MA YUAN, ‘ON A MOUNTAIN PATH IN SPRING’, Southern Song period, early 13th century. National Palace Museum, Taibei.

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Today’s sharing from the Blue House of HYGEIA are a few selections from the ‘Huainanzi’, chapter II, paragraphs 15b second half to 17b first half. Our exploratory working English translation is based on the French ‘Pleiade’ edition-2003, pages 74-76 with constant verification with the Chinese original.

The title of this chapter is Chu Zhen (俶真訓), ‘Of the beginning of the Real’. Charles Le Blanc, the translator of this chapter comments the title: ‘Dao is considered under the aspect of time and becoming as it is embodied, in the middle of unceasing changes and world challenges, by the Perfect Man.’ We chose to not use the word ‘Saint’ as used in the French translation, instead using ‘Perfect Man’.

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HYGEIA’s exploratory working English translation.

From 15b second half to 17b first half.

By studying, the Perfect Man tends to lead his nature to its original state and to let his heart wander into the void. Through his studies, the clairvoyant man aims to penetrate his own nature by the void and reach awakening through silence and seclusion.

As for the studies of the worldly people, they have nothing in common with the former. They unroot virtue and pluck up nature. They disrupt the five ‘viscera’ (the inner organs, a.k.a. the heart, the liver, the lungs, the spleen and the kidneys) on the inside and tire the eyes and the ears on the outside. They start to fool around and to play with the insignificant details of things. They bustle about and busy themselves in the  practice of humanity and justice, of the rites and music. They showcase their actions and spread their knowledge publicly (‘under the sky‘) to gain titles of honor and a name famous throughout the world. These are the things shame forbids me!

This is why it is worth to possess joy than an empire. Better even to rise until the point where everything begins and ends and penetrate the frontier of being and non-being than to possess joy. Thus, who understands this-even if the whole world praises him-he wouldn’t feel flattered; even if the whole world would blame him, he wouldn’t feel disenchanted.  Unshaken in front of life and death, impassive facing honors or blame, his spirit-even in the midst of fires or floods ravaging the entire world, stays intact within his chest. Also, he considers the beings existing between heaven and earth like as many flying feathers and twigs floating in the wind. How would he interfere on behalf of people?

Water is clear by nature, but earth disturbs it. Man is serene by nature, but envy and desire disturb him. Among the things that Man receives from heaven, ears and eyes are connected to sound and colors; nose and mouth to smells and flavors; flesh and skin to cold and heat. In all of them the settings are the same; so why is it that some reach the spiritual light when others can’t run away from stupidity? It is that what rules them is different. Because spirit is the source of wisdom; when the source is clear, wisdom is shining. Wisdom is the sanctuary of the heart; when wisdom is impartial, the heart is at rest.

No man can admire himself upon troubled water, but upon calm water due to his serenity. None can examine his shape with a piece of casted iron, but with a shining mirror due to his unified character. Only what is unified and serene faithfully reflects the nature of embodied beings. Upon this, the useful relies upon the useless. This is why light fills the empty house and good fortune pays a visit. When the mirror is shining, dust wouldn’t tarnish it. When the spirit is pure, envy and desire cannot disturb it.

Wanting to bring within the essential spirits scattered outside, is like neglecting the root to take care of the twigs. Wanting to bind oneself to the world’s beings while body and mind are discrepant, is tarnishing the inner light and seeking knowledge solely through the eyes and ears. It is to abandon light and be guided by darkness. This is called, ‘losing the dao’.

When the heart wants an object, spirit obliges with haste. It is only by redirecting it towards the void that the desires of the heart are removed. This is how the Perfect Men walk through life.

French ‘Pleiade Edition’

From 15b second half to 17b first half.

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Original Chinese 

夫世之所以喪性命，有衰漸以然，所由來者久矣。

是故聖人之學也，欲以返性於初，而游心於虛也。

達人之學也，欲以通性於遼廓，而覺於寂漠也。

若夫俗世之學也則不然，握德𢶊性，內愁五藏，外勞耳目，乃始招蟯振繾物之豪芒，搖消掉捎仁義禮樂，暴行越智於天下，以招號名聲於世。此我所羞而不為也。

是故與其有天下也，不若有說也；與其有說也，不若尚羊物之終始也，而條達有無之際。

是故舉世而譽之不加勸，舉世而非之不加沮，定于死生之境，而通于榮辱之理，雖有炎火洪水彌靡於天下，神無虧缺於胸臆之中矣。

若然者，視天下之間，猶飛羽浮芥也，孰肯分分然以物為事也！水之性真清而土汨之，人性安靜而嗜欲亂之。

夫人之所受於天者，耳目之於聲色也，口鼻之於芳臭也，肌膚之於寒燠，其情一也，或通於神明，或不免於癡狂者，何也？其所為制者異也。

是故神者智之淵也，淵清則智明矣；智者心之府也，智公則心平矣。

人莫鑑於流沫，而鑑於止水者，以其靜也；莫窺形於生鐵，而窺於明鏡者，以睹其易也。

夫唯易且靜，形物之性也。

由此觀之，用也必假之於弗用也，是故虛室生白，吉祥止也。

夫鑑明者塵垢弗能薶，神清者嗜欲弗能亂。

精神已越於外，而事復返之，是失之於本，而求之於末也。

外內無符而欲與物接，弊其玄光而求知之于耳目，是釋其炤炤，而道其冥冥也，是之謂失道。

心有所至而神喟然在之，反之於虛則消鑠滅息，此聖人之游也。

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