Abstract
Daoism for both religion and philosophy has Lao Zi (Lao Tzu) and Zhuang Zi (Zhang Tzu) as their patriarchal thinkers, with Lao Zi focused more on cosmological ontology and political philosophy while Zhuang Zi on cosmological skepticism and philosophy of life. When Indian Buddhism was first introduced in China, Chinese scholars would rather parallel its dependent origination with Lao Zi’s cosmological Dao while its nirvana with Zhuang Zi’s philosophy of life or mentality of cosmic liberty (xiaoyaoyou). But now when trying to introduce Zhuang Zi as an originative philosopher to western readers, it would be instructively appropriate to refer to Hellenic Pyrrho of Elis and his anecdotal account: Once terrified and threatened by a stormy sea travel, Pyrrho pointed at an eating pig careless of all risks and thus commented: wise man should be undisturbed as this pig! When travelling to India in the wake of Alexander the Great, Pyrrho met naked philosophers there and admired their tranquil, impassive, and non-committal mentality in evidencing the noblest virtue. And his idea of “peace of soul” realized in avoiding any definite judgment made the modern German philosopher Nietzsche believe that Pyrrho was a Hellenic Buddhist. Thus any philosopher who seeks for spiritual tranquility by rejecting all definite conceptions, ideas, and principles is labeled as Pyrrhonist.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Master of Masters, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, dazhongshi), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), pp.88–89.
- 2.
Sima Qian, “Biographies of Lao Zi and Han Feizi, Historical Records (shiji, laozi hanfeizi liezhuan),” in The Twenty - Four Histoires (Version of Simplified Chinese Characters) (Beijing: Zhong Hua Shu Ju Press,2000),Vol.63, p.1704.
- 3.
Mentalityof CosmicLiberty, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, xiaoyaoyou), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.7.
- 4.
Mentalityof CosmicLiberty, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, xiaoyaoyou), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.9.
- 5.
Chapter 49, The Works of Lao Zi.
- 6.
Chapter, 48, The Works of Lao Zi.
- 7.
Chapter,2,56, The Works of Lao Zi.
- 8.
Bai Juyi, “Reflections on Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi,” in The Complete Collections of Bai Juyi’s Poems of The Four Categories in Chinese Cultural Essentials (sibu jingyao, baijuyishiji) (Shanghai: Shanghai Classic Press, 1993),Vol.18, p.808.
- 9.
Heavenand Earth, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, tiand,), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.151.
- 10.
Natural Tolerance, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, zaiyou), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.141.
- 11.
Unified Identity for Diversified Cosmological Beings, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, qiwulun), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.26. .
- 12.
Under the Heaven, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, tianxia), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.466.
- 13.
Mountain Trees, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, shanmu), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.252.
- 14.
Mentalityof CosmicLiberty, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi,xiaoyaoyou), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.4.
- 15.
Guan Zhong, “Reflections Part II, The Works of Guan Zi (guanzi, xinshuxia)”, in Anthologies of Master Scholars (zhuzi jicheng) (Shanghai: Shanghai Bookstore Press, 1986), Vol.5, chap.37, p.222.
- 16.
Gongsun Chou Shang, The Works of Mencius . (mengzi, gongsunchou shang).
- 17.
Ze Yang, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, zeyang), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.357.
- 18.
Zhang Zai, “Cosmic Harmony, Cosmological Enlighenment (zhengmeng, taihe)”, in The Works of Zhang Zai (zhangzai ji) (Beijing: Zhong Hua Shu Ju Press, 1978), p.8. .
- 19.
Unified Identity for Diversified Cosmological Beings, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, qiwulun), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.18.
- 20.
The Committed Mentality, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi,keyi), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.198.
- 21.
Heavenand Earth, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, tiandi), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.151.
- 22.
Unified Identity for Diversified Cosmological Beings, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, qiwulun), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.26.
- 23.
Ze Yang, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi,zeyang), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.359.
- 24.
Unified Identity for Diversified Cosmological Beings, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, qiwulun), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.36.
- 25.
Unified Identity for Diversified Cosmological Beings, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, qiwulun), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.30.
- 26.
Tian Zifang, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, tianzifang), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.273.
- 27.
Autumn Flood, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, qiushui), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), pp.221–222.
- 28.
The Master Scholar, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, dazongshi), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.90.
- 29.
Tao Yuanming, “Poem to the Position as Military Adviser in Qu’e” (shi zuo zhen jun can jun jinqu’e), in The Complete Version of Tao Yuanming in Modern Chinese (taoyuanmingji quanyi), edt.& trans. by Guo Weiseng and Bao Jingcheng (Guiyang, Guizhou People’s Press, 1992), p.111. .
- 30.
The Doctrine of the Mean (zhongyong).
- 31.
Master of Masters, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, dazhongshi), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.76.
- 32.
Human Secularism, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, renjianshi), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.51.
- 33.
Under the Heaven, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, tianxia), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.453.
- 34.
Ban Gu, “Assorted Scholarships, The History of Han Dynasty (hanshu, yiwenzhi),” in The Twenty - Four Histories (Version of Simplified Chinese) (Beijing: Zhonghuashuju Press, 2000), Vol.30, p.1370.
- 35.
Heavenly Dao, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, tiandao), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.167.
- 36.
Heavenly Dao, The Works of Zhuang Zi in Modern Chinese Version (baihuazhuangzi, tiandao), edited by Zhang Yuliang (Xi an: Sanqin Press, 1990), p.170. .
- 37.
Feng Youlan, “On Metaphysical Romance (lun fengliu)”, in The Complete Works of Three Pines Hall (sansongtang quanji) (Zhengzhou: Henan People’s Press, 2000), Vol.5, pp.309–317.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chun, S. (2012). Zhuang Zi’s Mentality of Cosmic Liberty. In: Major Aspects of Chinese Religion and Philosophy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29317-7_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29317-7_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-29316-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-29317-7
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawPhilosophy and Religion (R0)