chin. 50 zhu xis conversations with his disciples

8/10/2019 Chin. 50 Zhu Xis Conversations With His Disciples

1/6

I

40

ZHU

XI'S

CONVERSATIONS

WITH

HIS DISCIPLES

A

student

asked.

"Fk

Way from

principlei"

ZhuXirespondeJ-

'--

ciple

is the

pattern."

"Is

it

like

the

grain

u

Zh:uXi

answered-'-l

The

student

then

.-o

;ase, the

\Way

and

Princ

"The

word'-W.av'

co'

'aid.

"Principle

consrsts

passed

by

the

Wav."

H

*-hole;

principle

is

the

I

'Wang

Zichong

asket

I met a

master

u-ho

ut

ions to

take."

ZhuXi

responde,i'

lerstand

the

moral

pri

actions?"

"This

teacher

explar

'ou

will

understand

it-'

"Compare

this

ro

:

:oad,"

ZhuXisaid.

"lr

:e walk

on

it? Lots

oi

1

:ow to act.

Thev all

set

:each them

to

others.

)

.:.l'erage disposition

do

ie

principles

of

thrngs

:le sage

wrote

the

G/a

=ove

into the

realm

ol

::lly

grasped

the prin.r

:lial

in their

service

to

=eir

elder

brothers.

ar

=ust,"

-\

student

asked.

"

-rrg

confused

bv

d

::ad?"

ZhuXi

answered.'

-en

read

one

theory.

I

-g

another.

After

vou

:g:in,

what

is right

anr

ell

become

apparenr

(

::,mpared

to

trying

to

Tbe

reuiual

of Confucianism

in

the Song

period

was

accomplished

in

large

part by

great

teachers

who

gathered

around

them adub students

intent on learning

more

about the wisdom

of tbe sages and

bow

to apply

it

in

their

liues.

The

stwdents

were

usually

expecting

to attempt

the

ciuil

seruice examinations,

but

the most

inspiring

teachers

wrged

tbeir

disciples to set tbeir

sights

on the

bigber

goals

of

kn

owle

d

ge

and s e lf- cubiu ati

on.

Perhaps

the

greatest

of all these

teacbers was

ZhwXi

(1130-1200).Immensely

learned

in the

classics,

commentaries,

bistories,

and

the

teacbings

of

his

prede-

cessors,

Zhu

Xi

managed

to

serue seueral times in

office,

write, compile,

or edit

almost

a

hundred books,

correspond

with

dozens

of

other

scholars,

and

still

regularly

teach

groups

of

disciples,

many of whorn

stayed

with

bim

for

years

at

a

time.

Zhu

Xi considered himself a

follower

of the

Cheng

brotbers Cheng

Hao

\1032-1085)

and Cheng

yi

(1033:11a7),

and elaborated

tbeir metaphysical

the-

ories about

tbe workings

of

the cosmos

in

terms

of

principle (li)

and

qi

(uital

energies,

material

force,

psychophysical

stuffl.

In

the conuersations

which

his

disciples

recorded,

howeuer,

he

also

discussed

all

sorts

of otber

isswes

releuant

to

tbeir

wnderstanding of

nature, the

pdst,

and

bow

to

condwct

tbeir

liues.

The se-

lection below

is only a tiny

fraction

of

the thousands

of conuersations

his

follow-

ers

recorded.

A student

asked,

"Do dried and withered things

have

principle?"

ZhuXr

responded,

"Once

an object exists,

it

has

a

principle. Heaven

didn't

invent writing

brushes;

it was human beings who

took

rabbit

hairs to

make them.

But

once there were

brushes,

there

was a

principle for them."

A

student

asked, "Principle

is something

peo-

ple

and

animals

alike

get

from

Heaven.

7hat

about

insentient things?

Do

they

also have

prin-

ciple?"

"Certainly

they

have

principle," Zhu

Xi

re-

sponded.

"For

instance, boats can

only travel

on

water

and carts

can only

travel on

land."

172


2/6

DISCIPLES

I in hrge part by

a

barningmore

x- Tbe

students

zs,

but

the most

'bigher

goals

of

lAOt.Immensely

gs

of his

prede-

compile,

or edit

bohrs, and

still

va

for

years

at

a

ras

Cheng

Hao

rctaphysical

the-

ht

and

qi

(uital

tions

uthich

his

-:sl*.cs

releuant

to

*

lites.

The

se-

aons

his

follow-

hinciple

is something peo.

:

get

from

Heaven.

'W.ha:

s?

Do

they also

have

prin-

re

principle,"

Zhu Xi

r+.

e-

boats

can

only travel o"

rls

travel

on

land."

+*

, J-^:grrrhong

asked,

...W.hen

I

was

in

Hunan,

r

met

a

master

who

taught

people

only

what

ac_

rions

to

take.,,

,

Zhu

Xi.responded,,,If

a

person

does

not

un_

oerstand-rhe

moral

principles,

how

can

he

take

actions?"

"This

teacher

explained,

.Once

you

practice

it,

you

will

understand

it.,

,,

"Compare

this

to

a person

walking

along

a

:oad,"

ZhuXisaid.

.,If

he

dr.,

".;r;;;;:

irli.rn

he

walk

on

it?

Lots

"r

p.opt.ioJr,

"rif,

o..rr.

o1to,

a.t.

They

all

seithei,

,;;uJ;;il.

,r,.,

teach

them

to

others.

Naturally

"

gr.Jp..rr",f

a-verage

disposition

does

nor

ha,r."to

f.rl"

i"r"

the

principles

of

things

or

study

extensively.

But

me

sage

wrote

rhe

Great

Learnizg

ro

help

people

move

inro

the

realm

of

sages.

Wt'."

p*ifl

irru.

HlT

g_.i:o:o

the

principleJ,

they

uri

lrr,Lrriy

u.

nral

ln

thelr

service

to

their

parents,

respectful

to

*eir

elder

brorhers,

,"a

**tt

y

.i'rir#

rri."ar,

trLtst.

"

Zhu

Xi's

Conuersations

uith

His

Disciples

/

l_3

is

good

or

bad.

you

observe

him

wherever

he

goes,

notice

what

he

says

or

does,

and

then

knorr

if

he

is good

or

bad.,,

He.als.

,;iJ::t"-r*pt,

11st

h.ave

an

open

mind,,,

urd

,.Wurh

,rJryr-o*

old

opinions

to

let

new

ideas

in.,,

{.**

A

student

asked,

.,What

can

I

do

to

attain

a

reverent

attitude?,,

,.

,hu

Ti

:i,.d,..,Simply

do

this:

on

rhe

inside.

nave

no

toolish

thoughts,

on

the

outside,

have

no

foolish

actions-',

",.1,:,^11,.-l_r

rr5.;

,.uo-

.rL

u

o.rro,

develop

nrs

srncenty

and

reverence

and

get

rid

of

his

de_

slres

/

' '

".

Zhy

Xi

responded,

,,These

are

the

end_points.

ilnceflty

requtres

getting

rid

of

all

,o.r,

oi

frlr._

nes.s.

Reverence

requires

getting

rid

of

all

sorts

of

Iazlness.

l)esires

should

be blocj


3/6

1--+

;

The Song

and

Yuan DYnasties

***

Renru

asked

about

the saying,

"Human

good-

ness

is

the

principle

underlying

love."

Zhu

Xi said,

"This saying

makes sense

if

you

rhink

about

the

mind,

nature,

and

feelings.

The

mind

is the

master of

the body.

A

person's nature

consists

in

humanity,

righteousness,

propriefy,

and

u'isdom. They

find their

expression

in the

feel-

ings of

commiseration,

shame,

deference,

and the

abilin-to

distinguish

right

from

wrong.

Commis-

eration

is

love,

the beginning

of

human

goodness.

Human

goodness

is

the

substance,

while

love

is

an

aspect of

its

function."

***

A

student

inquired,

"Human

nature

is

just

the

nature

of

Heaven

and earth.

In the beginning

it

didn't come

from somewhere

else,

nor does

it

later

go

back

to

another

place. It

just

seems

this

way

from the

condensing

or dispersing

of

qi."

Zhu

Xi

responded,

"You're right, it

doesn't re-

:urn any'where

at

the

end.

It

is

like

the reflection

of

:ie

moon

in

a

pan

of

water.

'l7ithout

the

pan

of

','.'.:rer.

there would

be

no

reflection.

No one

could

-.::ose

the

reflection

flies

into the

sky to

return

::,

::3 moon.

It's

also

like

a

flower dropping

and

::--:.

i'eing

gone. How

could

you

think

it

went

:--,::-;-,t..:ere

and

next

year will

be

reborn on

this

i:::.;:

i

"

T:-.

.:::dent

also asked,

"How

can

we

analyze

:o:--.::

:reories about

anomalies,

demons,

and

::;

--i=i"

Z-..^

\:

said,

"Eighty

percent of

what

ordi-

:-::-. :.-.:-;

sav

is nonsense,

but

twenty

percent

-:

::--::::.

]n

most

of

these

cases,

the

person's

--:.

.:::-

'.\'as

not up

when

he was

drowned,

or

nu:i.:-i.

o:

feli

victim

to a

violent

illness.

Since

hrs

-:;

::i

ror been

exhausted,

he was able

to

possess

peoeie.

There are also

cases

of

people

rr.ho

die su,jdenlv

and

their

qi

hasrr't

yet

com-

pletelr-

dispersed

because

of

the

richness of

their

original

endou-ment.

Eventually

their

4i

does

disperse,

for

essence

and

qi

are combined

to

pro-

duce

people

and

thtngs.

As

in the

phrase,

"The

wandering

of

the spirit

becomes

change,"

there

will

be

no

more

qi.

For when

people talk

abou:

immortals,

they

only talk

about

ones

from

recen:

times.

The

immortals

of

antiquity

are

no longe:

seen.

The Zwo

Commentary

tells

the

story

o:

Boyu

wreaking

revenge,

but no

one

sees

hi.

ghost

today."

The student

also

asked,

"Mr.

Xie

said,

'N1'

ancestors'

spirit

is my

own

spirit.'

Do

yo;

agree?"

"The sentence

puts

it

very

well,"

Zhu

Xi rc

sponded.

"Ancestors

and descendants

have

onl.'

one

qi.

7hen

sincerity

and

reverence

are

fully de-

veloped, they

can

affect

each

other.

It can

be

com-

pared

to

a

large

tree

whose

seeds

are

on

th.

ground.

'lfhen

they

grow

and become

trees, the:

are

in

fact that

large

tree."

:i-

X-

*

A student

asked,

"'W'hat

should

an

educate:

man do

if

he

is marrying

an

ordinary

person an:

he wishes

to

perform

the

proper rituals

but

th.

other

family

disagrees?"

Zhu

Xi smiled,

looked at

Yigang

for

a lor::

time,

then

said,

"This

is

a

waste

of

effort.

All tha:

is needed

is to

send

someone

to talk

it

over

wit.

the

other

family.

The ancient

rituals

are

less trou-

ble.

'Why

wouldn't

they

be willing

to

practic:

them?"

Zhiqingsaid,

"If there

are

steps

in the

ancier::

rituals

that

are

very

hard

to

practice,

you don:

have

to

insist

on

them.

For

instance,

the

pa::

about

revolving

the

carriage

wheels

three

time'

This doesn't

mean

that

you have to

revolve

th.

sedan

chair

three

times."

Even the

master

laughe-

in response

to this.

Yigang

said,

"If

the

customary

practices

don':

harm

moral

principle

very

much,

would

it be

;

right to

retain

a

small

number

of

them?"

ZhuXi

said,

"Yes."

***

ZhuXisaid,

"When

wind

acts on

things,

it e:-'

ters

into all

of

them.

Today

coffins

are

buried

::

the

ground.

To

a

small

extent

they

get

blori':-

some

eYen

blown

over."

A

student

asked,

"If

one

places

on object

c:

--re

ground,

even

a

fis163

*

)

:e able

to

move

it'

Sin;:

-:

::rd

solid,

hevT

gsrlld ri---:-'

:rove

things?"

ZhuXi

answered.

"l

::::

..hen

wind

co[lects

tosir:r

lt,

its

power

intensitie=.

::

::t Iand,

its

4l

disPer'.="'

The

student

said.

"P=:l

::inciple."

ZhuXi

said,

"In

Z:'::'=

:J

his

parent

at

a

ce:' :::-

::

heard

sounds

fr.':..-

---'

--ne.

His

famill'

rho::-:

:;rred

because

the

Pi:;;

r

::ne the

familY

ProPci-r

:

::scendants

[s62rns

3"':':-

:,ace

was

unfortuna:e

;--

ok

at

it'

Thev

fou::

:i

.=ashed

and

was

ru::'=i'

".-rs

exactly

in the

fronl

:

-

-:med

by

curved

r::;'

.:-:efs.

"

The student

said.

"Pt::

Zhu

Xi

answered.

"\:

:

tv

could

there

har

s

re=:

-

:i't

know

what

the

.r:'

-\

srudent

,.L.6.

"\\-:

-.:;

a Parent

died.

he

'-:

:-:'e

Buddhists

Perforn

:

Zhu

Xi

resPonJe;.

"-

:

.:.

l:re

srudent

Persi:::3'

::.n

Of

not?"

Zru

Xi

said,

"The:.

:'

: :

;frild

cannot

be::

:c

'

:=:ul

consideration."

*.

-.

student

asked.

"\i

-:::

lne's

father

is

srli,

:l

-

:-'iiolv

customar\.

:

-

--ring

garment).

;=-:

r-.

-3s.

and

har-e

rh;

:r


4/6

ien

peoPle

talk

abou:

rtout

ones

from

recen:

mriquiry

are

no

longe:

-n'

tells

the

storY

c:

'nur

no

one

sees

kl=

l-

"-\fu.

Xie

said,

'\1'

osrr

sPirit.'

Pq

vo-

ren

rvell."

Zhu

Xi

rt-

Jescendants

have

on-'

d

reverence

are

fullY

de-

i;h

other'

It

can

be

cor:--

iore

seeds

are

on

ti-'

'-gnd

become

trees,

th(1

,*

-nar

should

an

educatt:

:

an

ordinarY

Person

ar:

le

proper

rituals

but

t;':

ed

at

Yigang

for

a

lo:':

a

s-aste

of

effort.

A11

th':

reone

to

talk

it

oYer

1\.r=

sient

riruals

are

less

tro.--

s

be

rvilling

to

Practl=

re

are

stePs

in

the

ancie=

:J

ro

practice,

You

do:

-

r-

For

instance,

the

P=

rriase

wheels

three

tims

,

tJu hrr.

to

revolve

*

"

Esen

the

master

laugl::

-lstomary

practices

do:

:

ierr

much,

would

it

be

'-

o.umbr

of

them?"

:

srnd

acts

orl

things,

it

--

lqias

cotfins

are

buriei

:

ai,

extent

theY

get

blo$-*

r.

'li

one

Places

on

object

-':

de

ground,

even

a fierce

wind

will

not

necessarily

be able

to

move

it.

Since

the

ground

is

so

strong

and solid,

how could

wind

blow

through

it to

move things?"

ZhuXi

answered,

"I

think

that in

the ground

rhen

wind

collects

together

and

wants

to come

out,

its

power

intensifies,

but when

it

is

out

on

the

lat land,

its

4i

disperses."

The student

said, "Perhaps

there

is

no such

rinciple."

ZhuXi said,

"In

Zhenghe

county,

a

man

bur-

lrd his

parent

at a

certain

place.

After

the

burial

he heard sounds

from

the

grave

from

time

to

'ime.

His

family

thought

that

these sounds

oc-

urred

because

the

place was

good.

After

a

long

:ime

the

family

property

slowly

declined

and

the

descendants

became

poor. They

thought

that

the

Diace

was unfortunate

so

took

the

coffin

out

to

bok

at

it. They

found

that

one

side

had

been

mashed and

was

ruined.

The

place it

had

been

ras

exactly

in

the

front

part

of

the

pit, the

part

iormed by curved

bricks,

where

the

coffin

Gnters."

The student

said, "Perhaps

water

caused

this."

Zhu

Xi

answered,

"No.

If water

had entered,

Lon'could

there

have

been

the

sound

of

hitting?

I

Con't

know what

the

explanation

is."

)F*x'

-{

student

asked,

"'What

should

one

do

if be-

ftre

a

parent died,

he

or

she

left instructions

to

Llre

Buddhists

perform

the

services?"

Zhu

Xi responded,

"This

is

a difficult

ques-

Dn."

The student

persisted, "So

should

he employ

6em

or

not?"

Zhu

Xi

said,

"There

are

some

things

the

heart

t:

child cannot

bear

to

do.

This

issue

requires

qetul

consideration."

)t

:t

-\

srudent

asked,

"'$V'hat

if one's

mother

dies

-i

one's father

is still

alive

and

the

father

wants

iollow

customary

practices

with

regard

to

ing

garments,

employ

Buddhist

monks

for

Zhu

Xi's

Conuersations

with

His

Disciples

I

1'7 5

ZhuXi

responded,

"'$[hat

do

you think?"

The

student

responded,

"One

could

not

obey."

ZhuXisaid,

"The

first

two are

superficial

mat-

ters.

If

it

is

as

you

say,

obeying

would

be

all

right.

But cremation cannot

be

practiced."

Yong

said, "Cremation

destroys

the

parents'

remains."

Zhu

Xi added,

"Discussing

it

along

with

mourning

garments and

Buddhist

services

shows

an

inability

to

recognize

degrees

of

importance."

*)F)F

A student

asked,

"'W'hen

Yang

forces

first

moved and

gave

birth

to

people

and things,

it

seems

they

all were

produced

at

once,

but

accord-

ing to the

theory

[of

the

great ultimate],

it seems

they

were

produced

in stages."

ZhuXi

responded,

"'S0'e

can't

give the

order,

but

there

must

have been

stages.

Shao

Yong cal-

culated

back

128,000.

' (hat

was

it like

before

that?

There

must

have

been

a world

before

the

great ultimate,

like

last

night

and

this

morning'

Yin

and

Yang

set

things in

motion

all

at

once,

but

before

then,

there

must

have

been

dimness

that

gradually

became

clear.

Therefore

there

were

these

stages

present

in

it

all

along"'

The

student

also

asked,

"If

we

thus

speculate

about

the

period

before

the

great

ultimate,

will

the

period

after

it

be

similar?"

ZhuXi

responded,

"Certainly.

Master

Cheng

said,

'Movement

and

quiescence

have

no begin-

ning;

Yin

and Yang

have

no

starting

point.'

rvhich

clarifies

it.

Today

on

high

mounrains

there

are

rocks

with

oyster

shells

in them,

shorving

that a

low

place

has

become

a

high

one.

Further,

oysters

have

to

live

in muddv

sand,

but

now

they

are

in

rock,

so

what

rvas soft

became

hard.

The

cosmos

changes;

there

is no

constancY."

{-**

A

student

asked,

"Recently

Liao

Zihui

said

that

when

he

visited

you this

year he

asked

you

about

Master

Yanping's

doctrine

of

quiet

sitting,

and

that

you

had

some

disagreements

with

it' Is

that

so?"

ZhuXi

responded,

"This

is a

difficult

topic'

and

have

the

body

cremated?"


5/6

1,76

I

The Song

and

Yuan

Dynasties

There

is no harm

in someone

who

understands

principle sitting

quietly, but

it

is

not right to

insist

on

quiet sitting.

Those

who

understand

principle

thoroughly

are

naturally

quiet.

Nowadays,

peo-

ple

insist

on

quiet sitting

to

get out of doing

things.

That

won't do.

I once

heard

Master

Li

say

that

when

he first

heard

Master

Luo lecture on

the

Spring

and

Autumn

Annals

he

was

not

impressed

and

wondered

how

much understanding

Luo had

attained

by

quiet sitting at

Mount

Luo-fou.

I also

had

doubts,

but

now

I

think

it works.

How

can

a

person whose

mind

is excited

perceive

principle?

One must

be

quiet

to

perceive

it.

'Sfhat

is

called

quiet sitting

simply

means

having

nothing

on

one's

mind.

'When

one's

mind

is thus clear,

prin-

ciple

will

make itself

known,

and the

mind

will

become

even clearer

and

quieter."

)t;t*

A student

asked, "'W'hen

selfish thoughts

arise,

I

immediateiy

weed

them

out, but even

though

I

get

nd

of

the

stems

and

branches,

the roots

re-

main,

and

u,hen I encounter

a similar

stimulus,

thev

arise again.

What can

I

do about

it?"

Zhv. Xi

responded,

"That

is

lust

the

way

it

is.

That

is s,hI

[Confucius's

disciple]Zengzi

said,

'In

trepidation,

as

though

standing

on a

precipice or

on

thin

ice.'

"

)l )t

,t

Zhu

Xi

asked

Kuang,

"How

long

have you

been

here?"

"Eighty-five

days."

"Aren't

you

going tomorrow?"

Kuang said,

"Early tomorrow

I

will be

saying

goodbye."

Zhr:. Xi said,

"Do

you

have

any

remaining

r 1 \rt

oou Dts i

"Right

now I

have

no

points

that

need clatify'

ing, but

as

I

apply myself,

some

will

surely

arise,

so

I will

write

you letters to ask

for

your instruc-

tion."

ZhuXisaid,

"Just

work hard at

applying

your-

self.

The biggest

fear

for

a student

is

that

he will

grow lax.

Do not expect

instant

results.

If today

you learn something

or

put

something

into

prac-

tice,

that

is something

positive.

Just

do

not sto:

Little

by

little

you

will

gain

a

thorough

unde:-

standing.

If there

are

points

you

are

not

clea:

about,

think

about

them

yourself, don't

rely

o-

others

or wait

until

you

can

ask

questions.

If

thei.

is

no

one

to

ask,

you might

give

up.

People

ac-

vance

in their

learning

when

they can

rid

them-

selves

of

the desire

to

depend on

others."

)l

'l

:t

Dou said

his dreams

were very

garbled. Zhu

\

responded,

"The spiritual

soul and

the earthl

soul interact

to

constitute

sleep.

The mind

is sti-

present and

can

think

as

usual.

That

is

hol

dreams

result."

Zhu Xi then discussed

his

ori'-

experiences,

"'W'hen

I was sick

for

several

days.

-

dreamed

only

about

explaining

the Book" of

Do;'

uments.

Once

when serving

in office

I

dreame:

only

about

judging

legal cases."

Dou said,

"These

are

still

daily

affairs."

ZhuXi

said,

"Even though

these

are everyda'

affairs,

still

they

shouldn't

appear

in

dreams."

x_

:r tt

Every evening

when

his students

gathered, on.

of the older

ones

would

start to

chat as soon

as

h.

sat

down.

ZhuXi scolded

him, "Sir,

you

are

ol'e:

forry and

still

do

not

understand

the books

yo-

read,

yet

as

soon

as

you

sit down

you

talk

abou:

other

people's

affairs. On

some

recent

nights

yo-

gentlemen have

chatted

idly until

ten

p.u'

I7hil.

we

are

gathered together,

why

don't

you

refle'-:

on

yourself or

do serious

work

rather

than tal.

about

trivial

things?"

He then

sighed

and

sighec

;r

{-

)}

ZhuXihadan

asthma attack

and

for days

non.

of

his

students

asked

him

any

questions. On.

evening

he

summoned

them

to

his

room.

The stu-

dents

still

did not

ask

any questions.

Zh:uXi

ar'

grily

demanded,

"You

gentlemen are

just

sittin:

idly.

If

you are

not

going

to

do anything,

wh'

don't

you

go home?

Why

did

you come

here

fror

so

far away?"

--

srudent

asked.

"S-l

r

-::

the

Buddhisr

:;J

:r'-:i"

Z:u

Xi said.

"Tc,

l-ao

:E

-.n

from

his sa\.:tr=

"

:,-.nbeing;

I

n-aii

io


6/6

ridve.

Just

do

not

stop-

rain

a thorough

under-

>ins

vou

are not clea--

1-ourself,

don't

rely

ot-

m

ask

questions.

Iftherc

gfir

give

up. People

ac-

ien rhey

can

rid

them-

md

on others."

:re

tery garbled.

Zhu

\

rI soul and

the earthlr

: sleep. The

mind

is

sn-

rs

usual.

That

is

hor

6en

discussed

his

os-:

s

sick

for

several days.

-

rining

rhe

Book of

Doc-

rng

in office I dreame;

;ass."

dll

daily affairs;'

cugh

these

are everydat

't

appear

in

dreams."

+

s

rTudents

gathered.

on:

art

to

chat

as

soon

as

hr

Ihim,

"Sir, you

are ove

lersrand the books

r-o-

;it down you

talk

abou:

some

recent nights

yo'.:

dlv until ten r,.u. Whilt

.

u-hy

don't

you

reflec

;

s-ork

rather

than

talA

fren

sighed and sighec

rrrack and for days

non:

In

any

questions. oni

:m

to

his

room.

The sn:-

r

questions.

Zhu

Xi

an-

ndemen

are

just

sittin5

g

to

do anything,

u'hr

did

vou

come

here frorc

A student

asked,

"'What

are the differences be-

tween

the

Buddhist

and Taoist

doctrines

of non-

being?"

ZhuXisaid,

"To

Laozi,

being existed.

This

can

be

seen

from

his saying,

'I

want to

see

the

subtlety

of nonbeing;

I

want to see the

results

of

being.'

Zhu

Xi's Conuersations

with His Disciples

I 1,77

The Buddhists

consider Heaven

and earth

to

be

illusory

and the four

elements

[earth,

water, fire,

and

wind]

to

be

temporary

combinations. Thus

to

them everything is nonbeing."

Translated

by

Patricia Ebrey

chin. 50 zhu xis conversations with his disciples

Documents