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
  43 I am not used to driving for small men. May I be excused?'
  44
  45 "Even a charioteer is ashamed to be in league with an archer. When
  46 doing so means catching enough birds to pile up like a mountain, he
  47 would still rather not do it. What can one do about those who bend
  48 the Way in order to please others? You are futher mistaken. There
  49 has never been a man who could straighten others by bending
  50 himself."
  51 </quote>
  52
  53 ** VI.A.10
  54
  55 <quote>
  56 Mencius said, "Fish is what I want; bear's palm is also what I
  57 want. If I cannot have both, I would rather take bear's palm than
  58 fish. Life is what I want; dutifulness is also what I want. If I
  59 cannot have both, I would rather take dutifulness than life. On the
  60 one hand, though life is what I want, there is something I want more
  61 than life. That is why I do not cling to life at all costs. On the
  62 other hand, though death is what I loathe, there is something I
  63 loathe more than death. That is why there are troubles I do not
  64 avoid. If there is nothing a man wants more than life, then why
  65 should he have scruples about any means, so long as it will serve to
  66 keep him alive? if there is nothing a man loathes more than death,
  67 then why should have have scruples about any means, so long as it
  68 helps him to avoid trouble? Yet there are ways of remaining alive
  69 and ways of avoiding death to which a man will not resort. In other
  70 words, there are things a man wants more than life and there are
  71 also things he loathes more than death. This is an attitude not
  72 confined to the moral man but common to all men. The moral man simply
  73 never loses it.
  74
  75 "Here is a basketful of rice and a bowful of soup. Getting them will
  76 mean life; not getting them will mean death. When these are given
  77 with abuse, even a wayfarer would not accept them; when these are
  78 given after being trampled upon, even a beggar would not accept
  79 them. Yet when it comes to ten thousand bushels of grain one is
  80 supposed to accept without asking if it is in accordance with the
  81 rites or if it is right to do so. What benefit are then thousand
  82 bushels of grain to me? [Do I accept them] for the sake of beautiful
  83 houses, the enjoyment of wives and concubines, or for the sake of
  84 the gratitude my needy acquaintances will show? What I would not
  85 accept in the first instance when it was a matter of life and death
  86 I now accept for the sake of beautiful houses; what I would not
  87 accept when it was a matter of life and death I now accept for the
  88 enjoyment of wives and concubines; what I would not accept when it
  89 was a matter of life and death I now accept for the sake of the
  90 gratitude my needy acquaintances will show me. Is there no way of
  91 putting a stop to this? This way of thinking is known as losing
  92 one's original heart."
  93 </quote>
  94
  95 * Qohelet
  96
  97 * One
  98
  99 <verse>
 100   1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
 101   2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
 102   3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
 103   4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth
 104 abideth for ever.
 105   5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place
 106 where he arose.
 107   6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it
 108 whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his
 109 circuits.
 110   7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place
 111 from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
 112   8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not
 113 satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
 114   9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done
 115 is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
 116   10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been
 117 already of old time, which was before us.
 118   11 There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any
 119 remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
 120   12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
 121   13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things
 122 that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man
 123 to be exercised therewith.
 124   14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is
 125 vanity and vexation of spirit.
 126   15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting
 127 cannot be numbered.
 128   16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and
 129 have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem:
 130 yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
 131   17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I
 132 perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
 133   18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge
 134 increaseth sorrow.
 135 </verse>