Wisdom.html

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