Wisdom.html

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  16     <h1>The Wisdom of the Ancients</h1>
  17    <div class="contents">
  18 <dl>
  19 <dt>
  20 <a href="#sec1">Mencius</a>
  21 </dt>
  22 <dd>
  23 <dl>
  24 <dt>
  25 <a href="#sec2">III.B.1</a>
  26 </dt>
  27 <dt>
  28 <a href="#sec3">VI.A.10</a>
  29 </dt>
  30 </dl>
  31 </dd>
  32 <dt>
  33 <a href="#sec4">Qohelet</a>
  34 </dt>
  35 <dt>
  36 <a href="#sec5">One</a>
  37 </dt>
  38 </dl>
  39 </div>
  40
  41
  42 <!-- Page published by Emacs Muse begins here --><h2><a name="sec1" id="sec1"></a>
  43 Mencius</h2>
  44
  45 <h3><a name="sec2" id="sec2"></a>
  46 III.B.1</h3>
  47
  48 <blockquote>
  49 <p class="quoted">
  50 Ch'en Tai said, &quot;When you refused even to see them, the feudal lords
  51 appeared insignificant to you. Now that you have seen them, they are
  52 either kings, or, at least, leaders of the feudal lords. Moreover,
  53 it is said in the <em>Records</em>, 'Bend the foot in order to straighten
  54 the yard.' That seems worth doing.&quot;</p>
  55 <p class="quoted">&quot;Once,&quot; said Mencius, &quot;Duke Ching of Ch'i went hunting and summoned
  56 his gamekeeper with a pennon. The gamekeeper did not come, and the
  57 Duke was going to have him put to death. 'A man whose mind is set on
  58 high ideals never forgets that he may end in a ditch; a man of valor
  59 never forgets that he may forfeit his head.' What did Conficius find
  60 praiseworthy in the gamekeeper? His refusal to answer to a form of
  61 summons to which he was not entitled. What can one do about those
  62 who go without even being summoned? Moreover, the saying, 'Bend the
  63 foot in order to straighten the yard' refers to profit. If it is for
  64 profit, I suppose one might just as well bend the yard to straighten
  65 the foot.</p>
  66 <p class="quoted">&quot;Once, Viscount Chien of Chao sent Wang Liang to drive the chariot
  67 for his favorite, Hsi. In the whole day they failed to catch one
  68 single bird. Hsi reported to his master, 'He is the worst charioteer
  69 in the world.' Someone told Wang Liang of this. Liang asked, 'May I
  70 have another chance?' It was with difficulty that Hsi was persuaded,
  71 but in one morning they caught ten birds. Hsi reported to his
  72 master, 'He is the best charioteer in the world.' 'I shall make him
  73 drive for you,' said Viscount Chien. He asked Wang Liang, but
  74 Wang Liang refused. 'I drove for him according to the proper rules,'
  75 said he, 'and we did not catch a single bird all day. Then I used
  76 underhand methods, and we caught ten birds in one morning. The <em>Book
  77 of Odes</em> says,</p>
  78 <p class="quoted"></p>
  79
  80 <p class="verse">
  81 He never failed to drive correctly,<br />
  82 And his arrows went straight for the target<br />
  83 </p><br />
  84 </p>
  85 <p class="quoted">I am not used to driving for small men. May I be excused?'</p>
  86 <p class="quoted">&quot;Even a charioteer is ashamed to be in league with an archer. When
  87 doing so means catching enough birds to pile up like a mountain, he
  88 would still rather not do it. What can one do about those who bend
  89 the Way in order to please others? You are futher mistaken. There
  90 has never been a man who could straighten others by bending
  91 himself.&quot;</p>
  92
  93 </blockquote>
  94
  95
  96 <h3><a name="sec3" id="sec3"></a>
  97 VI.A.10</h3>
  98
  99 <blockquote>
 100 <p class="quoted">
 101 Mencius said, &quot;Fish is what I want; bear's palm is also what I
 102 want. If I cannot have both, I would rather take bear's palm than
 103 fish. Life is what I want; dutifulness is also what I want. If I
 104 cannot have both, I would rather take dutifulness than life. On the
 105 one hand, though life is what I want, there is something I want more
 106 than life. That is why I do not cling to life at all costs. On the
 107 other hand, though death is what I loathe, there is something I
 108 loathe more than death. That is why there are troubles I do not
 109 avoid. If there is nothing a man wants more than life, then why
 110 should he have scruples about any means, so long as it will serve to
 111 keep him alive? if there is nothing a man loathes more than death,
 112 then why should have have scruples about any means, so long as it
 113 helps him to avoid trouble? Yet there are ways of remaining alive
 114 and ways of avoiding death to which a man will not resort. In other
 115 words, there are things a man wants more than life and there are
 116 also things he loathes more than death. This is an attitude not
 117 confined to the moral man but common to all men. The moral man simply
 118 never loses it.</p>
 119 <p class="quoted">&quot;Here is a basketful of rice and a bowful of soup. Getting them will
 120 mean life; not getting them will mean death. When these are given
 121 with abuse, even a wayfarer would not accept them; when these are
 122 given after being trampled upon, even a beggar would not accept
 123 them. Yet when it comes to ten thousand bushels of grain one is
 124 supposed to accept without asking if it is in accordance with the
 125 rites or if it is right to do so. What benefit are then thousand
 126 bushels of grain to me? [Do I accept them] for the sake of beautiful
 127 houses, the enjoyment of wives and concubines, or for the sake of
 128 the gratitude my needy acquaintances will show? What I would not
 129 accept in the first instance when it was a matter of life and death
 130 I now accept for the sake of beautiful houses; what I would not
 131 accept when it was a matter of life and death I now accept for the
 132 enjoyment of wives and concubines; what I would not accept when it
 133 was a matter of life and death I now accept for the sake of the
 134 gratitude my needy acquaintances will show me. Is there no way of
 135 putting a stop to this? This way of thinking is known as losing
 136 one's original heart.&quot;</p>
 137
 138 </blockquote>
 139
 140
 141
 142 <h2><a name="sec4" id="sec4"></a>
 143 Qohelet</h2>
 144
 145
 146 <h2><a name="sec5" id="sec5"></a>
 147 One</h2>
 148
 149 <p class="verse">
 150 &nbsp;&nbsp;1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.<br />
 151 &nbsp;&nbsp;2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.<br />
 152 &nbsp;&nbsp;3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?<br />
 153 &nbsp;&nbsp;4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth<br />
 154 abideth for ever.<br />
 155 &nbsp;&nbsp;5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place<br />
 156 where he arose.<br />
 157 &nbsp;&nbsp;6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it<br />
 158 whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his<br />
 159 circuits.<br />
 160 &nbsp;&nbsp;7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place<br />
 161 from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.<br />
 162 &nbsp;&nbsp;8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not<br />
 163 satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.<br />
 164 &nbsp;&nbsp;9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done<br />
 165 is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.<br />
 166 &nbsp;&nbsp;10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been<br />
 167 already of old time, which was before us.<br />
 168 &nbsp;&nbsp;11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any<br />
 169 remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.<br />
 170 &nbsp;&nbsp;12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.<br />
 171 &nbsp;&nbsp;13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things<br />
 172 that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man<br />
 173 to be exercised therewith.<br />
 174 &nbsp;&nbsp;14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is<br />
 175 vanity and vexation of spirit.<br />
 176 &nbsp;&nbsp;15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting<br />
 177 cannot be numbered.<br />
 178 &nbsp;&nbsp;16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and<br />
 179 have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem:<br />
 180 yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.<br />
 181 &nbsp;&nbsp;17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I<br />
 182 perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.<br />
 183 &nbsp;&nbsp;18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge<br />
 184 increaseth sorrow.<br />
 185 </p>
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 214 <p class="cke-footer">clinton: last time I was a bit weak (*sniff* level four and only 18 hp)
 215 clinton: I had a -1 intelligence modifier for the first three weeks
 216 emacsen: what about your character?
 217 </p>
 218 <p class="cke-timestamp">Last Modified:
 219     December 11, 2008</p>
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