Hui Tzu said to Chuang Tzu:
"All your teaching is centered on what has no use."
Chuang Tzu replied:
"If you have no appreciation for what has no use
you cannot begin to talk about what can be used.
The earth, for example, is broad and vast,
but of all this expanse a man uses only a few inches
upon which he happens to be standing at the time.
"Now suppose you suddenly take away
all that he is not actually using,
so that all around his feet a gulf yawns,
and he stands in the void
with nowhere solid except under each foot,
how long will he be able to use what he is using?"
Hui Tzu said:
"It would cease to serve any purpose."
Chuang Tzu concluded:
"This shows the absolute necessity
of what is supposed to have no use."
"All your teaching is centered on what has no use."
Chuang Tzu replied:
"If you have no appreciation for what has no use
you cannot begin to talk about what can be used.
The earth, for example, is broad and vast,
but of all this expanse a man uses only a few inches
upon which he happens to be standing at the time.
"Now suppose you suddenly take away
all that he is not actually using,
so that all around his feet a gulf yawns,
and he stands in the void
with nowhere solid except under each foot,
how long will he be able to use what he is using?"
Hui Tzu said:
"It would cease to serve any purpose."
Chuang Tzu concluded:
"This shows the absolute necessity
of what is supposed to have no use."
| oshobob The Living Workshop |
| The Empty Boat--Chinese |
| This is a beautiful simile. He has got the point. You are sitting here, and you are using only a small space, two by two. You are not using the whole earth, the whole earth is useless; you are using only a small portion, two by two. Says Chuang Tzu: Suppose the whole earth is taken away, only two by two is left for you; you are standing with each foot using a few inches of earth. Suppose only that is left and the whole earth is taken away – how long will you be able to use this small part that you are using...? --Osho The Empty Boat, ch. 8 |
| talks on Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi) 庄子的故事 by Osho (Aoxiu) 作者: 奥修 |
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| 无用 惠子对庄子说： “你所教的一切都集中 在什么东西没有用。” 庄子回答道: “如果你不重视什么东西没有用, 你就不能开始谈论什么东西能用。 比方说大地,它是广袤 无垠的, 但在这么广阔的大地上, 一个人用的只是一小片, 那会儿他刚好站在这一小片上。” “现在假定你突然拿走 所有他实际上没有用到的部分, 结果他双脚的四周全是深渊, 他站在空五中, 除了双脚之下没有一块坚实的地方, 他正在用的那一块他能用多久？” 惠子说: “它就不再对任何目的有用了。” 庄子总结说: “这就表明人们以为没有用的东西 是绝对必要的。” |
| The Empty Boat |
mp3 audio clip in standard Chinese, by a native speaker
from the People's Republic of China.
text in simplified Chinese, the form used throughout
mainland China.
from the People's Republic of China.
text in simplified Chinese, the form used throughout
mainland China.
| Chapter 8 The Useless |