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Chuang Tzu Stories
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Apologies
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The Empty Boat
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Means and ends
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The Useless
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Three in the Morning
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The Owl and the Phoenix
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The need to win
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Three Friends
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Chuang Tzu’s funeral
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The Man of Tao
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When the shoe fits
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The Tower of the Spirit
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Flight from the Shadow
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Fighting Cock
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Monkey Mountain
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Symphony for a seabird
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Autumn floods
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The Turtle
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Duke Hwan & the
Wheelwright
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Man is born in Tao
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Wholeness
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Chuang Tzu Story - The
Useless
Hui Tzu said to Chuang Tzu:
“All you teaching is centered on what has no use.”
Chuang Tzu replied:
“If you have no appreciation for what has no use,
you cannot begin to talk about what can be used.
“The earth for example, is broad and vast,
But of all this expanse a man uses only a few inches
Upon which he happens to be standing at the time.
“Now suppose you suddenly take away
all that he actually is ot using,
so that all around his feet a gulf yawns,
and he stands in the void
with nowhere solid except under each foot,
how long will he be able to use what he is using?
Hui Tzu said:
“It would cease to serve any purpose.”
Chuang Tzu concluded:
“This shows the absolute necessity
of what is supposed to have no use.” |
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