom is ruled in this way, the kingdom will surely have the benefit of it. If calamity is prevented in this way, calamity cannot approach in any way.
CHAPTER IX
Exhortation to education
The kings of primitive times promoted culture by exalting nothing more than filial reverence and preferring nothing more than faithful conscientiousness. Conscientiousness and reverence is the highest desire of princes and fathers among men. Preference and distinction is the dearest thought of the sons and officials among men. The fact that princes and fathers could not attain their desire and that sons and officials could not realise their thoughts is due to ignorance of the principles of reason. Ignorance of the principles of reason arises from lack of education. He who is educated by an experienced teacher and has the necessary talent must become a wise man; I do not see how it could be otherwise. But if a wise man is there, all is well with the world. If he dwells on the right, the right is important; if he dwells on the left, the left is important. That is why the wise kings of antiquity honoured all their teachers. If one honours one's teacher, one does not ask whether he is noble or lowly, poor or rich. In this way the name becomes famous, and the spiritual being gains outward influence. The teachers, in their teaching, did not ask whether the disciple was influential or not, whether he was noble or lowly, poor or rich, but they asked how he behaved towards the truth. If a man is useful, his actions will always be useful. What he seeks, he will find all; what he desires, he will accomplish all. These successes come from the fact that one achieves to become wise. But one becomes wise by making an effort to educate oneself. It has never happened that someone who did not take care of his education became a great scholar and a famous man. The effort for education consists in honouring one's teacher. If we honour our teacher, we follow his words and he tells us the truth. He who goes out to teach others cannot gain influence. He who appoints his teacher will not be influenced by him.
He who debases himself will not be heard; he who debases the teacher will not listen to him. Now, if a teacher uses a method by which he is neither influenced nor listened to, and wants to teach the other by force in order to guide him to honourable behaviour, is he not far from the goal? If a learner remains in a position that makes influence and hearing impossible and wishes to gain a famous name and a secure life through this behaviour, he does it like someone who holds something rotten on his bosom and wants to smell it, or like someone who goes into the water and does not want to get wet. Teaching needs rigour, it must not degenerate into a game. Nowadays, teachers are often unable to be strict with their pupils, but on the contrary try to amuse them. But if one is not able to be strict, but wants to cheer up the pupil, one does it just as if one were to save a drowning man and then hit him over the head with a stone, or as if one were to heal a sick man and then give him schirling to drink.
Thus the world comes more and more into confusion, and unfit rulers are more and more blinded by it. Therefore the task of teachers is to help reason to triumph and to carry out duty. If reason triumphs and duty stands firm, the position of teachers is honoured. Kings, princes and nobles will then not dare to meet them haughtily. Even up to the Son of Heaven they will meet with him without being ashamed of it. It is a coincidence that a teacher meets a prince who suits him. Such a meeting cannot be forced. If a man abandons reason and neglects his duty in order to achieve something that cannot be forced and then wants to be honoured, he is trying to achieve something impossible. Rather, a teacher must help reason to triumph and perform duty, and then he will be honoured. Dsong Dsi said, "When a noble walks on the street, one can see from his behaviour whether he has a father, whether he has a teacher. He who has no father, no teacher, behaves very differently. What does this word mean? It says that you have to serve the teacher as you have to serve the father.“
Dsong Dian, the father of Dsong Shen, had sent him out once, and he had not returned over time. Then the people all came to Dsong Dian and said, "Surely nothing has happened to him!" Dsong Dian replied, "If something had happened to him, it would have been during my lifetime. So how dare he let anything happen to him!"
When Master Kung was in danger in Kuang, Yan Hui stayed behind.
Master Kung said, "I was afraid you had been killed."
Yan Hui replied, "How dare I perish while the Master is still alive!"
Yan Hui's behaviour towards Master Kung was exactly the same as that of Dsong Shen towards his father. Because the capable men of antiquity thus honoured their teachers, the teachers exhausted their wisdom and went to the bottom of the truth to teach them.
CHAPTER X
Unjust reproaches against pupils
He who knows the profession of a teacher makes that his pupils find rest and are cheerful, have time, are able to rest, are serious and strict against themselves. If these six things are present in the school, the ways to perversities and naughtiness are blocked and the skill to progress in reason and righteousness increases. If a man does not receive these six things from school for life, a prince cannot use him as an official, a father cannot use him as a son, a master cannot use him as a disciple.
It is in the nature of men that they can have no joy if they do not feel comfortable, and in what they have no joy they make no progress. If one is able to give them joy, it does not even need a capable disciple; even an unfit one will make an effort. But if one makes it difficult for them, it does not even need an unfit pupil, even an able one cannot endure it for long. If you go back to the very essence of man, you will find the means to encourage the disciples.
The Master Hua Dsi said, "A king rejoices in that which makes him a king; a prodigal rejoices in that which makes him a prodigal." He who eats animals only roasted does not thereby exterminate them altogether; but he who has a passion for dried meat comes nearly so far. So also a king has a passion for reason and justice, and a prodigal has a passion for cruelty and crudeness. Their passions are different, therefore their fate is also different.
A bad teacher is not harmonious in his mood; he picks up something and drops it again, and jumps from one to another. He has no consistency; as in changeable weather, his good mood and anger alternate constantly. His words and speeches change daily, and he gives free rein to his moods in his actions. If he is at fault, he disdains to confess his wrong. He persists in his faults and is obstinate, so that no admonition can change him.
To people who have influence and power and great wealth, he does not ask about talent and does not examine their conduct, but teaches them hastily and praises them flatteringly, intent only on gaining their goodwill. On the other hand, there are other pupils who do not push themselves forward, who make an effort to be pure, who conduct themselves in a calm manner, and who stand out above the others, who have a quick grasp of everything they have heard, and who are eager and talented in their learning: when they have almost finished their work, he pursues them with inhibitions, he makes difficulties for them and leaves them stuck in them, he is displeased with them and hates them. If the pupil now wanted to go away, he would be sorry that he had not finished; if he stays, he does not come to rest; if he returns home, he must be ashamed before parents and brothers and sisters; if he goes abroad, he is disgraced by acquaintances and countrymen. This is a grief for a learner. In this way, teacher and pupil come apart inwardly. It is human nature to hate people from whom one is estranged. This is how teachers and students come into mutual enmity and discord. But it is human nature not to love those with whom one lives in enmity, not to praise those whom one hates. This leads to the corruption of teaching and to the decay of all truth and doctrine.
This is not what a good teacher does. He loves the pupil as himself. He goes back to his own needs in order to teach him. Thus he finds the right way of teaching. What he inflicts on others is only of such a kind that it may also be inflicted on him. In this way teacher and pupil are like one body. They love each other as themselves, they praise each other as themselves, they help each other as themselves. This leads to the blossoming of teaching and the flourishing of all truth and doctrine.
A bad pupil follows the teacher reluctantly and yet wants to achieve something. He is superficial to the teacher and yet wants to learn something thorough. Even grass and trees, chickens and dogs, cattle and horses must not be treated badly. If you treat them badly, they will repay you by treating you badly. How much less may one be so when it is a question of a sensible teacher and the words of truth and instruction.
A bad pupil is not conscientious in his behaviour towards the teacher. His attention is not undivided. He does not love him warmly and is not eager to learn. When he disputes, he does not know how to distinguish truth from falsehood. When he has to teach others, he is clumsy. He grumbles against the teacher, he loves slovenliness, and his mind drifts about in the world. He boasts of his power and rejoices in his evil pranks. Therefore he sinks into treacherous craftiness, is blinded by petty lucre, and beguiles himself with his lusts and desires. When he asks something, he brings it all up in a jumble. The different sections of his essays have different meanings, and the different divisions contradict each other. If he separates something, he can no longer bring it together; if he unites something, he can no longer distinguish it; if the thing is finished, he cannot find an end. These are the evils of a man who does not know how to learn.
CHAPTER XI
Use of the crowd
Those who know how to learn do as the king of Tsi did when he ate chicken. He only ever ate the toe, and it took him several thousand before he was full. Even if one does not become full, one has at least had chicken feet. There is indeed nothing in the world that does not have an advantage, and nothing that does not have an infirmity. So it is also with men. Therefore he who knows how to learn well uses the advantages of others to compensate for his own infirmities. He who thus knows how to use others will possess the earth. One should not be ashamed of not being able to do something, one should not be angry of not knowing something. He who is ashamed of not being able to do something and angry at not knowing something is embarrassed. But he who is not ashamed of not being able to do something and is not annoyed by not knowing something, makes progress. Even Gia and Dschou Sin still had something to respect, something to emulate; how much more is that the case with capable people.
This is how a scholar has spoken: One must not refrain from disputing. He who really knows how to dispute thereby creates instruction. Instruction is a great dialogue. But he who does not know how to express his thoughts in conversation with others is like a man who is dressed on the outside in coarse, hard garments, while underneath he is dressed in velvet and silk.
The young Tatars are born in Tatary, they grow up in Tatary, and so they learn the Tatar language quite unnoticed. The people of Chu are born in Chu and grow up in Chu, and so they learn the language of Chu without noticing. If a boy from Chu were to grow up in Tartary and a Tartar in Chu, the man from Chu would learn Tartar and the Tartar the language of Chu. From this point of view, I do not see how it would be impossible to make a ruler who ruins his country into a capable lord. It all comes from the wrong influences of the environment in which he was born and brought up. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to pay attention to the environment where one is born and grows up.
There is no such thing as a completely white fox in the world, but there are completely white furs. One just takes the white from all. It is by taking from all that the three exalted ones and the five rulers have achieved such great success and fame.
That by which all rulers exist comes from the mass of the people. If one who has fortified his own position wanted to abandon his masses, he has the top, but he loses the root. That one who reaches the top but loses the root is in a safe state has never been heard of.
In company with all the brave, one need not fear even a warrior like Mong Ben. In association with all the strong, one need not fear even an athlete like Wu Huo. In association with all the astute, one need not fear even a scout like Li Lou. In association with all the wise, one need not fear even a Yau and Shun. That is why the association with the totality is the great treasure of princes.
Tian Pian said to the king of Tsi, "Mong Ben has dangerous airs. But if you send him to the border, he is not dangerous."
The kings of Chu and We did not listen to advice, and yet they were armed in their territory, and their warriors were ready for battle, this was because they had the crowd to themselves.
CHAPTER XII
Great Music (Classical Music)
The origins of music lie far back. It arises from the measure and is rooted in the great One. The great One generates the two poles; the two poles generate the power of the dim and the light. The power of the dim and the light transform; the one rises to the heights and the other sinks to the depths; they unite and form the bodies, surging and flowing. If they are separated, they unite again; if they are united, they separate again. This is the eternal course of the Heavens. Heaven and earth are in a cycle. Every end is followed by a beginning, every end is followed by a return. Everything is coordinated with each other. Sun, moon and stars move partly fast, partly slow. Sun and moon do not agree on the time they need to complete their orbit. The four seasons come forth one after the other. They bring heat and cold, brevity and length, softness and hardness. That from which all beings arise and have their origin is the great One; by which they are formed and completed is the duality of dark and light. As soon as the germs begin to stir, they coagulate into a form. The physical form is within the world of space, and everything spatial has a sound. Sound arises from harmony. Harmony arises from agreement. Harmony and agreement are the roots from which the music that the ancient kings established arose.
When the world is at peace, when all things are at rest, when all follow their superiors in their transformations, then music can be perfected. The perfected music has its effects. When the desires and passions do not go on wrong courses, then music can be perfected. Perfect music has its cause. It arises from equilibrium. Balance arises from the right, the right arises from the sense of the world. That is why one can only talk about music with a person who has recognised the sense of the world.
Of course, decaying states and people ripe for destruction do not lack music, but their music is not cheerful. The drowning laugh, even those condemned to death sing, even the insane are ready to fight. This is more or less the case with the music of an age in confusion. Prince and official do not take the right positions. Father and son do not find the right relation to each other, and the relations between husband and wife are out of order. When the people sigh and complain, they think it is music. How wrong this behaviour is!
Music is based on the harmony between Heaven and earth, on the agreement of the dull and the light.
It is nature that brings forth man. If man has nothing to do, lust arises in him by nature. Without this, there would be no desire for man. Hatred arises in man by nature; without this there would be no alienation for man. Man has lust and hatred by nature; he can add nothing to them of his own accord, change nothing. Among the scholars of our time there is one who rejects music; how does he come to this? Great music is something over which prince and official, father and son, old age and youth delight and rejoice. Joy arises from inner balance; inner balance arises from sense. What is called sense is something after which one looks without seeing it, after which one listens without hearing it, one cannot physically feel it. Whoever recognises the immediate looking, the inaudible hearing, the formless shape, comes close to true knowledge.
What is called sense is something highly subtle, which one cannot imagine and cannot name conceptually. As emergency information, it can be called the great One. The One commands, the Second obeys. The sages of primeval times turned away from the second and adhered to the One, therefore they recognised the essence of all things.
He who is able to rule in this One delights prince and official, brings together near and far, exhilarates the multitudes of the people and unites the relatives among themselves. He who knows how to govern his person in this One avoids calamity, completes his allotted age and perfects his nature. He who knows how to lead his people in this One, the perverse stay away from him, the worthy draw near to him, and great is the influence he produces. He who is able to rule the world in this One, brings cold and heat into order, and makes the wind and rain keep their time. Therefore the wise man recognises the One. He who recognises the One is intelligent; he who understands only the second is a fool.
CHAPTER XIII
Intoxicating music
People all live by virtue of their inherent ability to live without knowing what life is based on. People all recognise by virtue of their inherent ability to recognise, without recognising what recognition is based on. Whoever recognises what cognition is based on can be said to have recognised the meaning of the world. He who does not recognise what his recognition is based on can be said to be throwing away what is most precious to him. He who throws away his most precious thing clings to his mistakes.
The rulers of this world usually consider pearls and precious stones, lances and swords to be their most precious things, but the more they have of them, the more the people grumble, the more the country comes into danger, and the more they themselves become involved in ruin. These conditions in reality lead to the loss of those precious things. The music of a perverse sex has the same effects. When timpani and drums resound like thunder, when cymbals and tinkling stones sound like lightning, when flutes and violins, dancing and singing resound noisily, it is well suited to shake the nerves, excite the senses and make life effervesce.
But music that works with these means does not make us cheerful. Therefore, the more rushing the music, the more melancholy the people become, the more dangerous the country becomes, the more the prince sinks. In this way, the essence of music is also lost.
What all the Holy Kings appreciated in music was its cheerfulness. The tyrants Gia of Hia and Jou Sin of Yin made rushing music. They thought the strong sounds of great timpani and bells, tinkling stones, clarinets and flutes were beautiful and mass effects worth seeing. They strove for new and strange sound effects, for sounds that no ear had yet heard, for spectacles that no eye had yet seen. They sought to outdo each other and exceeded measure and aim.
The reason for the decline of the state of Sung was that they invented a thousand bells; the reason for the decline of the state of Tsi was that they invented the great bell. The reason for the decline of the state of Chu was that they invented magic music. Such music is noisy enough, but from the point of view of truth it has departed from the essence of real music. Because it has departed from the essence of real music, this music is not cheerful. If the music is not cheerful, the people grumble and life is damaged. Under the influence of this music, life suffers like ice in the blazing sun, it dissolves itself. All this arises from the fact that one does not understand the essence of music, but is only interested in the rushing effects of sound.
The nature of music is like the nature of the bodily organs. Since they have a certain nature, it depends on their natural care. Cold and heat, overexertion and comfort, hunger and surfeit, these six things are not according to nature. He who wants to cultivate life looks to it that what is not in accordance with nature is replaced by what is. He who is able to dwell permanently in circumstances that correspond to nature, lives long.
True life consists in the body being firm and calm, in its having sensations only when preceded by sensory impressions, in its complying with external influences without leaving after-effects, and in the moderation of lusts and desires. Unbridled lusts and desires lead to the loss of the original nature. He who is unrestrained in his lusts and desires becomes greedy, mean, unruly and disorderly in his mood and dissolute, wasteful, deceitful and false in his actions. Then it comes about that the strong oppress the weak, that the majority rapes the minority, that the brave mistreat the timid and that old age despises youth.
CHAPTER XIV
Ancient music
The origins of music go back a long way; we must not let it fall into disrepair. There is music that is moderate and music that is excessive. There is music that is simple and music that is extravagant. For the worthy it serves to prosper, for the unworthy it is a downfall.
In ancient times, Chu Siang Shi ruled the world. At that time many winds blew, the power of light gathered, and all things dissolved, the fruits and seeds not ripening. Then Shi Da made the five-stringed harp to summon the power of the dim and to consolidate all living beings.
The music of the ruler Go Tian Shi consisted of three men pulling a cow's tail and stamping their feet, thus singing eight verses. The first verse spoke about the treatment of the people, the second about the care of poultry, the third about the promotion of herbs and trees, the fourth about the care of the five crops, the fifth about respect for the rules of Heaven, the sixth about the justification of the works of a ruler, the seventh about the use of the power of the earth, the eighth about the general use of all birds and animals.
In the beginning of the ruler Tau Tang, the dark power accumulated to a great extent and gathered in the depths. The course of the light was inhibited so that it could no longer have an orderly effect. The mood of the people became dull and sluggish. The sinews and bones relaxed and no longer obeyed. So he invented the dance to make the people move again.
In ancient times, Huang Di ordered Ling Lun to make the scale pipes. Ling Lun went from the west of Da Hia Mountain and came to the north of Yuan Yu Mountain. Then he took bamboo from the Hia Hi valley and used those whose hollows were thick and even, and cut them between two knots. Their length was three inches nine lines. He blew on them and determined that the tonic of the scale should be Huang Dschung. He blew on them and said: That is right! Thereupon he made the twelve whistles. As he heard the male and female phoenix (Fong Huang) singing at the foot of Yuan Yu Mountain, he then distinguished the twelve keys. From the song of the male he made six, and from the song of the female he also made six, all of which could be produced with the tonic of the scale Huang Dschung. This is why it is said that the tonic of the Huang Dschung is the fundamental of the whole tone and derivative scales.
Huang Di also ordered the Ling Lun, together with Yung Dsiang, to cast twelve bells that would produce the harmonic five notes of the scale in order to perform a magnificent music. In the middle month of spring on the day I Mao, when the sun was in the sign of Kui, it was performed for the first time and named Hian Tsi.
The ruler Juan Hu was born on the water Jo and settled permanently in Kung Sang. He then ascended the ruler's seat, and since it was in harmony with the sky, the winds blew exactly from their directions. Their sound was like Hi Hi, Tsi Tsi, Tsiang Tsiang. The ruler Juan Hu loved their sound and ordered the flying dragon (Fe Lung) to imitate them and shape the sounds of the eight winds. He called this music the recording of the clouds and it was used to make offerings to the supreme god. He also ordered Salamander (To) to give the music masters the beat. Salamander squatted down and beat his belly with his tail. It sounded like yang yang.
The ruler Gu ordered Hian He to compose songs. Chui was also there and made hand drums and timpani, bells and tinkling stones, flutes and oboes, rattles and rattles, small drums and hammer bells. The ruler Gu then had the people clap their hands, stir the drums, strike the bells and tinkling stones, blow the flutes and whistles, and close with the rattle and clacker. By this he caused the bird Fong in the sky to fly about in time. Ruler Gu was very pleased with this, and the music served to secure the ruler's influence.
When the ruler Yau came to the throne, he ordered Ji to make music. Ji imitated the sounds of the forests and stream valleys in his singing. He stretched deerskin over an earthen vessel and drummed on it. He stroked the tinkling stone and beat the tinkling stone so that it sounded like the nephritic tinkling stone of the highest God and all the animals moved in time to it. The blind old man divided the five-stringed lyre into the fifteen-stringed lyre. He called it Da Dschang and used it in the sacrifice to the supreme god. When Shun came to rule permanently, he divided the lyre that the blind old man had made and added eight strings to it, so that it became the 23-stringed lyre.
The ruler Shun ordered the Ji to make ninefold show music, sixfold Lia music and sixfold Ying music, and to praise the Lord's virtue.
When Yu was appointed, he toiled and worried about the world. Day and night he allowed himself no rest. He regulated the great rivers, trained the alluvial deposits, chiselled out the Dragon Gate and diverted the waters downwards so that the Yellow River had its firm bed. He regulated the three Giang rivers and the five lakes and diverted them to the east to promote the people's quantities. He then ordered the Gau Yau to make the nine movements of Hia Yuo music to bring his works into the light.
When Tang of the House of Yin came to the throne, the last ruler of the House of Hia had departed from the right path. He treated the crowds with cruelty, robbed the princes and deviated from the fixed measures and rails. The whole world revolted against him. Tang then led the war forces of six provinces to punish the guilt of Gia. The great work was completed and the masses were at peace. Then Tang ordered I Yin to make the Da Huo music and the morning chant (Schen Lu). To put in order the ninefold show music and sixfold Lia music, so that one might see his goodness.
When King Wen of Jou was staying at the foot of Mount Ki, the princes turned away from the wickedness of the King of Yin and helped King Wen. San I Shong said, Yin is ripe for punishment. But King Wen did not agree. Then Dan, the prince of Jou, made a song:
King Wen is above
And shines in the glow of the sky,
An ancient land is Jou,
But his profession is new.
With this he praised the virtue of King Wen.
When King Wu ascended the throne, he fought Yin with six armies, and before the six armies had reached his capital, he struck him with the vanguard on the plain of the pastoral field (Mu Ya). When he returned, he offered the cut ears of the overpowered in the royal ancestral temple and ordered the prince of Jou to make the great Wu music.
When King Chong came to the throne, the people of the exiled Yin Dynasty made a commotion. The king ordered Duke Chou to go there to punish them. The people of Shang (Yin) had tamed elephants to intimidate the barbarians of the East. The Prince of Jou followed them with his army and drove them south of the Great River (Yangtsekiang). He then made the music of the three elephants (San Siang) to praise his virtue.
Thus, the origins of music go back a long way, and it was not a single race that created it.
CHAPTER XV
The beginnings of music
Kung Gia, a ruler of the House of Hia, once went hunting in the Dung Yang Fu Mountains. There arose a great storm and it became quite dark. Kung Gia lost his way and came to a farmhouse where a child had just been born. Someone said, "The ruler has come, this is a happy day; the child will certainly have great happiness." Another said, "The child is not equal to this good fortune; it will certainly have bad luck." The ruler took the child home with him and said, "I will bring him up as my son; who then will dare to bring him misfortune?" When the child had grown up, a pole broke while he was moving a tent, and an axe cut off his foot. Then he became a doorkeeper. Kung Gia said, "Oh, how quickly Fate moves!" Then he made the song of the axe blow. This is the real beginning of Eastern music.
When Yuü was doing his great works, he saw the girl from Tu Shan Mountain. Before Yu had been with her, he had to leave to visit the southern regions. Then the girl from Tu Shan took her servant with her and waited for Yuin the south of Tu Shan Mountain. The girl made a song called, "Alas! I wait for him!" That was the beginning of southern music.
The Dukes of Dschou and Schau collected songs of this mood and called them: South of Dschou and South of Schau.
King Dschau of Dschou set out to fight the state of Tschu. Sin Yu Mi, a man of great stature and much strength stood at the king's right hand in the war chariot. On the way back, the bridge broke while crossing the Han River. The king and Duke Tsai fell into the Han River. Sin Yu Mi rescued the king and brought him to the northern bank. He then returned and rescued Duke Tsai as well. The Duke of Dschou awaited him in the west, and conferred on him the title of Duke Tschang as a result of his bravery.
Yin Chong Gia had earlier moved to the western Yellow River, but he thought longingly of his old homeland. This is the real beginning of western music. Duke Tschang continued this music when he stayed at the West Mountain. Duke Mu of Tsin made use of this mood to create the beginnings of the music of Tsin.
The ruler of Yu Sung had two beautiful daughters. He built a nine-storey tower for them. When they ate or drank, music was always played. Then the Lord sent a swallow to look after them. Her song sounded like: ai, ai. The two girls got a kick out of it and caught it. They covered it with a nephrite basket. After a while they picked it up again and looked after her. The swallow had laid two eggs, then she flew away to the north and did not come back. The two girls sang a song called, "Swallow, swallow, you have flown away." That then became the beginning of Nordic music.
All music is born in the heart of man. What moves the heart flows out in tones; and what sounds outside influences the heart inside. Therefore, when you hear the sounds of a country, you know its customs. If one examines its customs, one knows its attitude. If you look at its attitude, you know its nature. Blossom and decline, worthiness and unworthiness, noble and mean sentiments, all are expressed in music and cannot be concealed. That is why it is said, "Deep is the insight that music gives.“
If the soil is poor, herbs and trees do not grow; if the water is turbid, fish and turtles do not grow. If the time is impure, customs are confused, and music becomes immoral. These are the sounds of Jong and We and the music among the mulberries.
It is this music that states in confusion love and in which people of lapsed virtue delight. When impure and morally corrupting music arises, it causes impure minds and bad dispositions. Through this effect all kinds of vices and wickedness are born. Therefore, the superior man returns to the right path and cultivates his virtue. From pure virtue flows pure music. Through the harmony of music he brings about order. If the music is harmonious, the people appreciate what is right.
CHAPTER XVI
The foundations of music
If one wants to see the highest music, it is certainly in countries where the highest order prevails. Where noble morals prevail, noble music prevails; where poor morals prevail, poor music prevails. In disorderly ages, joy is unbridled. Today, people close windows and doors and make noise in the house that shakes Heaven and earth.
In the time of Tang the Completer, an ear of corn grew in front of the castle. In the evening it came out and the next morning it was so thick that one could just grasp it with both hands. The great astrologer asked to be allowed to ask the oracle about the cause. Tang rejected the oracle priests and said, "I have heard that favourable signs are harbingers of good fortune. If one sees favourable signs but does not act well, good fortune still does not come. Unfavourable signs are harbingers of misfortune. If one sees unfavourable signs but acts well, misfortune does not come." The king then opened his court early and did not retire until late at night. He asked after the sick and mourned with the mourners. He practised benevolence and helped the people. After three days the ear of corn had disappeared. Therefore, it is misfortune on which fortune rests, it is fortune on which misfortune lurks40. But the wise man alone sees this. How should the great masses understand the germs! King Wen of Jou had ruled over his country for eight years. Once, in the sixth month, King Wen lay ill for five days when the earth shook all around. But the earthquake did not extend beyond the royal capital. The servants all approached him pleading and said, "We have heard that earthquakes occur for the sake of the ruler. Now the king has been ill for five days and the earth has shaken; but nowhere has the earthquake extended beyond the capital of Jou. That is why all the officials are worried and said that the misfortune should be passed off." King Wen said, "How can it be passed on?" They replied, "If we set the matter in motion and muster the masses to raise the walls of the capital, perhaps it can be shifted." King Wen said, "It is not possible. When Heaven sends ominous signs, it is to punish the guilty. I must be guilty of something, that Heaven should punish me in this way. Now, if I were to set the thing in motion and muster the masses to raise the walls of the capital, I would double my sins. It is not possible! I will mend my ways and do more good instead of avoiding misfortune." Then he observed all the forms most carefully. He arranged the insignia in leather and skins in his dealings with the feudal lords. He carefully considered his orders and decrees. He honoured the heroes with gifts of nephrite and silk, he arranged their rank and divided the territories to be conferred in order to reward his officials. Not long after, he recovered from his illness. King Wen had been sitting on the throne for eight years when the earth shook. After the earthquake, he ruled for another 43 years. For 51 years, King Wen had administered the kingdom when he died. In this way, King Wen confronted the evil and nullified the evil omens.
In the time of Duke Ching of Sung, the fire star appeared in the constellation of the heart. The duke was frightened; he summoned the Dsi We, consulted him and said, "The fire star is in the heart, what does that mean?" Dsi We said, "The fire star means punishment from Heaven. The heart is the domain of Sung; disaster threatens the prince. But it can be averted on the chancellor." The Duke said, "With the Chancellor I govern my country; if by this averting I should bring him to death, it would be calamitous." Dsi We said, "Then it can be passed on to the people." The king said, "If the people die, whom shall I rule? I would rather die alone." Dsi We said, "Then it may be passed on to the year's harvest." The duke said, "If the harvest is damaged, the people come to famine: if the people suffer hunger, they die. If I, as a prince, wanted to kill my people in order to keep myself alive, how would I still deserve the name of a prince? That is my fate, I will bear it. You need not speak further." Then Dsi We withdrew, with his face turned towards the prince. He bowed and said, "I have heard three words of the highest kindness from Your Highness here, so Heaven will surely reward Your Highness threefold. Tonight the fire-star will move three Heavenly houses further and prolong your Highness' life by 21 years." The Duke said, "How do you know that?" He replied, "He who speaks good things three times in succession will surely be rewarded three times in succession, and the fire-star will advance three houses. In each house there are seven constellations, and if it moves further, it means seven years. Three times seven is twenty-one. Therefore I say, Your Highness' life be prolonged by twenty-one years. I beg leave to remain at the steps of the throne to await the event. If the Fire Star does not advance, I ask to be allowed to die." The Duke said, "Let it be!" And sure enough, that evening the Fire Star moved three houses further.
CHAPTER XVII
Exercise grace
What a noble man speaks is not mere scholarship; what a statesman speaks is not mere words. Only what corresponds to reason does he speak; only what corresponds to justice does he speak. Therefore their speaking and speaking causes kings, princes and great men to love reason all the more, and knights, citizens and the masses of the people to practise justice all the more. When the teachings of justice and reason are clear, the artifices of cruelty, falsehood and rape cease. Cruelty and falsehood are the opposite of reason and justice. It is in their nature that they cannot both triumph, nor even coexist. Therefore, when armies invade enemy countries, let the citizens know that they are protected, and let the masses know that they are not to be killed. Even if they advance as far as the square in front of the capital, they do not damage the crops, they do not desecrate the graves, they do not cut down the trees, they do not burn the provisions, they do not set fire to the houses, they do not rob the cattle, and if they take prisoners from the citizens, they send them back to freedom, in order to make it clear that they only hate the princes and love the subjects. By coming to an understanding with the citizens, they take away from the enemy ruler the foundations of his power. If, in spite of this course of action, there are obstinate, rebellious and criminal elements who will not listen, they may well be intervened against by force of arms.
First declare in a clear proclamation: Our armies have come to save the citizens from death. Your prince sits on his throne, unruly and wanton. He is idle, greedy, tyrannical, dissolute and obstinate. He departs from the institutions of the saints, defiles the ranks of his ancestors and destroys the ancient foundations of the state. Upwards he does not obey Heaven, downwards he does not love his people. He imposes burdens and duties without end and extorts and demands insatiably. He condemns the innocent to death and rewards and promotes the unworthy. Such a man is wiped out by Heaven, and mankind hates him. He is not worthy to be a prince. Now our armies have come to exterminate him who has proved unworthy of his principality, to eliminate the enemy of the people, and thus to obey the order of Heaven. If among the citizens there are those who oppose Heaven's order and protect the enemy of humanity, they themselves will be killed and their families exterminated without mercy. He who listens to these words with his whole household shall be rewarded together with his family. He who obeys with his whole hamlet shall be rewarded with a hamlet. He who obeys with his tract of land shall be rewarded with a tract of land; he who obeys with a city shall be rewarded with a city; he who obeys with a great city shall be rewarded with a great city.
In this way one subdues a state, but one does not oppress its citizens. Let punishment be inflicted on him who is to be punished, and then observe it. You raise your eminent statesmen and give them possessions. Let your worthy and capable men be brought up and made honourable and illustrious. Ask for widows and orphans and give them help and mercy. Visit the respected and the aged and show them reverence and courtesy; increase their income and raise their status. Examine the condemned and set them at liberty. Distribute the metal of the storerooms and the grain of the granaries in order to pacify the masses. Do not appropriate the riches for yourself. Ask for the sanctuaries and religious customs. Restore things that the people did not wish to be abolished and complete the list of those whose memory should be honoured by sacrifice.
Whoever acts in this way, his name will be praised by the worthy, his piety will be praised by the ancients and his virtue will be carried in the hearts of the people. If there were a man who could raise even one man from death to life, the whole world would rush to serve him. But now many lives are saved by just wars. Who should not praise them? Therefore, when armies waging a just war approach, the citizens of the neighbouring states fall to them like streams of water, and the citizens of the punished states hope for them as for their parents. The further they advance, the more people are transformed before the weapons are even crossed.
CHAPTER XVIII
Self-assessment
All states of things have their cause. If one does not know this cause, then, although one knows the facts, it is just as if one knew nothing at all, and in the end one certainly comes to be embarrassed. It was this knowledge of the cause by which the kings of ancient times, famous men and knowledgeable scholars distinguished themselves from ordinary men. The fact that the water leaves the mountains and runs into the sea is not because it hates the mountains and loves the sea, but is a consequence of the altitude. That the grain which grows on the plains is kept in the storehouses is not because the grain desires it, but because the people all need it.
That is why when Dsi Lu caught a pheasant, he set it free again.
Master Lia Dsi always hit the bull's eye when shooting arrows. He asked the master Guan Yin Hi about it. Master Guan Yin Hi said, "Do you know why you hit the target?" He replied, "I don't know." Then Master Guan Yin Hi said, "Then you are not yet mature." The latter withdrew, practised for three years, then asked for instruction again. Master Guan Yin Hi said, "Do you know why you meet?" Master Lia Dsi said, "Now I know." Master Guan Yin Hi said, "Well, then it is good. Hold on to this and never reveal it again."
It is not only so in archery, but also in the existence of states and the downfall of states, in the efficiency of the person and the incompetence of the person. The same law prevails everywhere. That is why the wise man does not ask about existence and decline, not about efficiency and inefficiency, but about their reasons.
Once the state of Tsi attacked the state of Lu because it wanted the famous Three-Foot-Kin from it. The prince of Lu sent him another tripod. But the prince of Tsi did not trust it and sent it back, saying it was false. At the same time, he told the Prince of Lu, "If Liu Hia Gi thinks it is genuine, I will accept it on his word." The prince of Lu asked Liu Hia Gi to intercede for him. Liu Hia Gi replied, "You want to bribe me because you want to keep the Three-Foot Kin, even if it costs you your kingdom? But I also have a kingdom. That I should destroy my kingdom and, in addition, deprive you of your kingdom, is difficult for me." Thereupon the prince of Lu sent the real tripod Kin. It can be said of Liu Hia Gi that he knew how to advise. Not only did he save his own kingdom, but still the kingdom of the Prince of Lu.
King Min of Tsi became a refugee and stayed in We. He walked around all day and said to Gung Yu Dan, "I have lost my country and yet I do not know why. What is the reason that I had to become a refugee? I must get rid of him." Gung Yu Dan replied, "I thought you already knew the reason. Do you really not know it yet? The reason why you had to flee the country is your wisdom. The kings of the earth are all unworthy and hate your wisdom. That is why they united their armies and attacked you. That is the reason why you became a fugitive from the land." King Min sighed deeply moved and said, "Am I really so wise and yet have to experience such suffering? That is also something of which I do not know the reason." Gung Yu Dan, of course, went too far by making a fool of the king.
King Shou of Yuo had four sons. The king's brother said to himself, "I want to get rid of them all so that I can become his successor. He had already made three of his sons so hateful to him that he had killed them. The citizens of the kingdom were displeased and extremely disapproved of their lord. Now he had also made the fourth son dislike him and wanted him to kill him. But the king of Yuo did not yet listen to him completely. This son, seeing his certain death before his eyes, took advantage of the mood of the citizens who wanted to drive Yu, the king's brother, out of the country, and surrounded the king's castle. Then the king sighed deeply and said, "Because I did not listen to the words of Yu, that is why I have got myself into this trouble." He too did not know what the real reason was for losing his kingdom.
CHAPTER XIX
Restriction of funeral rites
To know life thoroughly is the most important task of the wise man. To know death thoroughly is the last word in wisdom. To know life means not to cultivate life by harming life. To know death is not to bring the dead to rest by harming the dead. These two things are what only the wise man is able to grasp perfectly. Everything that lives between Heaven and earth is bound to die, that cannot be avoided. A faithful son honours his parents, kind parents love their children as their own flesh and bone. That is the nature of things. That one should throw those whom one honours and loves into the nearest ditch after their death is something that human nature cannot bring itself to do. That is why there is a duty to bury the dead. To bury means to bring to a safe place. This is something that loving parents and faithful children take seriously. Those who do not take it seriously think about it from the point of view of the living.
If one wants to care for the dead from the point of view of the living, the best thing one can do for them is that they are not disturbed in their rest and dug up again. The best way to ensure that they are not disturbed in their rest and dug up again is not to give them any desirable objects. This is the best way to seal their grave.
In ancient times, the dead were buried partly in wide plains, partly deep in the mountains, and thus brought to rest. But this does not mean that they were given pearls and precious stones and all kinds of valuables. When burying the dead, one must provide a safe resting place. If the dead are buried too shallowly, they will be dug up by foxes; if they are buried too deep, they will be buried in the groundwater. Therefore, when burying the dead, one makes sure that the graves are on high hills, in order to be able to avoid damage by foxes and the wetness of the groundwater at the same time. That is all well and good. But if one forgets the dangers that threaten the dead from common people, grave robbers and during riots, is one not then all the more infatuated? It is as when a blind singer wants to avoid a pillar, but while he is avoiding the pillar he strikes himself violently on a nail. The disturbances which threaten the dead from foxes, ground-waters, common men, robbers, and seditionists, are the greatest of such nails. If loving parents and faithful sons know how to avoid them, they have found the right kind of burial.
Make the coffin and sarcophagus good, so that they protect against mole crickets, ants, snakes and worms. But when today the perverse rulers of a degenerate race make the funeral more and more splendid, they are not concerned in their hearts about the dead, but they, the living, want to distinguish themselves before one another and surpass one another. There, opulence and wastefulness are considered honour, thrift and restriction are considered disgrace. They are not concerned with the peace of the dead. But to care only for the praise and blame of the living is not the attitude of loving parents and faithful sons. If a father is dead, a faithful son will honour him tirelessly. If a son is also dead, kind parents will love him unceasingly. But if loved and honoured people are buried in such a way as to give them what living people desire most, how should it be possible for them to remain in peace? Men are so keen on gain that they expose themselves to the hail of arrows, step into bare swords, shed their blood and expose their entrails in the pursuit of gain. Raw, uneducated savages strive for gain, even at the expense of their kinsmen, brothers and nearest friends. Now this ignominy, this danger is not present. But the addiction to gain is even greater, because the benefits of wagons, food and meat are still enjoyed by sons and grandsons. Therefore they cannot be prevented even by a wise ruler, how much less in times of confusion. The bigger the state, the richer the family, the more opulent the funeral. The dead are given pearls in their mouths, covered with nephrite like scales. The art objects, treasures, bells, tripods, vases and mirrors; the chariots, horses, clothes, blankets, spears, swords cannot all be enumerated. Everything that is needed for subsistence is given to them. Magnificent tombs are built with coffins and sarcophagi, one of which is always surrounded by another; the whole is surrounded with heaped stones and heaped coal.
When the desecrators of the graves hear of such things, they tell each other, and even if the government forbids their actions under the threat of the strictest punishment, they still do not let themselves be stopped.
Moreover, the longer one is dead, the more distant are those who are left alive. The more distant the survivors are from a dead person, the more lax they become in guarding the grave. But if the guarding becomes more and more lax and the buried objects are still the same, then the situation of the buried person is certainly not made more secure.
Funerals according to secular custom are carried out in such a way that the coffin is driven in a large hearse, all kinds of flags and decorations follow it as closely as possible, canopies and mourning fronds surround the coffin, pearls and precious stones are given to it, splendid, decorated fabrics of all kinds adorn it. Tens of thousands of people pull on the ropes of the coffin to the right and left to escort it. They have to be lined up in soldierly order for it to work at all. In this way, the world is presented with a spectacle that is beautiful and splendid. To care for the dead in this way is not acceptable. Even in the poorest state, the most meagre people, if they are really kind parents and faithful sons, will not evade real care for the dead.
CHAPTER XX
How to lay the dead to rest
Nowadays they make graves as high as mountains and plant them as thick as forests. They are provided with gates and courtyards and temples and palaces and stairs and steps like cities and castles. If you want to show your wealth to the world in this way, it is appropriate. But if one wants to provide for the dead in this way, it is not proper. For death, ten thousand years are like a moment. Man's life lasts at most sixty years. If one wants to care for eternity from the point of view of these hundred or sixty years, one is certainly not taking the right measures. From the point of view of eternity, one must care for the dead, and only then does one take the right measures.
If, for example, a man were to place a stone tablet on his grave with the following inscription: "The objects in it are all pearls and precious stones and works of art and treasures and precious things without number; it is urgently advisable to dig them up; whoever digs them up will certainly become very rich, so that his family will be able to drive carts and have meat to eat for generations to come," people would certainly laugh together and consider it great folly. But the noble funerals of today basically amount to the same thing. From the beginning until today there has never been a kingdom that has not ended. But the fact that every kingdom comes to an end means that every grave will be dug up once. We have seen with our own eyes that the states of Tsi, Ging and Yan have perished. The states of Sung and Dzhshan are no more, and the states of We and Han have perished. All these rulers have lost their ancestral states. If we go back further, the ruined states can no longer be counted. That is why the great graves will all be dug up sooner or later, and yet people are always vying to build new ones. Isn't that sad?
People who are considered bad subjects by their princes, who are considered disreputable sons by their fathers, who are considered insubordinate brothers by their brothers, are expelled from their society even by the poorest country people. They shy away from the toil of farming and gardening, they do not like to work for others, and yet they would like to have the pleasure of beautiful clothes and sumptuous food. When they have come to the end of all their wit and wisdom and yet do not attain it, they gather a band of daring fellows, with whom they attack and rob people in lonely mountains, deserted plains and dense forests. When they find a famous burial place, a large grave, the site of a splendid burial, they seek out a hut nearby, where they can live comfortably, in order to dig up the grave in secret. Day and night they are ceaselessly at work, and so they are sure to eventually find something that serves them for profit and that they share with each other.
If you love and cherish someone and let him be robbed by thieves and robbers and rebels, you bring disgrace on him. This consideration is something that is of utmost importance to reverent sons, faithful officials, loving fathers and sincere friends.
Yau was buried in Gu Lin, and the forest there was used as a burial grove. Chun was buried in Gi without interrupting the market people in their work. Yu was buried on Kuai Gi Mountain without interrupting the people in their work; thus the earlier kings buried their dead simply and sparingly. It was not that they shied away from the expense or feared the trouble, but that they cared for the dead. What the kings of antiquity wanted to prevent was the desecration of the dead. If a grave is torn open, the dead will surely be desecrated. A simple grave will not be torn open. That is why the kings of antiquity were anxious that the burial should be simple according to the place and the circumstances. What does it mean to be appropriate to the place and circumstances? It means that if you are buried in the forest mountains, you adapt yourself to the conditions of the forest mountains; if you are buried in the lowlands, you adapt yourself to the conditions of the lowlands. That is true human love. There are many who feel love for their dead, but there are few who know how to love their dead in the right way. Hence it came about that even before the fall of the state of Sung, the eastern grove of tombs was plundered; that even before the fall of the state of Tsi, the tomb of Duke Chuang was plundered. If such things occur while peace and tranquillity reign in the land, what should happen centuries later, when the empire has long ceased to exist? Therefore, reverent sons, faithful officials, loving fathers and sincere friends have the duty to examine these things carefully. But does this mean that one conversely puts those one loves in danger? In the Book of Odes it says: You must not attack a tiger with your bare fist, you must not cross a river without a ship. But if one understands the one and not the corresponding other, it means that one cannot draw the right conclusions.
In Lu, there was a funeral party at the Gi family home. Master Kung went to pay his respects. He entered and turned to the left, as befits guests. The master of the house placed a magnificent nephrite in the coffin. Then Master Kung strode across the courtyard with a hurried step, jumped up the stairs and said, "If you give a dead man a delicious nephrite, it is just like having his bones bleached in the pale field." To walk across the courtyard and jump up the stairs is against fine custom. Nevertheless, Master Kung did it to save his master from a gross mistake.