Wisdom.muse

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