Chapter 22 5. Communion with Tao
Anyone who knows a little bit knows that this topic must be discussed: Are the fish happy?This passage is very difficult to explain.First look at the original text: Zhuangzi and Huizi swim on Haoliang.Zhuangzi said: "The minnows swim leisurely, which is the joy of fish." Huizi said: "You are not a fish, how do you know the joy of fish?" Zhuangzi said: "You are not me, how do you know that I don't know the joy of fish?" Huizi said "I'm not a son, I don't know the son; I'm not a fish, I don't know the joy of the fish!" Zhuangzi said: "Please follow the basics. The one who said, 'Ru'an knows the joy of fish', has already If you know what you know and ask me, I know the best.” (Zhuangzi Qiushui)
Zhuangzi and Huishi were walking on the bridge of Haoshui.Zhuangzi said: "The white fish swims leisurely in the water, this is the happiness of the fish." Huizi said: "You are not a fish, how do you know that the fish is happy?" Zhuangzi said: "You are not me, how do you know that I am not?" Do you know that fish are happy?" Huizi said, "I am not you, so of course I don't know about you, and you are not a fish, so you don't know that fish are happy, so that's the end of the story." Zhuangzi said, "Let's go back to what we said at the beginning. Talking about it. When you said 'how do you know that fish is happy', you already knew that I knew that fish was happy, so you came to ask me. I found out on the bridge of Haoshui!"
Huishi, also known as Huizi, is a name that often appears in the book.Zhuangzi is really lonely. In his writings of tens of thousands of characters, the only friend whose name is written down is Huishi.Huishi himself is a representative of famous scholars. He likes to debate and thinks he is the most eloquent in the world. But when he meets Zhuangzi, he loses many times and never wins.We know that in any debate, the person who speaks the last sentence often wins, because he makes the other party have nothing to answer.Of course, some people will say that it is because Zhuangzi deleted all the words in his defense of defeat in the book.Some people may also think that Zhuangzi is sophistry, because he finally failed to explain how he knew that the fish were happy.Let's ignore it and look at this debate.
Two old friends made an appointment to go outing in the countryside when the spring was warm and the flowers were blooming.Walking to a bridge, looking down, he saw the white fish "walking leisurely" in the water, which made Zhuangzi think that the fish must be very happy.In the end, Hui Shi said, you are not a fish, how do you know that fish are happy?What a great question.Until now, we sometimes debate and often refute others in this way.But Zhuangzi's answer is also very beautiful, he said you are not me, how do you know that I don't know fish happiness?Hui Shi's subsequent rhetorical question was a big problem, because he took a step back and said that I am not you, so I don't know your situation, but you are not a fish, and you should not know the fish's situation, so you It is nonsense to say that fish are happy.Generally speaking, at this point in the debate, Huishi should be regarded as winning.But Zhuangzi is Zhuangzi after all. He said back to the beginning, when you asked me how to know that fish are happy, you asked me because you knew that I knew that fish were happy. Your case" contradicts itself?So, Chuang Tzu wins again.
The concept Zhuangzi used in his debate is called "empathy" in the West.For example, when I saw a fish swimming leisurely in the water, I empathized and projected my feelings on the fish, thinking that if I were that fish, swimming in the water in the warm spring season Go, of course I am very happy.Most people can understand this kind of empathy, but the problem is that no matter how empathetic you are, you are not a fish. How can you be sure that fish will be happy?At this time, it will be explained that the reason why Zhuangzi thinks that people can know the happiness of fish is because he believes that human life and the life of other things are interlinked.How do they communicate?For example, if you have a dog at home, when you go home, you don’t say, “Oh, there is something wrong with this dog. Why is its tail almost broken? Do you want to take it to see a doctor?”You don't say that, because when you see a dog wagging its tail, you know that the dog is happy to see you, because you are its owner, and the owner's return means that it has food to eat.What does this mean?It shows that people and dogs can communicate with each other through the posture of life.On the contrary, when the dog is unhappy, you must also know it, because it is downcast, and you can tell that it is unhappy just by looking at it.In the same way, humans and plants can also communicate.For example, when I walk through the garden and see a rose blooming in full bloom, I say, this flower is so happy; no one will think that I am talking nonsense.On the contrary, when I see a flower withered, I say that the flower is very happy; other people will think that there is something wrong with you, and you still say that the flower is happy when the flower is withered, isn’t there something wrong?What do these examples illustrate?It shows that to a certain extent, people can indeed project their emotions on other beings, even on a mountain. The so-called "I see how charming the green mountains are, but I expect the green mountains to see me like this", people and mountains can still look at each other without getting tired of it.At this time, we know that human life is very broad, and there are channels for communication between human beings and all things in nature.Zhuangzi's victory in the debate lies in his realization of this point. He was able to open up his life and interact with all things.
But even so, all this is not conclusive, leaving Hui Shi speechless.There is only one way to silence a master debater, and that is to make him contradict himself.Hui Shi's eloquence is extremely good, why didn't he speak this time?Not only because Zhuangzi's thinking is superior to his, and he can think of the problem of communication between humans and animals; but also because Zhuangzi uses a method of argument that makes the other party fall into self-contradiction in language.You heard me say that fish are happy, so you came to ask me how I know fish are happy.Then he said later, you are not me, so you don’t know my situation; you know what I’m talking about before, but later you say you don’t know what I’m talking about; in this way, aren’t you contradicting yourself?Moreover, the language of human beings will lose its effect, because it cannot convey affection, and no two people in the world can communicate with each other.In this way, why did he question me after hearing what I said?When Zhuangzi pointed this out, Keiko really had nothing to say.
As a Taoist figure, Zhuangzi has never been stingy with criticizing Confucianism.Sima Qian said that Zhuangzi wrote books "to slander Confucius' disciples and to understand Laozi's skills".He wrote that after Confucius visited Lao Tzu, his eyes were wide open, "I didn't speak for three whole days"; his disciples asked what was going on, and Confucius said: "I have only seen the dragon there until now! The dragon is combined to form a whole, and when it is scattered Come to become a beautiful article, ride the clouds, and soar between the heaven and the earth." Zhuangzi seems to be exaggerating, but it is true that Confucius visited Laozi and compared Laozi to a "dragon". "Historical Records" records that after Confucius met Lao Tzu, he said to his disciples: "I see Lao Tzu today, and he looks like a dragon!" Zhuang Zi also fabricated some stories about Confucius seeking Taoism from Lao Tzu, and used Lao Tzu to criticize many Confucian views. .
Confucius saw Lao Dan and said benevolence and righteousness.Lao Dan said: "When a husband sows chaff and squints his eyes, the four directions of heaven and earth will change positions; when mosquitoes and horseflies rub their skin, they will lose sleep in the past. My husband's benevolence and righteousness will anger my heart, and there is no such thing as chaos." ("Zhuangzi Tianyun" )
Confucius talked about benevolence and righteousness when he visited Laozi.Lao Tzu said: "Flying rice bran falls on the eyes, and the world seems to change its position; mosquitoes and flies bite the skin, making people unable to sleep all night. There is no greater harm than this disturbing my heart. up.
Confucius talked about "benevolence and righteousness" in front of Laozi, but Laozi compared the troubles caused by benevolence and righteousness to people by sowing chaff and mosquitoes.Zhuangzi said this not because he opposed benevolence, righteousness and morality, but because he believed that a person's true disposition was manifested, and he would have moral and benevolent behavior.People have what they should do, just let it be and do it naturally, there is no need to deliberately set many external standards and norms, and promote benevolence and righteousness everywhere.Once you tell the people in the world, we must practice benevolence and righteousness, we must practice benevolence and righteousness, it will be bad.Many people are used to using this as a slogan, thinking about everything they do: It’s not that I really want to do it, but that I want to meet the requirements of benevolence and righteousness.In this way, it becomes putting the cart before the horse, and after doing it for a long time, it becomes a completely useless inner emotion.I treat you well because others are praising me and encouraging me, not because I really want to treat you well.Those who accept my kindness are probably not willing to accept it either.What Taoism emphasizes is that the original ideals of Confucianism were very good and were born of sincere feelings in the heart, but they have become slogans in later generations. What Taoism is most opposed to are slogans, forms and dogmas.Therefore, Lao Tzu compares benevolence and righteousness to mosquitoes that bite people and rice bran that falls into the eyes.Lao Tzu said: "You only need to keep the people in the world from losing their simple nature, and you yourself act according to the customs and grasp your talents to live in the world. Why bother to beat the big drum to chase the escaped people?" Then, Lao Tzu made a simple metaphor: a swan is white without the sun, and a black is black without the sun. The simplicity of black and white is not enough to argue, and the concept of reputation is not enough to be broad.When the spring dries up, the fish are on land with each other, they are wet with each other, and they are wet with foam. It is not like forgetting each other in the rivers and lakes. ("Zhuangzi · Fortune")
A swan does not need to be bathed every day, it is naturally white; a crow does not need to be dyed every day, it is naturally dark.Black and white are inherent and not worth debating; fame is superficial and not worth promoting.The spring dried up, and several fish were trapped on land together.Breathing out each other to moisten each other, spitting on each other to moisten each other, this is really not as good as forgetting each other in the rivers and lakes.
Swans and crows, one white and one black, this is innate, no matter how hard you try to change it, it is impossible to get rid of this natural trait.Besides, black and white are the colors we humans see. Is what humans see the same as what other creatures see?uncertain.Other creatures probably see more than we see red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.So, why bother to say which is better, black or white?Then, he contrasted black and white with fame, thinking that people's reputation is external and not worth promoting.For example, this person is said to be benevolent and has a good reputation, but after you meet and talk with him, you realize that he is not as good as the outside world says; or this person is said to be inhumane and has a bad reputation, but he may be wronged. Everyone in the world is wrong.So, don't judge a person by external things like reputation.
Then, there is the famous saying "It's better to forget each other than to forget each other in the rivers and lakes".What does that mean?Resolve the attachment to benevolence and righteousness.We often remember who is a good person, who is a bad person, who is a high-ranking official, and who is a small person, and as a result, we feel uncomfortable living in this world.It's like a few fish have lost water and are trapped on land, exhaling and spitting each other to survive, this situation is very pitiful.So Zhuangzi said, it is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes. What is "jianghu"? "road".Fish can forget each other in the rivers and lakes, and people can forget each other in the "Tao".But in fact, as far as fish are concerned, how could fish choose not to be in the world?It is a last resort, forced.It's the same with people, no one can fully achieve what they want.What people encounter under certain circumstances must be a last resort and powerless.At this time, it depends on whether you have the vision and wisdom to realize the "Tao".After realizing the "Tao", you will find that you already have everything you need, and everyone is equal to the ability to realize wisdom within you.If I set my goal to pursue benevolence and righteousness, I am afraid that I will sacrifice other more valuable things for this goal.What is more valuable?It is to realize the "Tao".
"Tao" is a whole, people live in "Tao", there is no shortage, so why should we be persistent?Clinging to whether I am going to do this or that, to being mine or not being mine. The comparison between "mine" and "not mine" is of course out of proportion. "Mine" is so small and so few, but the world is so big and everything is so numerous, of course you will feel, oh, this life is really wronged.But if you can get rid of these attachments, you will immediately feel a kind of joy in life, just like Su Dongpo wrote "Only the breeze on the river and the bright moon in the mountains can be heard by the ear, and the color can be seen by the eyes. There is no limit, inexhaustible", in the beauty of nature, in the rivers and lakes of "Tao", feel at ease.
When modern people talk about the word "turning and turning", they feel that they are criticizing a person who is not deterministic, who turns the steering wheel according to the wind and sways with the wind. If you say it in the morning, it will change in the evening.In fact, the usage of the ancients is not like this. The original meaning of "going three and turning four" in the book is not only a criticism, but also a very high state of life. It is a fable told by Zhuangzi to explain what "Tao" is.
Sniper Gong Fu Mao said: "Three in the morning and four in the evening." 'All the snipers are angry.Said: "However, it is four times and three times at night." 'All snipers are happy.It is also because of the fact that the name and reality are not lost, but the joy and anger are used. ("Zhuangzi Equality of Things")
A man who raised monkeys fed chestnuts to the monkeys and said, "Three liters in the morning and four liters in the evening." The monkeys were very angry when they heard this.He changed his words and said: "Then four liters in the morning and three liters in the evening." The monkeys were very happy to hear that.Neither the name nor the reality have changed, and the monkey’s mood can be controlled when it is applied. This is also done according to the situation!
Three plus four equals seven, and four plus three equals seven. Is Zhuangzi telling such a story to show that monkeys are not good at arithmetic?of course not.Before Zhuangzi talked about "going three nights and four nights", he first said a profound truth.He said: "Twigs and roof beams, ugly people and Xi Shi, and all kinds of exaggerated, abnormal, weird, and strange phenomena are all connected as a whole from the perspective of "Tao". If there is decomposition, there will be generation; What is generated is destroyed, so there is no generation and destruction of all things, and they will be connected as one again. Only sensible people know that all things are connected as one, so they no longer argue and rely on mediocre principles." That is to say, as long as Once you have realized that "Tao" is a whole, you will not care about the changes in name and substance.Because what really changes is only the name and the substance that people "think change" along with the name.Next, he made a joke about the monkey, reminding us that life is like the fable of "going up and down". Some people get less first and then get more; others get more first and then get less.In ordinary words, if you are always up and down, more first and then less, then you are called "youthful success". You have everything at a young age, but you may not have such good luck in your later years, because few Some people are successful all their lives.On the other hand, if you go from place to place, first less and then more, then you are a "big tool", it is more difficult when you are young, and you can reap a little more when you are older.But human life is a whole, no matter what you gain or lose in this life, the total amount is the same, it is "seven", four first and then three, or three first and then four, there is actually no difference.Therefore, from this point of view, people do not need to have too many emotions in the momentary success or failure, advances and retreats of honor and disgrace, like monkeys, who are angry at every turn and happy at all times, and get more first, then they will be happy. okay?Will the first to get more win?Not necessarily, because you don't know how the situation will change later.
The West has a concept "EQ", that is, emotional intelligence quotient.The United States has done an experiment. Many children around four years old were found in kindergartens, and they were given two choices: first, you can eat delicious chocolate immediately, but you can only eat one piece; You can eat two chocolates, but you need a big brother to go out and come back, and the waiting time is uncertain.In other words, there are two types of children. The first one is that I don’t care about it and I want to eat it immediately. Although I can only eat one, my desire can’t wait; the second is that in order to eat two, I must restrain myself. Desire to eat later, this is delayed gratification.Finally, the survey found that children who choose to wait to receive two chocolates tend to be more successful when they grow up. This is because when children choose to delay gratification, they must learn patience while waiting and find ways to divert their attention. So that the waiting process is not so difficult, such as reading, drawing, and doing other things.In the process of waiting, he will gradually develop a kind of patience in his heart.And people's "emotional intelligence quotient", in the final analysis, depends on whether you can restrain yourself, regulate your emotions, and be patient and submerge a little when you want to lose your temper or want to get something.If you can do this, your emotional intelligence will be relatively high, and it is predictable that your future development in this life will be relatively smooth.On the contrary, if a person does not know how to regulate his emotions and never allows his desires to wait for a while, then he may not achieve much in his life.
This experiment is the same as Zhuangzi's theory of "going up and down and going down four times". It is to tell us that "Tao" is a whole, and life is also a whole; in the whole, success or failure are relative.In a person's life, no matter how much you pay, you will get as much as you gain. It is actually quite fair, so why bother to be sad before being happy, or be happy before being sad?Aren't these emotional responses superfluous and unnecessary?If caught in the cycle of emotional reactions, wouldn't life come and go, bewildered and bewildered?Isn't such a life too pity?
Taoism attaches great importance to the regulation of emotions, because usually our energy is consumed in the process of emotional changes, most of which are consumed in unnecessary emotional reactions.Taoism often mentions "preserving the integrity of the whole body". Only by keeping life intact and restoring its true state can life be brought to its limit.The highest state of life is to combine with the "Tao". After the combination, the whole life will remain in a very peaceful, calm, and comfortable state. It seems that there is nothing worthy of your tension and anxiety, and you no longer care about those names. and substantive changes, not to mention letting them control your own sorrows and joys.
A word that we modern people often use is "going from bad to worse", which means "the situation is getting worse and worse".The original text of this word is "everything goes from bad to worse", because of, but the meaning is completely different from "every worse from bad to worse". "Everything gets worse" is used to explain the "Tao" and is related to the "Tao".
Dong Guozi asked Zhuangzi: "The so-called Tao, where is the evil?" Zhuangzi said: "It is everywhere." "In the barnyard barnyard." Said: "Why does it become more evil?" Said: "In the tile pot." Said: "Why does it become worse?" Said: "Drowning in feces." Dong Guozi should not. ("Zhuangzi Zhibei Tour")
Dong Guozi asked Zhuangzi, "Where is the so-called Dao?" Zhuangzi said, "It is everywhere." Dongguozi said, "You must talk about a place." Why is it so humble?" Zhuangzi said, "Among the weeds." Dongguozi said, "Why is it more humble?" Zhuangzi said, "Among the tiles." Dongguozi said, "Why do you talk too much? Zhuangzi Said, "In the shit. "Dong Guozi fell silent.
Zhuangzi often mentioned "Tao", so someone asked him, where is "Tao"?What is it like?Can you describe it?As a result, this simple conversation took place.Zhuangzi first said that the "Tao" lies in the ants.Most people will be shocked when they hear it.Everyone thinks that the "Tao" must be high above the sky, or else it is in some magnificent place or a beautiful scenic spot. How could it be on ants? They are insects.So people ask, how can "Tao" be so humble?Zhuangzi went on to say, "Tao" is in the weeds.Ants are considered insects and animals, while weeds are plants, and they are useless plants.After others heard it, they were even more surprised, saying, why do you become more and more humble as you speak?Zhuangzi went on to say, "Tao" is in the tiles and has become a mineral.Ask again, it has become "Tao" in the excrement and urine, it has become waste, excrement.So the person who asked was silent, and didn't dare to ask any more questions. If he asked again, he didn't know what kind of answer would come out.
Why did Zhuangzi say this?Did he do it on purpose?No, he did think that "Tao" is omnipresent.In order to illustrate this point, he said that "Tao" is in ants, weeds, tiles, excrement, from animals (insects) to plants, to minerals (inanimate) to waste, which means: even the most humble and humble things There is "Tao" in it.Therefore, "Tao" is omnipresent, "Tao" is a whole, and there is no distinction between high and low in the whole.But the omnipresence of "Tao" is not "omnipresent".The two must be strictly separated.If "Tao" is omnipotent, it means that "Tao" is all things, and all things are "Tao". "Well, the "Tao" of Taoism is "independent without changing, traveling around without perishing", independent long-term existence without change, cyclical operation without stopping, besides being pervasive in all things, it also has a kind of transcendence, It will not change as everything changes.So it can only be said that "Tao" is omnipresent, and all things change, arise and die, but "Tao" is completely unaffected.Therefore, the difference between "in" and "is" determines whether the understanding is correct.It can only be said that "Tao" is omnipresent, not "omniscient".Then, Zhuangzi mentioned the word "everything goes from bad to worse".
Zhuangzi said: "The master's question is not as good as the quality. The question of Zhenghuo is in the prison market, and it is getting worse every time." ("Zhuangzi Zhibei Tour")
Zhuangzi said: "Mr.'s question did not touch the essence. There was a market supervisor named Huo De. He asked the butcher how to check the fatness and leanness of a big pig. He stepped on it with his feet. The lower the leg, the more fleshy it was. , the pig gets fatter.
What does that mean?The ancient society was different from the modern one. There was not such a good equipment to weigh a pig with a scale to see how catty it was.Without so much manpower and material resources, what should we do?Rely on the experience of the butcher, use your feet to step on the pig's leg, of course there is meat in the leg; if you step on the calf, there is still meat, this is of course a fatter pig; if you step on the side of the pig's hoof, if there is still meat, then It's the fattest pig ever.So the more you step on it, the more meat you have, and the fatter the pig.Why did Zhuangzi use this metaphor?Because "Tao" is omnipresent, as long as you step on any humble place, there is "Tao" in it.Zhuangzi's metaphor of "Tao" is impressive.
"Chinese Science and Technology and Civilization" written by British biochemist Joseph Needham has more than 50 volumes. The second volume is devoted to Chinese scientific thought, and Zhuangzi's words are mentioned in it, which is believed to be the germination of ancient Chinese scientific thought.why?Because in the eyes of scientists, there are no such issues as dirty or not, high or low.For example, when a doctor examines your body, the excrement is also checked. They don’t say that it’s too dirty and don’t check it.In the eyes of scientists, there is no such distinction, and all existing things can be used as objects of research and observation.However, Joseph Needham considered this passage to be scientific, and I am afraid that Zhuangzi himself was also surprised, because what he was talking about was not science, but the wisdom of Taoism.He said that since "Tao" is omnipresent, we can "".After reading this passage carefully, and recalling Zhuangzi's rambling words throughout the book, you can't help but smile knowingly.If "Tao" is everywhere, why should people be persistent?People live in the world, they come from qi, and return when qi dissipates, returning to the space between heaven and earth. Life is as simple as that.You grasp the time in the middle, from body to mind to spiritual level and combine with "Tao", so that every day life has joy and happiness. This is the real intention of Zhuangzi.
"Zhuang Zhou's Dream of a Butterfly" is an allusion that has been passed down through the ages.This allusion was later used by the poet Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty in his famous poem "Jinse": "Jinse has fifty strings for no reason, one string and one column think of the Chinese year. Zhuang Shengxiao dreamed of butterflies, and Wangdi Chunxin entrusted Du Juan. There are tears, and the sun in Lantian is warm and the jade is full of smoke. This feeling can be regarded as a memory, but it was already lost at the time.” The original text of this story is actually very short: the former Zhuang Zhou dreamed of being a butterfly, and the butterfly was also a lifelike butterfly. .If you suddenly feel it, then you will feel like a week.I don't know that Zhou's dream is a butterfly, and the butterfly's dream is Zhou Yu?Zhou and Butterfly must be divided.This is called materialization. ("Zhuangzi Equality of Things")
Once upon a time, Zhuang Zhou dreamed that he turned into a butterfly. He was really a free-flying butterfly, very happy and proud!I didn't know that Zhuang Zhou existed.Suddenly he woke up and found that he was Zhuang Zhou who was lying motionless.I wonder if it was Zhuang Zhou who dreamed that he became a butterfly?Or did the butterfly dream that it was Zhuang Zhou?Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly must have their own natural differences.What this dream represents is called the assimilation of things and me.
Dreaming is a very common experience, like "thinking by day, dreaming at night", it is almost a natural phenomenon.However, when we think of what happened in the past, don't we also feel "like a dream and illusion", making it impossible to tell which is true and which is false?Zhuangzi analyzed dreams in another article, and regarded life as a dream.He said: "A person dreams of drinking and having fun at night, but wakes up in the morning and weeps sadly; dreams of being sad and crying at night, but hunts and has fun in the morning when he gets up in the morning. People are in dreams, but they don't know that they are dreaming. In dreams, you have to ask about dreams. How good or bad it is, you don’t know you’re dreaming until you wake up. You have to be sober, and then you know it’s a big dream. But a fool thinks he’s sober, as if he knows everything. Tiantian Lord, Minister, it’s so shallow Already!"
From this point of view, how should life be arranged?Could it be that Zhuangzi expects us to live in a daze, because "great sobriety" is really too difficult?Or, even if I achieve "everyone is drunk and I am sober", will my sobriety become a strange and deviant phenomenon in the eyes of everyone?In order to clarify the crux of the problem, it is necessary to discern what Zhuangzi means by "materialization"?On the one hand, Zhuang Zhou and Butterfly "have their own natural distinctions", that is, if they are in Zhuang Zhou, they accept that they are "sleeping motionless", incompatible with others, and have no way out in the world; , then "fly freely and be happy", and enjoy the joy of life to the fullest!On the other hand, whether you are Zhuang Zhou or a butterfly, you are actually a small part of the whole, and everything in the whole is transforming into each other!
There is a passage in "Zhuangzi Zhibei Tour" that directly answers the question about "the assimilation of things and me": Shun asked Cheng: "Can the 'Tao' be obtained and owned?" Cheng said: "Your body is not what you have. Owned, how can you have the 'Tao'?" Shun said: "My body is not what I own, so who owns it?" Cheng said: "It is a form given by heaven and earth; existence is not what you have What you have is the neutralizing energy bestowed by heaven and earth; life is not what you own, but a process of conformity bestowed by heaven and earth; descendants are not what you own, but the result of transformation bestowed by heaven and earth. I don’t know how to take care of it, and I don’t know how to eat and drink. All these are the changing qi between heaven and earth, so how could it be owned by you?”
It turns out that everything we see is a change of "Qi".The sky represents the active yang, and the earth represents the passive yin. The combination of the two creates all things.That being the case, the assimilation of things and me is very natural.To reach such a point of view, there is another key idea, that is to distinguish between "I have" and "I am".The so-called "I have" refers to the affirmation that one has "body, existence, life, descendants".Zhuangzi has clearly told us that this is an untenable idea.As for "I am", it is to affirm that oneself is "is" or "equal to".The reason is: I and these four are created by heaven and earth.To put it more plainly, don't cling to your own existence, thinking that you are the master who can have something.
In this way, isn't Zhuangzi somewhat negative?actually not.He believes that human life includes body and mind, but there is also a higher spiritual level.The changes in the universe may really be a dream, but once the dreamer wakes up, he will realize that the value of life lies in the artistic conception of the spiritual level.This is what Zhuang Zili said.
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