Wednesday, April 27, 2016

2 Zhuangzi 14


A reading from the Book of Zhuangzi, chapter 2.14

《莊子 - Zhuangzi》 - 齊物論: 物化

昔者莊周夢為胡蝶,栩栩然胡蝶也,自喻適志與!
不知周也。
俄然覺,則蘧蘧然周也。
不知周之夢為胡蝶與,胡蝶之夢為周與?
周與胡蝶,則必有分矣。
此之謂物化。

Text source courtesy: http://ctext.org/zhuangzi

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Pro-verbs 6


1-5
Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbour
or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger,
If you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back
and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,
Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess.
You’re in that man’s clutches!
Go, put on a long face; act desperate.
Don’t procrastinate—
there’s no time to lose.
Run like a deer from the hunter,
fly like a bird from the trapper!

6-11
You lazy fool, look at an ant.
Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.
Nobody has to tell it what to do.
All summer it stores up food;
at harvest it stockpiles provisions.
So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?
How long before you get out of bed?
A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,
sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?
Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,
poverty your permanent houseguest!

12-15
Riffraff and rascals
talk out of both sides of their mouths.
They wink at each other, they shuffle their feet,
they cross their fingers behind their backs.
Their perverse minds are always cooking up something nasty,
always stirring up trouble.
Catastrophe is just around the corner for them,
a total smashup, their lives ruined beyond repair.

16-19
Here are six things God hates,
and one more that he loathes with a passion:
eyes that are arrogant,
a tongue that lies,
hands that murder the innocent,
a heart that hatches evil plots,
feet that race down a wicked track,
a mouth that lies under oath,
a troublemaker in the family.

20-23
Good friend, follow your father’s good advice;
don’t wander off from your mother’s teachings.
Wrap yourself in them from head to foot;
wear them like a scarf around your neck.
Wherever you walk, they’ll guide you;
whenever you rest, they’ll guard you;
when you wake up, they’ll tell you what’s next.
For sound advice is a beacon,
good teaching is a light,
moral discipline is a life path.

24-35
They’ll protect you from wanton women,
from the seductive talk of some temptress.
Don’t lustfully fantasize on her beauty,
nor be taken in by her bedroom eyes.
You can buy an hour with a whore for a loaf of bread,
but a wanton woman may well eat you alive.
Can you build a fire in your lap
and not burn your pants?
Can you walk barefoot on hot coals
and not get blisters?
It’s the same when you have sex with your neighbour’s wife:
Touch her and you’ll pay for it. No excuses.
Hunger is no excuse
for a thief to steal;
When he’s caught he has to pay it back,
even if he has to put his whole house in hock.
Adultery is a brainless act,
soul-destroying, self-destructive;
Expect a bloody nose, a black eye,
and a reputation ruined for good.
For jealousy detonates rage in a cheated husband;
wild for revenge, he won’t make allowances.
Nothing you say or pay will make it all right;
neither bribes nor reason will satisfy him.

Source

Friday, April 22, 2016

More wonderful person



76 ¶ Of a today ~ coming in over the near and far away, will you translate into action something you recently learnt on how to be a more wonderful person.

77 ¶ Of a today ~ coming in over the near and far away, will you be patient. Even the birds of the air and the fishes of the waters will to you be most grateful.

78 ¶ Of a today ~ coming in over the near and far away, will you share with your beloved a wise saying once spoken to you by a grandparent or some elderly neighbour.

© RmS 2016

Thursday, April 21, 2016

2 Zhuangzi 13


A reading from the Book of Zhuangzi, chapter 2.13

《莊子 - Zhuangzi》 - 齊物論: 待而然

罔兩問景曰:
「曩子行,今子止,曩子坐,今子起,何其無特操與?」
景曰:
「吾有待而然者邪!
吾所待又有待而然者邪!
吾待蛇蚹、蜩翼邪!
惡識所以然?
惡識所以不然?」

Text source courtesy: http://ctext.org/zhuangzi

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Pro-verbs 5


1-2
Dear friend, pay close attention to this, my wisdom;
listen very closely to the way I see it.
Then you’ll acquire a taste for good sense;
what I tell you will keep you out of trouble.

3-6
The lips of a seductive woman are oh so sweet,
her soft words are oh so smooth.
But it won’t be long before she’s gravel in your mouth,
a pain in your gut, a wound in your heart.
She’s dancing down the primrose path to Death;
she’s headed straight for Hell and taking you with her.
She hasn’t a clue about Real Life,
about who she is or where she’s going.

7-14
So, my friend, listen closely;
don’t treat my words casually.
Keep your distance from such a woman;
absolutely stay out of her neighbourhood.
You don’t want to squander your wonderful life,
to waste your precious life among the hard-hearted.
Why should you allow strangers to take advantage of you?
Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?
You don’t want to end your life full of regrets,
nothing but sin and bones,
Saying, “Oh, why didn’t I do what they told me?
Why did I reject a disciplined life?
Why didn’t I listen to my mentors,
or take my teachers seriously?
My life is ruined!
I haven’t one blessed thing to show for my life!”

15-16
Do you know the saying, “Drink from your own rain barrel,
draw water from your own spring-fed well”?
It’s true. Otherwise, you may one day come home
and find your barrel empty and your well polluted.

17-20
Your spring water is for you and you only,
not to be passed around among strangers.
Bless your fresh-flowing fountain!
Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!
Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose—
don’t ever quit taking delight in her body.
Never take her love for granted!
Why would you trade enduring intimacies
for cheap thrills with a whore?
for dalliance with a promiscuous stranger?

21-23
Mark well that God doesn’t miss a move you make;
he’s aware of every step you take.
The shadow of your sin will overtake you;
you’ll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark.
Death is the reward of an undisciplined life;
your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.

Source

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Worthy heritage



73 ¶ Of a today ~ coming in over the near and far away, will you let your actions be a worthy heritage for tomorrow; for next week, next month, next year, and for the ever coming next centuries.

74 ¶ Of a today ~ coming in over the near and far away, will you observe, listen and learn from Nature. This knowledge will you willingly share in word and way.

75 ¶ Of a today ~ coming in over the near and far away, will you enjoy learning something about another culture; another religion, and atheism in a broad sense.

© RmS 2016

Monday, April 18, 2016

2 Zhuangzi 12


A reading from the Book of Zhuangzi, chapter 2.12

《莊子 - Zhuangzi》 - 齊物論: 萬世之後

瞿鵲子問乎長梧子曰:
「吾聞諸夫子,聖人不從事於務,不就利,不違害,不喜求,不緣道,无謂有謂,有謂无謂,而遊乎塵垢之外。
夫子以為孟浪之言,而我以為妙道之行也。
吾子以為奚若?」
長梧子曰:
「是黃帝之所聽熒也,而丘也何足以知之!
且女亦大早計,見卵而求時夜,見彈而求鴞炙。
予嘗為女妄言之,女以妄聽之,奚?
旁日月,挾宇宙,為其脗合,置其滑涽,以隸相尊。
眾人役役,聖人愚芚,參萬歲而一成純。
萬物盡然,而以是相蘊。
予惡乎知說生之非惑邪!
予惡乎知惡死之非弱喪而不知歸者邪!
麗之姬,艾封人之子也。
晉國之始得之也,涕泣沾襟;及其至於王所,與王同筐床,食芻豢,而後悔其泣也。
予惡乎知夫死者不悔其始之蘄生乎!
夢飲酒者,旦而哭泣;夢哭泣者,旦而田獵。
方其夢也,不知其夢也。
夢之中又占其夢焉,覺而後知其夢也。
且有大覺而後知此其大夢也,而愚者自以為覺,竊竊然知之。
君乎,牧乎,固哉!
丘也,與女皆夢也;予謂女夢,亦夢也。
是其言也,其名為弔詭。
萬世之後,而一遇大聖知其解者,是旦暮遇之也。
既使我與若辯矣,若勝我,我不若勝,若果是也?
我果非也邪?
我勝若,若不吾勝,我果是也?
而果非也邪?其或是也,其或非也邪?
其俱是也,其俱非也邪?
我與若不能相知也,則人固受其黮闇。
吾誰使正之?
使同乎若者正之,既與若同矣,惡能正之!
使同乎我者正之,既同乎我矣,惡能正之!
使異乎我與若者正之,既異乎我與若矣,惡能正之!
使同乎我與若者正之,既同乎我與若矣,惡能正之!
然則我與若與人俱不能相知也,而待彼也邪?
何化聲之相待,若其不相待。
和之以天倪,因之以曼衍,所以窮年也。
謂和之以天倪?
曰:是不是,然不然。
是若果是也,則是之異乎不是也亦無辯;然若果然也,則然之異乎不然也亦無辯。
忘年忘義,振於無竟,故寓諸無竟。」

Text source courtesy: http://ctext.org/zhuangzi