Chuang tzu was a chinese philosopher who lived during the 4th century b. Chuang tzu, who wrote in the fourth and third centuries. Chuang tzu probably authored only parts of the first 7 chapters of the present text, the so. Suny press, 1989, presents a number of possible interpretations of chuangtzus butterfly dream parable, and then offers his own, in which he interprets the story as a metaphor for spiritual awakening. The way of chuang tzu shambhala library chuang tzuconsidered, along with lao tzu, one of the great figures of early taoist thoughtused parables and anecdotes, allegory and paradox, to illustrate that real happiness and freedom are found only in understanding the tao or way of nature, and dwelling in its unity. However, the true basis of the tao te ching, as well as of taoism overall, is the taoan abstract concept most commonly translated as the way. If we become patient with friends and enemies then over time the distinction between who is a friend and who is an enemy goes away.
With other essays on conservation from round river for over a month now and still haven. Chuang tzu felt it was imperative that we transcend all the dualities of existence. Chuang tzu zhuangzi, chapter 6, the great and honored. This is a collection of his writings, not the entire surviving corpus. The wood carver by chuang tzu the art of cultivating yourself. Chuang tzuconsidered, along with lao tzu, one of the great. The way of chuang tzu thomas merton working from existing translations, father merton has composed a series of personal versions from his favorites among the classic sayings of chuang tzu, the most spirit ual of the chinese philosophers. I finished reading thomas mertons the way of chuang tzu over a week ago and have struggled to find the best way to offer my impressions of it since. Translation notes published separately in 1982 as chuangtzu. Sparknotes are the most helpful study guides around to literature, math, science, and more.
The useless tree chuang tzu inspiration pointe the. Not knowing the original language, i unfortunately had to approach chuang tzu through the filter of a translation rather than the original in its native form, so this may have tainted my understanding. The zhuangzi is a compilation of his and others writings at the pinnacle of the philosophically subtle classical period in china 5th3rd century bc. The way of chuang tzu is thomas mertons take on chuang tzus lessons of taoism. Tao te ching lao tzu a comparative study notes the numbering of the chapters is the conventional one found in most translations. Sep 15, 2012 chuang tzu from the way of chuang tzu by thomas merton i just recently had a staff development at east fort worth montessori, and it was interesting to see our administration focus on our personal aspirations and visions in relation to the universal goal of the school. The way of chuang tzu by thomas merton, paperback barnes. Chuang tzuconsidered, along with lao tzu, one of the great figures of early taoist thoughtused parables and anecdotes, allegory and paradox, to illustrate that real happiness and freedom are found only in understanding the tao or way of nature, and dwelling in its unity. His full name was chuang chou zhuang zhou, and he lived about 2,400 years ago, during the warring states period. The writings of chuang tzu this book is taken from james legges translation the writings of chuang tzu, found in volumes thirty. He was looking up to heaven and breathed gently, seeming to be in a trance, and to have lost all consciousness of any companion.
It was a time of death and destruction due to widespread warfare. Mair, introduction and notes for a complete translation of the chuang tzu sinopzutonic papers, 48 september, 1994 tzu, some of which has been pointed out in the notes to the translation see, for example, chapter 6 note 2 and chapter 7 note 12 on breathing. Selfcompassion is the way to liberate oneself and all beings. He was a nonconformist in his own time and conveyed his ideas of the tao in energetically poetic prose. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this chuang tzu study guide and get instant access to the following critical essays. They figure the tao te ching was probably put together over many years by a bunch of different people. Introduction and notes for a complete translation of the. So even if there are objective similarities and differences, they do not justify any particular way of distinguishing between thing kinds. Other subjects famous quotes misremembered, part 2 the sparknotes blog to this. In it, chuang tzu enlarges on the teachings of lao tzu in a lively taoist discourse that opposes the ideas of confucius and mo tzu. Zhuangzi, wadegiles romanization chuangtzu, also called nanhua zhenjing chinese. Florence nightingale the journey of a thousand miles begins with buying the right snacks so you dont get hungry during the trip.
Ive noticed lately that the more i like a book the harder it is for me to discuss it. The main attraction in the ttc is the tao itself, which is the great flow of everythinglike everything. Chuang tzu explains why he is turning down the offer by way of an allegory about a turtle. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world. The catholic monk thomas merton had a special place in his heart for chuang tzu, the chief authentic spokesperson for taoism, who lived in the fourth century. The seven themes are no surprise, considering the nature of lao tzus philosophy. And burton watsons lucid and beautiful translation has been loved by generations of readers. Tzuchi of south wall sat leaning on his armrest, staring up at the sky and breathingvacant and far away, as though hed lost his companion body. Originally being inscribed on separate bamboo tiles, any ordering assigned to them subsequently is likely to have been somewhat arbitrary. For me, mertons introduction to chuang tzu and taoism is worth the price of the book in itself. It is the way to reduce suffering and to harmonize with ones surroundings. We can imagine him telling a story of the incident, in the firstperson, to his disciples. Im certainly no taoist expert, but ive read a lot of. Chuang tzu probably authored only parts of the first 7 chapters of the present text, the socalled inner chapters.
To end this little lesson in mandarin phonology, then, we may transcribe chuang tzu phonetically as jwavng dz or jwahng dzuh. But just as surely he is not to be taken as the author of the tale handed down to us. Burton watson, the translator, provides an excellent overview of the early history of. Moreover, the element of time, so key to thinking about conflict resolution methods and their utility, seems also to be in play. The inner chapters contain all the important ideas and are consistently brilliant.
Chuang tzu viewed nature as having great spontaneity and change, with all thingslarge and small, beautiful and uglyequally important and ever in a constant flux. It can be described as the idea of a primordial law of nature by which the universe has been given its shape and mechanics. The basic writings of chuang tzu have been savored by chinese readers for over two thousand years. Even in translation, the brilliance and compression of his language is evident. The inner chapters the zhuangzi chuang tzu are considered to be the most authentic chapters and most likely to have been written by zhuangzi or at least written by a brilliant and keen mind. Zhuangzi chuangtzu master zhuang late 4th century bc is the pivotal figure in classical philosophical daoism. The catholic monk thomas merton had a special place in his heart for chuang tzu, the chief authentic spokesperson for taoism, who lived in the fourth century b. Graham 1981, chuangtzu, the seven inner chapters and other writings from the book chuangtzu, london. The inner chapters probably date to around the second century bce. Chuang tzu, the most spiritual of the classic chinese philosophers, is the chief historical spokesman for taoism. Then, we can enjoy the freedom of looking upon all.
Chuang tzu chuang chou, ca, 360 bc, along with lao tzu, is a defining figure in chinese taoism. The following are my notes on chuang tzu, a justover 9 page document condensed from the 53 page original. The wood carver was one of the poems we read to reflect how we taught in. Physical circumstance, metaphysical reality these do not, well, matter. The name chuang tzu zhuangzi in the pinyin system means master chuang. The respected trappist monk thomas merton spent several years reading and reflecting upon four different translations. The wood carver by chuang tzu the art of cultivating. These eightyone short chapters cover the ways of the way and lay out all the main ideas of one of the worlds most oldschool philosophies.
Jun 22, 20 interpreted by thomas merton, the way of chuang tzu, abbey of gethsemani, 1965. Chuang tzu is the lesser known taoist writerpossibly as much of a legend as his more famousand possible peerlao tzu. He occupied a minor position in the administrative office of chiyuan. Dec 18, 20 chuang tzu explains why he is turning down the offer by way of an allegory about a turtle. The way is a it doesnt matter what your worldview is chuang tzu is good food for the mind. A collection of his sayings have been passed down over the centuries, and is one of the fundamental sources for zen buddhism chang tzu thought that men should distance themselves from the traditional prestige and honor of worldly life. His thought is contained in the 33 chapters that remain of the chuang tzu, which describes both his philosophy and his way of life. Discussion on making all things equal by chuang tzu. The way of chuang tzu, zhuangzi, thomas merton as free, interpretive readings, this book is very much thomas mertons own, the result of five years of reading, study and meditation. A prime example of this is the discussion between chuang tzu and hui tzu about the happiness of fishes, which has an almost socratic ring to it. Burton watson, the translator, provides an excellent overview of the early history of taoism and the place of these writings in it.
Chuangtzu is the lesser known taoist writerpossibly as much of a legend as his more famousand possible peerlao tzu. Chuang tzu chapter 2, section a zhuangzi the dao bums. One might ask why a person should learn about taoism. Certainly, in the frame story, chuang tzu is the author of the embedded story. Chuang tzu then defines the way, inasmuch as it can be defined. The lifelong journey of discovering god and ourselves. Full of profundity as well as tricks, knaves, sages, jokers, unbelievably named people, and uptight confucians, the book of chuang tzu perceives the taothe way of nature not as a term to be explained but as a path to walk. Graham 1981, chuang tzu, the seven inner chapters and other writings from the book chuang tzu, london. Ive been struggling with aldo leopolds a sand county almanac. Rewards and punishments are the lowest form of education. Classic writings from the great zen master in exquisite versions by thomas merton, in a new edition with a preface by his holiness the dalai lama. Chuang tzu or zhuangzi lived and taught around 350 bc. Chuang tzu also uses dialogue to get his point across in a way that is easy to follow and clear.
Section a nanguo ziqi was seated, leaning forward on his stool. Find sample tests, essay help, and translations of shakespeare. Master zhuangwadegiles romanization chuangtzu, original name zhuang zhou, born c. The constant is the useful, the useful is the passable, the passable is the successful. Lao tzu said, you got it, buddy, scribbled the ttc in no time flat, and then rode out of china forever on a water buffalo. At its basic level, the way according to chuang tzu is not anchored in anything. Working from existing translations, thomas merton composed a series of his own versions of the classic sayings of chuang tzu, the. I would like to trouble you with the administration of my. I have the most twitter followers of anyone i know. So judgments about events and experiences should be based on their usefullness and how they relate to the whole. Seeing nature at work and the way in which it reconciled these polar opposites pointed the way to the tao where all dualities are resolved into unity. Whether the tree or teaching is useless depends on ones perspective. Chuangtzu was born in todays honan province, in the village of wei.
Chuang tzu is known as one of the most significant and. Chang tzu thought that men should distance themselves from the traditional prestige and honor of worldly life. Employing the language of western philosophy, robert allison, in chuangtzu for spiritual transformation. Apparently, he was a contemporary of mencius, but what is peculiar is, in fact, that these two great polemicists never met each other. Chuang tzu discussion on making all things equal translated by burton watson. Does the story communicate all of these features of the philosophers outlook on life to us, or does only part of this outlook come through in the story. Readings from chuang tzu 33 the useless tree 35 a hat salesman and a capable ruler 37 the breath of nature 38 great knowledge 40 the pivot 42 three in the morning 44 cutting up an ox 45 the man with one foot and the marsh pheasant 48 the fasting of the heart 50 three friends 54. The following are my notes on chuangtzu, a justover 9 page document condensed from the 53 page original. Chuang tzu s taoism is nostalgic for the primordial climate of paradise in which there was no differentiation, in which man was utterly simple, unaware of himself, with tao, and with all other creatures. Once, when chuang tzu zhuangzi was fishing in the pu river, the king of chu chu sent two officials to go and announce to him. Also transliterated as chuang chou, zhuangzi, zhuang zi, and zhoung zhou chinese philosopher.
The way tao, the way, is the core and essence of taoism, and the major theme of the tao te ching. This 35page guide for tao te ching by lao tzu includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 81 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Chuang tzu simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. By loosening the bonds of our fixed preconceptions, we bring ourselves closer to an attunement to the potent and productive natural way dao of things. These days, western scholars especially doubt if there ever really was a lao tzu party poopers. Working from existing translations, father merton has composed a series of personal versions from his favorites. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Not knowing the original language, i unfortunately had to approach chuangtzu through the filter of a translation rather than the original in its native form, so this may have tainted my understanding. The pure classic of nanhua, chinese philosophical, literary, and religious classic bearing the name of the philosopher zhuangzi master zhuang, or zhuang zhou flourished 4th century bce. A most admirable introduction to his less known but important source book of taoism. Opens the door to a deep appreciation of the spiritual riches of taoism. A collection of his sayings have been passed down over the centuries, and is one of the fundamental sources for zen buddhism. The zhuangzi also known in wadegiles romanization romanization as chuangtzu, named after master zhuang was, along with the laozi, one of the earliest texts to contribute to the philosophy that has come to be known as daojia, or school of the way.
The tao te ching is basically everybodys handy guide to taoism. Mair, introduction and notes for a complete translation of the chuang tzu sinoplatonic papers, 48 september, 1994 such as adze, fads, and so forth, striving to enunciate only the d and the voiced sibilant that comes after it. Translation notes published separately in 1982 as chuang tzu. The way of chuang tzu opens new doors to understanding and appreciating the many spiritual riches of taoism. Chuang tzu from the way of chuang tzu by thomas merton i just recently had a staff development at east fort worth montessori, and it was interesting to see our administration focus on our personal aspirations and visions in relation to the universal goal of the school.
Early taoist tales and parables of chuang tzu, 1994, p. In this way, he enlarged the notion of the codependence of things, one causing change in another, which appears in buddhas thought. Sep 01, 20 the lifelong journey of discovering god and ourselves. The tao refers to, in rough terms, the natural order and progression of the universe. Tzu chi of south wall sat leaning on his armrest, staring up at the sky and breathingvacant and far away, as though hed lost his companion body. The way of chuang tzu by chuang tzu, thomas merton.
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