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241 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
“it became ‘effortless action’ or ‘nonaction’: a state of spontaneous harmony between individual inclinations and the sacred Way of heaven.”
Confucius
With virtue, there will be ordering of the entire world and no need for armies, law or governmental decrees sine the whole world will be “drawn to a ruler with true Virtue
Confucius
Set your heart upon the way, rely upon Virtue, lean upon Goodness, and explore widely in your cultivation of the arts
Confucius
The task of self-cultivation might be compared to the task of building up a mountain: If I stop even one basketful of earth short of completion, then I have stopped completely. It might also be compared to the task of leveling ground: even if I have only dumped a single basketful of earth, at least I am moving forward.
Confucius
Having in the morning heard the Way [was being put to practice], one could die that evening without regret.
Confucius
When you see someone who is worthy, concentrate upon becoming their equal; when you see someone who is unworthy, use this as an opportunity to look within yourself
Confucius
What I do not wish others to unto to me, I also wish not to unto others.
Confucius
To live in the neighborhood of the Good is fine. If one does not choose to dwell among those who are Good, how will one obtain wisdom?
Confucius
Without Goodness, one cannot remain constant in adversity and cannot enjoy enduring happiness. Those who are Good feel at home in Goodness, whereas those who are wise follow Goodness because they feel that they will profit from it
Confucius
Merely set your heart sincerely upon Goodness and you will be free of bad intentions
Confucius
Restraining yourself and returning to the rites constitutes Goodness. If for one day you managed to restrain yourself and return to the rites, in this way you could lead the entire world back to Goodness. They key to achieving Goodness lies within yourself
Confucius
That I fail to cultivate Virtue, that I fail to inquire more deeply into that which I have learned, that upon hearing what is right I remain unable to move myself to do it, and that I prove unable to reform when I have done something wrong- such potential failings are a source of constant worry to me.
Confucius
IF the gentleman abandons Goodness, how can he merit the name? The gentleman does not go against Goodness even for the amount of time required to finish a meal. Even in times of urgency or distress, he necessarily accords with it.
Confucius
A gentleman is respectful and free of errors. He is reverent and ritually proper in his dealings with others
Confucius
• A gentleman’s cultural refinement resembles his native substance, and his native substance remembers his cultural refinement
Confucius
The gentleman applies himself to the roots. ‘once the roots are firmly established, the way will grow.’ Might we not say that filial piety and respect for elders constitute the root of Goodness?’”
Confucius
• “The gentleman takes rightness as his substance, puts into practice by means of ritual, gives it expression through modesty, and perfects it by being trustworthy.”
Confucius
If a person is able to govern the state by means of ritual property and defense, what difficulties will he encounter?
Confucius
If you try to guide the common people with coercive regulations and keep them in line with punishments, the common people will become evasive and will have no sense of shame. If, however, you guide them with a Virtue, and keep them in line by means of ritual, the people will have a sense of shame and will rectify themselves.
Confucius
A lord should employ his ministers with ritual, and ministers should serve their lord with dutifulness.
Confucius
Restraining yourself and returning to the rites constitutes Goodness. If for one day you managed to restrain yourself and return to the rites, in this way you could lead the entire world back to Goodness. They key to achieving Goodness lies within yourself
Confucius
That I fail to cultivate Virtue, that I fail to inquire more deeply into that which I have learned, that upon hearing what is right I remain unable to move myself to do it, and that I prove unable to reform when I have done something wrong- such potential failings are a source of constant worry to me.
Confucius
IF the gentleman abandons Goodness, how can he merit the name? The gentleman does not go against Goodness even for the amount of time required to finish a meal. Even in times of urgency or distress, he necessarily accords with it.
Confucius
A gentleman is respectful and free of errors. He is reverent and ritually proper in his dealings with others
Confucius
• A gentleman’s cultural refinement resembles his native substance, and his native substance remembers his cultural refinement
Confucius
The gentleman applies himself to the roots. ‘once the roots are firmly established, the way will grow.’ Might we not say that filial piety and respect for elders constitute the root of Goodness?’”
Confucius
• “The gentleman takes rightness as his substance, puts into practice by means of ritual, gives it expression through modesty, and perfects it by being trustworthy.”
Confucius
If a person is able to govern the state by means of ritual property and defense, what difficulties will he encounter?
Confucius
If you try to guide the common people with coercive regulations and keep them in line with punishments, the common people will become evasive and will have no sense of shame. If, however, you guide them with a Virtue, and keep them in line by means of ritual, the people will have a sense of shame and will rectify themselves.
Confucius
A lord should employ his ministers with ritual, and ministers should serve their lord with dutifulness.
Confucius
“when walking with two other people, I will always find a teacher among them. I focus on those who are good and seek to emulate them, and focus on those who are bad in order to be reminded of what needs to be changed in myself”
Confucius
Whenever the Master saw someone who was wearing mourning clothes, was garbed in full official dress, or was blind, he would always rise to his feet, even if the person was his junior. When passing such a person, he would always hasten his step.
Confucius
“...taking joy in regulating yourself through the rites and music, in commending the excellence of others, or in possessing many worthy fiends—these are the beneficial types of joy
Confucius
A while is completely dependent upon the care of his parents for the first three years of his life—this is why the three-year mourning period is the common practice throughout the world
Confucius
If ...you guide [people] with Virtue, and keep them in line by means of ritual, then people will have a sense of shame and will rectify themselves
Confucius
“...if for one day you managed to restrain yourself and return to the rites, in this way you can lead the entire world back to Goodness. The key to achieving Goodness lies within you
Confucius
The Master said, ‘the gentleman takes righteousness as his substance, puts it into practice by means of ritual, gives it expression through modesty, and perfects it by being trustworthy
Confucius
He would not instruct while eating, nor continue to converse once he had retired to bed”
Confucius
• By extensively studying all learning, and keeping himself under the restraint of the rules of propriety, one may thus likewise not err from what is right
Confucius
By three methods we may learn wisdom. First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest
Confucius
In ancient times [good times], men learned with a view to their own improvement. Nowadays, men learn with a view to the approbation of others
Confucius
Even when walking in the company of two other men, I am bound to be able to learn from them. The good points of the one I copy; the bad points of the other I correct in myself.”
Confucius
I do not open the truth to one is who is not eager to get knowledge… When I presented one corner of a subject to anyone, and he cannot learn from it learn the other three, I do not repeat my lesson
Confucius
am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity [sage-kings], and earnest in seeking it there
Confucius
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.”
Confucius
Those who are born with the possession of knowledge are the highest class of men. Those who learn, and so readily get possession of knowledge, are the next. Those who are dull and stupid, and yet compass the learning are another class next to these. As to those who are dull and stupid and yet do not learn—they are the lowest of the people."
Confucius
All that I teach can be strung together on a single thread
Confucius
All that the Master teaches amounts to nothing more than dutifulness tempered by sympathetic understanding.
Confucius
They [worthy men] too must be reward and esteemed, revered and praised… those above employed those below for only one reason and those below served those above in only one way – [righteousness]… And so officials were not guaranteed constant nobility and people did not have to perpetually remain in a humble state
Mozi
The ruler would be the most benevolent person in the state… he would say, ‘Whenever you hear of anything either good or bad, always inform your superior. Whenever your superior approves of something as right you too must approve of it. Should a superior commit any transgression, one must offer proper remonstrance. Should your subordinates do anything good, one must widely recommend them. But if you hear of something good or bad and fail to inform your superior, if you are not able to approve of what your superior approves of and condemn what your superior rejects…will be punished by superiors and denounced by the people
Mozi
If the people of the world all obey their superiors on up to the Son of Heaven but do not obey Heaven, then Heavenly disasters still will not cease…is how Heaven punishes them for not obeying its will
Mozi
When sage-kings rule…they never do anything that is not useful. And so they never waste their resources or overburden their people yet are able to generate great benefits. Whatever does not contribute to these ends should be eliminated
Mozi
These days, when kings, dukes, and other persons of high rank engage in the manufacture of musical instruments as a function of state…they must heavily tax the people in order to enjoy the sounds of bells, drums…If we look to see whether heavily taxing the people…promotes the benefit of the people of the world and eliminates what is harmful to them, we see that it offers no such help
Mozi
allocate everything equitably, rewarding the worthy and punishing the wicked without showing any partiality to their relative or brothers”
Mozi
Great harms that are being done in the world today – things such as great states attacking small states, the strong robbing the weak…We clearly must call them partial…I condemn partiality. Replace partiality with impartiality. If people regarded other people’s states in the same way that they regard their own, who then would incite their own state to attack that of another?”
Mozi
• Can be used for choosing the best ruler because no subordinates are so stupid to choose a ruler who’s partial (doesn’t feed them when they’re hungry; doesn’t nurture them when his subjects are ill, etc) over an impartial ruler
Mozi
If by lavish funerals and prolonged mourning one really cannot enrich the poor, increase the population, bring stability to precarious situations and order to chaos, then these things clearly are not benevolent and right or the proper task of filial children
Mozi
The kings, dukes, and great officials who now rule the various states all want their states to be wealthy, their populations great, and their administrations orderly…in a state where there are many worthy men, good order will be secure [and] it is [their] proper work to increase the number of worthy men in their states
Mozi
Honoring the worthy is the root and basis of good government
Mozi
The business of a benevolent person is to promote what is beneficial to the world and eliminate what is harmful
Mozi
And so it is those who are impartial in their dealings with others who are the real cause of all the great benefits in the world
Mozi
The proper way to make clothes I such that they keep one warm in winter and cool in summer and that is all. Whatever does not contribute to these ends should be eliminated
Mozi
It has never been the case that bringing the world to a flourishing state and eliminating what is harmful to the world has led the state and the people to disorder
Mozi
Each person doing what they are best at in order to mutually benefit one another. These are the methods laid down by the sage-kings
Mozi
Those who accord with Heaven’s will, caring for one another impartially, and benefitting one another in their interactions, will surely be rewarded
Mozi
This ruler of Hu has destroyed and reviled the Fire Phases and has been remiss and abandoned the Three Spheres. Heaven shall cut off his mandate
Mozi
Therefore, those who maintain a belief in fatalism are not benevolent and their claims must be carefully examined
Mozi
Clearly one must first care for and benefit the parents of others in order to expect that they in turn will respond by caring for and benefitting one’s own parents
Mozi
Spare it. I cannot bear its frightened appearance, like an innocent going to the execution ground
Mencius
• “If your Majesty wishes to put benevolent government into effect, then simply return to the fundamentals…If you do not disturb the seasonal work in each field of one hundred mu, a household with 8 mouths to feed need not go hungry
Mencius
From this we can see that if one is without the heart of compassion, one is not a human. If one is without the heart of disdain, one is not a human. If one is without the heart of deference, one is not a human. If one is without the heart of approval and disapproval, one is not a human. The heart of compassion is the sprout of benevolence. The heart of disdain is the sprout of rightesouness. The heart of deference is the sprout of propriety. The heart of approval and disapproval is the sprout of wisdom
Mencius
Human nature’s being good is like water’s tending downward. There is no human who does not tend toward goodness. There is no water that does not tend downward
Mencius
Suppose someone suddenly saw a child about to fall into a well: everyone in such a situation would have a feeling of alarm and compassion
Mencius
Consider barley. sow the seeds and cover them. the soil is the same and the time of planting is also the same. they grow rapidly, and by the time of the summer solstice they have all rpined. although there are some differences, these are due to the richness of the soil, and to uneveness in the rain and in human effort
Mencius
Humans all have hearts that are not unfeeling toward others. The former kings had hearts that were not unfeeling toward others, so they had governments that were not unfeeling toward others. If one puts into practice a government that is not unfeeling toward others by means of a heart that is not unfeeling toward others, brining order to the whole world is in the palm of your hand
Mencius
A Way that can be followed is not a constant Way...Nameless, it is the beginning of Heaven and earth...the gate of all mysteries!"
Laozi
The Way is like an empty vessel; No use could ever fill it up. Vast and deep
Laozi
As for the Way, it is vague and elusive!"
Laozi
Music and fine food will induce the passerby to stop. But talk about the Way - how insipid and without relish it is! Look for it and it cannot be seen; Listen for it and it cannot be heard; But use it and it will never run dry!"
Laozi
The Mysterious Female: Hint: the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures/"female" values, emphasizing the passive, solid, and quiescent qualities of nature (which is opposed to the active and energetic), and "having without possessing
Laozi
Named, [the Way] is the mother of the myriad creatures
Laozi
The spirit of the valley never dies; She is called the "Enigmatic Female."
Laozi
There is a thing confused yet perfect, which arose before Heaven and earth. Still and indistinct, it stands alone and unchanging...one can regard it as the mother of Heaven and earth. I do not know its proper name; I have given it the style "the Way" Forced to give it a proper name, I would call it "Great"...the Way models itself on what is natural
Laozi
Know the male but preserve the female, and be a canyon for all the world. If you are a canyon for all the world, constant Virtue will never leave you, and you can return home to be a child
Laozi
The Way produces the One. The One produces two. Two produces three. Three produces the myriad creatures."
Laozi
The Way produces them; Virtue rears them; Things shape them; Circumstaces perfect them. This is why the myriad creatures all revere the Way and honor Virtue. The Way is revered and Virtue honored not because this is decreed, but because it is natural
Laozi
A great state is like the delta of a mighty river; It is where the whole world gathers. It is the female of the whole world. The female always gets the better of the male through stillness. Through stillness, she places herself below the male. And so, a great state, by placing itself below a lesser state, can take the lesser state. A lesser state, by placing itself below a great state, can be taken by the greater state
Laozi
Know glory but preserve disgrace, and be a valley for all the world. If you are a valley for all the world, constant Virtue will always be sufficient, and you can return to being unhewn wood
Laozi
This can be considered the mother of the world. [...] Knowing her children, return and preserve their mother; And one will avoid danger to the end of one's days" (Ch 52) - stick to the Way and you will be fine until the end of your life
Laozi
The great Way is smooth and easy; yet people love to take shortcuts! [...] The granaries are empty; yet some wear elegant clothes; Fine swords dangle at their sides; They are stuffed with food and drink; And possess wealth in gross abundance. This is known as taking pride in robbery. Far is this from the Way!
Laozi
When the heart and mind is use to guide the qi, 'vital energies,' this is called 'forcing things.' For after a period of vigor there is old age. To rely on such practices is said to be contrary to the Way. And what is contrary to the Way will come to an early end
Laozi
Stop up the openings; Close the gates; Blunt the sharpness; Untangle the tangles; Soften the glare; Merge with the dust. This is known as Enigmatic Unity. And so one can neither be too familiar with nor too distant from them; One can neither benefit nor harm them; One can neither honor nor demean them, And so they are honored by the whole world
Laozi
A weapon that is too strong will not prove victorious; A tree that is too strong will break. The strong and the mighty reside down below; The soft and supple reside on top.
Laozi
The Way of Heaven, is it not like the stretching of a bow? What is high it presses down; What is low it lifts up. It takes from what has excess; It augments what is deficient"
Laozi
In all the world, nothing is more supple or weak than water; Yet nothing can surpass it for attacking what is stiff and strong. And so nothing can take its place
Laozi
This is why sages abide in the business of nonaction, and practice the teaching that is without words
Laozi
30 spokes are joined in the hub of a wheel. But only by relying on what is not there, do we have the use of the carriage
Laozi
The myriad creatures rely upon it for life, and it turns none of them away. When its work is done it claims no merit. It clothes and nourishes the myriad creatures, but does not lord it over them. Because it is always without desires, one could consider it insignificant. Because the myriad creatures all turn to it and yet it does not lord it over them. One could consider it great. Because it never considers itself great, it is able to perfect its greatness
Laozi
The Way does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Should barons and kings be able to preserve it, the myriad creatrues will transform themselves... Nameless unhewn wood is but freedom from desire. Without desire and still, the world will settle itself.
Laozi
• "Excessive hoarding results in great loss. Know contentment and avoid disgrace; Know when to stop and avoid danger; And you will long endure
Laozi
The greatest misfortune is not to know contentment. The worst calamity is the desire to acquire. And so those who know the contentment of contenment are always content
Laozi
Without going out the door, one can know the whole world. Without looking out the window, once can see the Way of Heaven. The further one goes, the less one knows. This is why sages Know without going abroad, Name without having to see, Perfect through nonaction
Laozi
In the pursuit of learning, one does more each day; In the pursuit of the Way, one does less each day; One does less and less until one does nothing; One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Gaining the world always is accomplished by following no activity. As soon as one actively tries, one will fall short of gaining the world."
Laozi
Between life and death, Three out of ten are the disciples of life; Three out of ten are the disciples of death; Three out of ten create a place for death. Why is this? Because of their profound desire to live
Laozi
Follow no activity and gain the world
Laozi
'I do nothing and the people transform themselves; I prefer stillness and the people correct and regulate themselves; I engage in no activity and the people prosper on their own; I am without desires and the people simplify their own lives'
Laozi
To have and to lack generate each other...difficult and easy give form to each other..."
Laozi
What you intend to shrink, you first must stretch. What you intend to weaken, you first must strengthen. What you intend to abandon, you first must make flourish. What you intend to steal from, you first must provide for. This is called subtle enlightenment
Laozi
What is honorned has its root in what is base; What is lofty has its foundation in what is lowly. This is why barons and kings refer to themselves as "The Orphan," "The Desolate," or "The Forlorn." Is this not a case where what is base serves as the foundation! Is it not? And so the gresatest of praise is without praise. Do not desire what jingles like jade, but what rumbles like rock
Laozi
Turning back is how the Way moves. Weakness is how the Way operates. The world and all its creatures arise from what is there; What is there arises from what is not there." (Ch 40)
• "The Clearest Way seems obscure; The Way ahead seems to lead backward; The most level Way seems uneven; Hightest Virtue seems like a valley; Great purity seems sullied, Ample Virtue seems insufficientl Solid Virtue seems unstable... etc. etc. The Way is hidden and without name
Laozi
The most supple things in the world ride roughshod over the most rigid. That which is not there can enter even where there is no space. This is how I know the advantages of nonaction! The teaching that is without words, The advantages of nonaction, Few in the world attain these
Laozi
Great perfection seems wanting but use will not wear it out. Great fullness seems empty but use will not drain it. Great straightness seems crooked; Great skillfulness seems clumsy; Great speech seems to stammer. Agitation overcomes cold. Stillness overcomes heat. Purity and stillness rectify Heaven and earth
Laozi
To produce without possessing; To act with no expectation of reward; To lead without lording over; Such is Enigmatic Virtue!"
Laozi
Good fortune rests upon disaster; Disaster lies hidden within good fortune
Laozi
Straightforward words seem paradoxical
Laozi
If you make your blade too keen it will not hold its edge...when gold and jade fill the hall none can hold on to them
Laozi
The five colors blind our eyes. The five notes deafen our ears. The five flavors deaden our palates
Laozi
Those who use it ruin it. Those who grab hold of it lose it. This is why sages practice nonaction and so do not ruin; They do not lay hold and so do not lose. People often ruin things just when they are on the verge of success. Be as careful at the end as you are at the beginning and you will not ruin things
Laozi
This is why sages...weaken the people's commitments and strengthen their bones; They make sure that the people are without zhi (knowledge) or desires; and that those with knowledge do not dare to act.
Laozi
To work for the good of all is to be a true king. To be a true king is to be Heavenly. To be Heavenly is to embody the Way. To embody the Way is to be long lived
Laozi
The greatest of rulers is but a shadowy presence; next is the ruler who is loved and praised; next is the one who is feared...when their task is done and work complete, their people all say "this is just how we are
Laozi
Cut off sageliness, abandon wisdom, and the people will benefit one-hundred-fold...so give them something with which to identify: Manifest plainness. Embrace simplicity
Laozi
How can a lord who can field ten thousand chariots take lightly his role in the world! If he is light, he loses the root; If he is agitated, he loses his rule
Laozi
One who serves a ruler with the Way will never take the world by force of arms
Laozi
Those who are good at military action achieve their goal and then stop
Laozi
Weapons are inauspicious instruments, not the instruments of a cultivated person. But if given no choice, the cultivated person will use them. Peace and quiet are the highest ideals; A military victory is not a thing of beauty [...] Military victory is associated with the rites of mourning
Laozi
The Way is forever nameless. Unhewn wood is insignificant, yet no one in the world can master it. If barons and kings could preserve it, the myriad creatures would all defer to them of their own accord [..] And the people would be peaceful and just [...] when unhewn wood is carved up, then there are names. Now that there are names, know enough to stop! To know when to stop is how to stay out of danger
Laozi
The supple and weak overcome the hard and the strong. Fish should not be taken out of the deep pools. The sharp implements of the state should not be shown to the people
Laozi
In ancient times, those good at practicing the Way did not use it to enlighten the people, but rather to keep them in the dark. The people are hard to govern because they know too much. And so to rule a state with knowledge is to be a detriment to the state. Not to rule a state through knowledge is to be a blessing to the state
Laozi
[Sages] act with no expectation of reward...and, by not lingering, merit never deserts them
Laozi
The highest good is like water...good at benefiting the myriad creatures, while not contending with them...only by avoiding contention can one avoid blame
Laozi
What others teach, I too teach 'The violent and overbearing will not die a natural death.' I shall take this as the father of all my teachings
Laozi
The rivers and ocean are able to rule over a hundred valleys, because they are good at placing themselves in the lower position. And so they are able to rule over a hundred valleys. This is why if you want to be above the people you must proclaim that you are below them. If you want to lead the people, you must put yourself behind them
Laozi
Those who never dare to put themselves first in the world can become leaders of the various officials. [...] To put oneself first without putting oneself behind others, These will lead to death
Laozi
Military strategists have a saying, 'I never dare to play host but prefer to play guest. I never dare to advance an inch but retreat a foot'
Laozi
Heaven and earth are not benevolent...it is better to hold on to the mean
Laozi
When the great Way is abandoned, there are benevolence and righteousness
Laozi
The Way of Heaven is to benefit and not harm. The Way of the sage is to act but not contend
Laozi
when your body is not aligned,
The inner power will not come
Inner Training
• If with this good flow of vital energy you encounter others
They will be kinder to you than your own brethren
But if with a bad flow of vital energy you encounter others
They will harm you with their weapons
Inner Training
the Way fills the entire world.
It is everywhere that people are,
But people are unable to understand this.

Without order, you will always be chaotic.
If chaotic, you die.
Inner Training
• For those who preserve and naturally generate vital essence
On the outside a calmness will flourish.
Stored inside, we take it to be the well-spring
Inner Training
• In eating, it is best not to fill up;
In thinking, it is best not to overdo
Limit these to the appropriate degree
And you will naturally reach it [vitality].
Inner Training
• Just let a balanced and aligned [breathing] fill your chest
And it will swirl and blend within your mind.
This confers longevity
Inner Training
• Restrict the five sense-desires;
Cast away these dual misfortunes.
Be not joyous, be not angry
Just let a balanced and aligned [breathing] fill your chest.
Inner Training
No one knows its limit” but “grasp it within you” because it intuitively knows the myriad things
Inner Training
• By concentrating your vital breath as if numinous
The myriad things will be all contained within you
• If you are tranquil then you will attain it
If you are agitated then you will lose it
Inner Training
• Do not push it! Do not pull it!
Let the way naturally come to you
… And that Way will naturally come to you
So you can rely on and take counsel from it
Inner Training
• Follow this Way of restricting sense-desires
And the myriad of things will not cause you harm
Inner Training
Point/nonpoint
Zhuangzi
Happy monkeys with 4 bananas in the morning
Zhuangzi
The great way is not announced.
The great debate is not spoken.
Great benevolence is not benevolent.
Great modesty is not reserved.
Great courage is not aggressive.
A way that shines does not lead.
Words in debate do not reach.
Benevolence that is constant is not complete.
Modesty that is pure is not trustworthy.
Courage that is aggressive is not complete.
Zhuangzi
Argument – who is to say what is right or wrong in an argument. Harmonize and go with it, and you’ll live out your long years
Zhuangzi
Why are you like this?” “Well, how should I know why I am like this? How should I know why I am not otherwise?”
Zhuangzi
Butcher cutting up the ox – follows the way the flesh grows, thus never needs to sharpen his knife.
Zhuangzi
knew nothing loving life and nothing of hating death
Zhuangzi
Heaven makes each thing unique, people try to look alike
Zhuangzi
Humans uniquely have consciousness but they misuse it to turn away from the Way
Zhuangzi
Heaven moves everything naturally- the animals move with what they are given, regardless of how ridiculous their form may be, just by heavenly mechanism
Zhuangzi
“the true people of the olden days… emerged without delight and returned without resistance. They came and went briskly, nothing more
Zhuangzi
The Way is obscured by small completions
Zhuangzi
there is nowhere it isn’t…. ‘whole,’ ‘everywhere,’ and ‘all’ are three different names for the same thing, making a single point
Zhuangzi
ancients died with what they could not pass down
Zhuangzi
Our teacher came because it was time and left when the time had passed. If you are content with the time and abide by the passing, there’s no room for sorrow or joy. This is what is called ‘the divine release
Zhuangzi
dreams of being transformed, as a butterfly: and does not know if he was dreaming of being a butterfly or if the butterfly was dreaming about him
Zhuangzi
words are for meaning: when you’ve got the meaning, you can forget the words
Zhuangzi
You are not me. How do you know I don’t know what fish like?”)
Zhuangzi
Words are like wind and waves…easily moved”)
Zhuangzi
Monkeys take baboons as partners, deer befriend elk, and eels consort with fish. People say that Maoqiang and Lady Li are beautiful… Of these four, which knows beauty rightly
Zhuangzi
the problem with people is that they become fixated on one angle and are deluded about the greater order of things
Xunzi
as for the way itself, its substance is constant, yet it covers all changes. No one aspect is sufficient to exhibit it fully
Xunzi
• “if one rejects what lies with man and instead longs for what lies with heaven, then one will have lost grasp of the true disposition of things
Xunzi
Thus, the greatest cleverness lies in not doing certain things, and the greatest wisdom lies in not pondering certain things
Xunzi
Through steaming and bending, you can make wood straight as a plumb line into a wheel
Xunzi
If your method is to follow Mozi and your truest essence is polluted and corrupt, then you may wander across the world, and even if you reach every corner of it, no one will consider you base
Xunzi
To be able to reflect and ponder what is central to ritual is called “being able to deliberate”. To be able not to diverge from what is central to ritual is called “being able to be firm”. When one can deliberate and be firm, and adds to this fondness for it, then this is to be a sage
Xunzi
People’s nature is such that they are born and then depart from their original simplicity and their original material; they are sure to lose these things
Xunzi
If people’s nature was good there would be no need for the sage kings
Xunzi
Rituals are the great divisions in the proper model for things; there are the outlines of the proper classes of things. And so learning comes to ritual and stops, for this is called the ultimate point in the pursuit of the way and virtue
Xunzi
In learning, nothing is more expedient than to draw near to the right person. Rituals and music provide proper models but give no precepts
Xunzi
in each method of controlling the qi and nourishing the heart, nothing is more direct than following ritual, nothing is more important than having a good teacher, and nothing works with greater spirit-like efficacy than to like it with single-minded devotion”
Xunzi
Through his avoidance of prejudice and adherence to righteousness the gentleman overcomes capricious personal desires
Xunzi
The former kings hated such chaos, and so they established rituals and the standards of righteousness in order to allot things to people, to nurture their desires, and to satisfy their seekings
Xunzi
• “… the way it makes use of weeping and sorrows is such as not to lead to dejection or self-harm. This is the mid-way course of ritual
Xunzi
• “Benevolence, righteousness, lawfulness, and correctness have patterns that can be known and practiced”
Xunzi
• “Music observes a single standard in order to fix its harmony…it is sufficient to lead people in a single, unified, way, and is sufficient to bring order to the myriad changes within them
Xunzi
becoming a sage is something people achieve through accumulation
Xunzi
Rules cannot stand alone, and categories cannot implement themselves. If one has the right person, then they will be preserved. If one loses the right person, then they will be lost
Xunzi
What is that by which humans are human? I say: It is because they have distinctions. Desiring food when hungry, desiring warmth when cold, desiring rest when tired, liking the beneficial and hating the harmful
Xunzi
• “all those who say that good order must await the elimination of desires are people who lack the means to guide desire and cannot cope with the mere having of desires
Xunzi
desires are the responses of the disposition to things
Xunzi
five vermins’
Han Feizi
A good ruler does not personally manage his affairs, but he knows the difference between clumsiness and skill
Han Feizi
If the ruler reveals what he dislikes, the assembled ministers will conceal the origins of their action; if the ruler reveals what he likes, the assembled ministers will feign abilities they do not have
Han Feizi
A ruler must use ‘two handles’ to control his ministers: punishment and favor
Han Feizi
f he skimped on rewards the successful ministers will become lazy in their work, and if he forgave the penalties the corrupt minister would find it easy to do wrong. For this reason, those who make genuine achievements must always be rewarded, even if they are distant and lowly, while those who make genuine errors must always be punished, even if they are close and cherished
Han Feizi
“If the worthy use it, the world will be well-ordered; if the unworthy use it, then the world will be disordered
Han Feizi
Administrative methods means to assign offices based on a person’s qualifications
Han Feizi
If a ruler has no method, he will obscured above; if the ministers have no laws; there will be disorder below
Han Feizi
“The things they condemn and praise and the things they reward and penalize are all confused and in conflict with one another. As a result, the laws and prohibitions are undermined and the people become even more disorderly
Han Feizi
the law provides the only education…the civil officers are the only teachers; there are no attacks by private swordsmen, taking heads in battle is the only way to display one’s courage
Han Feizi
When a sage governs a state, he does not wait for people to be good in deference to him. Instead, he creates a situation in which people find it impossible to do wrong…Therefore, the sage does not work on his Virtue, he works on his laws
Han Feizi
The dispositions and natures of human beings are such that those who are worthy are few, while those who are unworthy are many
Han Feizi
the state grows poorer because those who talk about farming outnumber those who actually work the plow
Han Feizi
An enlightened ruler uses the people’s strength and does not listen to their words; he rewards their achievements and completely prohibits useless activities. As a result, the people exhaust every ounce of their strength in obedience to their superiors
Han Feizi
The past and the present have different customs; the new and the old require different preparations;” “for this reason, the sage does not expect to follow the ways of the ancients or model his behavior on an unchanging standard of what is acceptable. He examines the affairs of the age and then makes his preparations accordingly
Han Feizi
These are the teachings of fools and charlatans and debates between confused and contradictory doctrines…One cannot allow two inconsistent and contradictory teachings to both stand and expect there to be order…If a ruler’s way of listening and acting are as disorderly as this, his gov’t and his people will surely be the same
Han Feizi
Therefore, the Way of an enlightened ruler is to unify the laws and not seek after wisdom, to establish the proper methods and not yearn for honesty. In this way, the law will not be defeated and the offices will be free of corruption and treachery
Han Feizi
The true difficulty of persuasion lies in knowing what is in the heart of the person being persuaded, so that I can use my persuasion to match it
Han Feizi
o The ruler is like a dragon who can be tamed but has “inverted scales” that you have to be careful not to brush up on (
Han Feizi
The law is an expression of love for the people (594) ; rites are a means for p.170 making things run smoothly (595). Therefore a sage, if he is able to strengthen the state thereby, does not model himself on antiquity, and if he is able to benefit the people thereby, does not adhere to the established rites.
Lord Shang
« A sage teaches without changing the people, and a wise man obtains good government without altering the laws
Lord Shang
Now, if Your Highness alters the laws without adhering to the old customs of the Ch’in state, and reforms the rites in order *2a to teach the people, I am afraid that the empire will criticize Your Highness, and I wish that You would reflect maturely (597).
Lord Shang
. I have heard it said that in taking antiquity as an example, one makes no mistakes, and in following established rites one commits no offence. Let Your Highness aim at that
Lord Shang
If taxes are levied according to the measure of grain, then the ruler will have system and consequently the people will have peace. If the ruler has system, he will be a man of his word, and being a man of his word, the officials will not dare to commit any depravity
Lord Shang
If they do not prize learning, they will be stupid, and being stupid, they will have no interest in outside things ; when they have no interest in outside things, the country will exert itself in agriculture and not neglect it, and when the people do not hold agriculture cheap, the country will be peaceful and free from peril
Lord Shang
Do not allow merchants to buy grain nor farmers to sell grain. If farmers may not sell their grain, then the lazy and inactive ones will exert themselves and be energetic ; and, if merchants may not buy grain, then they have no particular joy over abundant years. Having no particular joy over abundant years, they do not make copious profit in years of famine, and making no copious profit, merchants p.178 are fearful, and being fearful, they desire to turn farmers. If lazy and inactive farmers exert themselves and become energetic, and if merchants desire to turn farmers, then it is certain waste lands will be brought under cultivation.
Lord Shang
The means whereby a ruler of men encourages the people are office and rank ; the means whereby a country is made prosperous are agriculture and war. Now those who seek office and rank, never do so by means of agriculture and war, but by artful words and empty doctrines
Lord Shang
When the people are not negligent in their occupations, they will have much strength, and when they have much strength the state will be powerful.
Lord Shang
Insignificant individuals (613) will occupy themselves with trade and will practise arts and crafts, all in order to avoid agriculture and war, thus preparing a danger-ous condition for the state
Lord Shang
The way to organize a country well is, even though the granaries are filled, not to be negligent in agriculture, and even though the country is large and its population numerous, to have no licence of speech.
Lord Shang
The people say : We till diligently, first to fill the public granaries, and then to keep the rest for the nourishment of our parents ; for the sake of our superiors we forget our love of life, and fight for the honour of the ruler and for the peace of the country
Lord Shang
The way to administer a country well, is for the law for the officials to be clear ; therefore one does not rely on intelligent and thoughtful men
Lord Shang
A country where the strength has been consolidated, is powerful, but a country that loves talking is dismembered.
Lord Shang
If there is consistency of conduct in officials, the country is well governed (621) ; and if single mindedness is striven after, the country is rich
Lord Shang
A sage knows what is essential in administrating a country, and so he induces the people to devote their attention to agriculture.
Lord Shang
the trouble is when the people are scattered and when it is impossible to con-solidate them. That is why a sage tries to bring about uniformity and consolidation
Lord Shang
without the need of ranks and emoluments, the people will follow their avocations ; without the need of penalties, the people will do their duty to the death.
Lord Shang
That is why an intelligent prince, in improving the administration, strives for uniformity, removes those who are of no use, restrains volatile scholars and those of frivolous pursuits, and makes them all uniformly into farmers.
Lord Shang
so it is p.196 only an intelligent prince who understands that by fondness for words one cannot strengthen the army nor open up the land.
Lord Shang
To remove the strong by means of a strong people brings weak¬ness ; to remove the strong by means of a weak people brings strength (634). If the country practises virtue (635), criminals are many. If the country is rich, but is administered as if it *11a were poor, then it is said to be doubly rich, and the doubly rich are strong
Lord Shang
Farming, trade and office are the three permanent functions (638) in a state (639), and these three functions give rise to six parasitic functions (640), which are called : care for old age (641), living on others, beauty, love, ambition and virtuous conduct. If these six parasites find an attachment, there will be dismemberment (642
Lord Shang
Sophistry and cleverness are an aid to lawlessness ; rites and music are symptoms of dissipations and licence ; kindness and bene¬volence are the foster mother of transgressions ; employment and promotion are opportunities for the rapacity of the wicked
Lord Shang
Governing through good people leads to lawlessness and dismemberment ; governing through wicked people leads to order and strength
Lord Shang
It is the nature of the people to be orderly, but it is circumstances that cause disorder. # *2a Therefore, in the application of punishments, light offences should be regarded as serious ; if light offences do not occur, serious ones have no chance of coming. This is said to be “ruling the people while in a state of law and order”.
Lord Shang
The important thing in undertaking the administration of a country is to make the rich poor, and the poor rich.
Lord Shang
If the population exceeds the territory, then the achievements of the state will be few and the military strength small ; if the territory exceeds p.215 the population, then the resources of mountains and moors will not be utilized
Lord Shang
« Where fame and profit meet, that is the way the people will follow.
Lord Shang
It is necessary to examine whence fame and profit spring. If the profit comes from the soil, then people will use their strength to the full ; if fame results from war, then they will fight to the death.
Lord Shang
Therefore, a sage’s way of administering a country is to prohibit much, in order to limit the people’s capacity, and to rely on force in order to render trickeries powerless.
Lord Shang
A sage does not imitate antiquity, nor does he follow the present time (716). If he were to imitate antiquity, he would be behind the times ; and if he follows the *9b present time, he is obstructed by circumstances. The Chou dynasty did not imitate the Shang dynasty, nor did the Hsia dynasty imitate the period of Yü ; the three dynasties encountered different circumstances, but all three succeeded in attaining supremacy. So to rise to supremacy, there is a definite way, but to hold it there are different principles.
Lord Shang