#guo xiang

[nousrose]

Non-action does not mean doing nothing and keeping silent. Let everything be allowed to do what it naturally does, so that its nature will be satisfied.

Zhuangzi

Guo Xiang

[poimandresnous]

The Drunk and The Perfected One.

Reading chapter 19 of the Zhuangzi 達生, Understanding Life, we come across a story of a drunk man riding in a carriage, he then proceeds to fall out of the high-moving carriage. However, when he fell out, he was not aware of such an occurrence. He did not fear for his life, nor was concerned with dying. Though he has the same joints and bones as the next person, he does not fear getting hurt. All of this was achieved thanks to the booze.

Now, this is not an excuse to be constantly drunk all the time. The drunk's lack of awareness (being drunk) was brought about by externals; not becoming unselfconscious spontaneously.

Here is the exact quote from Zhuangzi 19.5.1-2:

"When a drunk falls out of a carriage, though it is going fast, he does not die. He has the same bones and joints of others, but when it comes to getting hurt, he is different from them, for his spirit is perfectly whole. He was not even aware he was riding in a carriage, so when he fell out, he was not aware of that either. Alarm for life and death did not enter his breast, which is why such a one could be so at odds with things and yet feel no fear. Since he could achieve such perfect wholeness thanks to drink, how much better could he achieve such perfect wholeness from Heaven?! The Sage hides himself in Heaven, thus no one can harm him."

The one who abides in drink or drugs to achieve this state of "wholeness of spirit" will ultimately fail, once the bottle or baggie runs dry. Yet in those drunken states, they appear very similar to those who abide in Heaven to become whole. The bottle or baggie will always run dry, but Heaven is eternal. The one hiding in the bottle is like the one hiding in Heaven. Because when you get drunk or high, there is no care for the self, body, or life or death. Where they differ is the substance of achieving this notion of discarding the body and distinctions. For the drunk abides in the limited amounts that are contained in their bottle, the Sage abides in Heaven which is boundless, and limitless.

This is the comparison that Master Zhuang is trying to make with the Drunk and The Perfected One. The Drunk and Perfected One achieve similar states of "wholeness" by different means. Though the drunk will become dismembered once the bottle empties, Heaven never runs dry for the Sage or Perfected One. This is why the Perfected One never fails to be Whole, all the time. They abide by a substance that is not a substance. The Sage becomes whole in their extreme sobriety via abstinence and fasting.

The drunk cast away worldly concerns at the cost of his body and mind. The Sage casts away worldly concerns and distinctions by letting go, and letting Heaven take the reigns. Thus, the Sage preserves their material body by discarding the world and its distinctions; and by abiding in Heaven's natural distinctions. In 19.2.1-2, we see this:

"If one wishes to avoid tending to the body, nothing is better than to abandon worldly concerns. Once worldly concerns are abandoned, one is free of entanglements; once free of entanglements, one is true and equitable; once true and equitable, one is reborn therewith; once reborn, one is almost complete. But why is it worthwhile to abandon worldly affairs, and why worthwhile to discard concerns for life? Once one has abandoned worldly affairs, the body is no longer strained; once one has discarded concerns for life, the vital essence is no longer depleted."

All this means that when we abide in Heaven and not the bottle to achieve a wholeness of spirit, we can be reborn or renewed daily. As for why we abandon worldly affairs and distinctions, we do this because they are not Heaven's distinctions, to put it plainly. Master Zhuang says in Chapter 2.14.1 齊物論, "The Dao has no boundaries." Meaning just that, The Dao has no distinctions or things that bind it to one "thing." Later in 2.14.11, Master Zhuang says, "Therefore in such "division" there is a failure to divide; in such "distinction" there is a failure to distinguish."

The drunk achieve their wholeness of spirit by means of initiating the human distinctions, for they are only truly joyful while drunk. The Sage or Perfected One achieves a wholeness of spirit by means of initiating the natural, thus, they invest in life with virtue (19.6.1-3). The drunken one does not abide by their natural principle, and thus, they have to overconsume drink to achieve states similar to the Sage or Perfected One. The Sage abides in nothing of the sort. They abide or hide in Heaven. To "hide" in Heaven means, according to Guo Xiang, "He does not sneak looks out from within his own natural capacity, which is why the text says "hide." The drunk uses conscious knowledge to get drunk and thus achieves a "wholeness of spirit," but this wholeness of spirit is an illusion, and the illusion fades ever away as they sober up. I imagine this character who fell out of this high-moving carriage was pretty sore once he sobered up. Though the Perfected One abides in no such conscious action or knowledge; instead abides unconsciously with Heaven and its natural distinctions, and no such conscious use of knowledge, and thus is never harmed. This is why the Perfected One may maintain such a state of pure Joy as described in the previous chapter of the Zhuangzi, 至樂 Perfect Enjoyment. The Sage, being One with Heaven and Earth and not with human things such as drugs or bottles of booze, can be truly joyful. Which has nothing to do with happiness or sadness, but more on that can be read up here on my Twitter.

So, in conclusion, the point here is that while the Drunk and The Perfected One may appear to achieve similar states of being, one is obviously an illusion brought about by conscious effort and knowledge (The Drunk). While the Perfected One achieves their wholeness of spirit through unconscious effort, wu-wei 無為. The Perfected One abides in the unknowable bounds of Fate and Heaven. And is thus able to not be harmed by anyone or anything.

[julieterbang]

[tavina-writes]

someone stop me from writing an essay about the themes of LOCH being commonly misunderstood by later works.

okay I guess I get frustrated sometimes because adaptations and also later wuxia goes "well it's okay to want to rule the world and or be the greatest martial arts ever if you're pure of heart!" "possessing the macguffin that ruins lives won't ruin YOUR life if only you were a good enough person!!!" which. explicitly not what LOCH is about.

Like, one of the MAJOR introducing elements of the 9 yin manual is "it's a doomed book because human nature such that it is will never allow something so powerful to exist peacefully in the world! and that's why everyone who comes into contact with it either dies or suffers immense tragedy explicitly because of the book, and like, this is not just.... a... it's not just a "oh that's neat" that's a thing that happens in the plot of the book. Everyone who gets near it or hears it or touches it....dies.

For example: at the first tournament at mt hua, Wang Chongyang beats everyone else there, becomes "the strongest in the world" takes the book and doesn't look at it. He's dead within the next five years, and someone (Ouyang Feng, dw we come back to him) tries to grave rob his casket for the book.

Book then passes to Zhou Botong, Wang Chongyang's younger sworn brother, who is tasked with hiding it. On his way to hiding the book he runs into Huang Yaoshi and Huang Yaoshi's wife, Feng Heng, who are newly married and in love. HYS wants the book, so he and Feng Heng concoct a scheme to get it, tricking ZBT. HYS gets his hands on the second volume of the 9 yin manual, and within the next two years or less: 1) two of his students steal his version of the manual, betray him, and run away 2) his wife, trying to cheer him up, tries to recopy the book and dies of fatigue and exhaustion post the birth of their daughter, Huang Rong. ZBT, meanwhile, because of the book comes back to Peach Blossom Island and gets imprisoned there for the next 15 years by the angry HYS.

Mei Chaofeng and Cheng Xuanfeng, because of stealing the book and running away from Peach Blossom Island, are persecuted by the Jianghu until they make it to Mongolia where MCF is blinded and her husband CXF is killed by the six year old Guo Jing in what can only be surmised as a....weird skill issue accident. Now, MCF carries the book with her for the next ~12 years, until y'know, plot keeps happening and people keep attacking her for the book.

Her copy of the book ends up accidentally with Guo Jing, who, right after learning it gets Suicide Boated by HYS who is also now his father in law. Also on the Suicide Boat are ZBT and Hong Qigong who were only tangentially involved with the book.

Ouyang Feng (told you we'd get back to him), wants the book and uh. lets just say he loses his nephew, gets nearly drowned several times for multiple days in the ocean, and then finally loses his mind. Which, turns him from a nobleman and a respected grandmaster to a crazy person for several decades.

Oh, and as for Guo Jing who is pure of heart and a good person and learned the martial arts in the book? Yeah his reward for having the abilities he does is...defending Xiangyang for the rest of his life. The next like three decades. Yes. He dies there. With the love of his life, 4/5 of their children, their grandchildren, and his teacher.

I don't know about you but that's not a reward that's a curse on his entire family lmao.

[dragonsareawesome123]

Feeling so normal about these two couples right now

[lizziexmeow]

[ Yeonjun Moment 🌟 Weverse ]

240107 - 21:19 KST

> I'm having Nakgopsae (Stir-fried octopus, beef small intestines and shrimp) for dinner, moa

I won't skip meals, moa

Don't worry, moa

Got it, moa

[ Huening Kai Comment 🌟 Weverse ]

240107 - 21:21 KST

> I ate Xiang Guo next to him♡ Eat a lot, Yeonjunie hyung^^

[kdram-chjh]

Cdrama: The Blue Whisper (2022)

⚡ Never bully those who don't wanna fight with you otherwise loss is yours ⚡ #shorts #youtubeshorts

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7KIiwCq8M-s

[thekingsavatar-fan]

Made these on St.Valentine’s Day...

[mango-parfait]

Sometimes you just need fried rice from Wok Hey and everything will be OK for a bit.

[theretarparappa-2]

My favoruite Scary Logos

[sevengardens]

[poimandresnous]

Why Do We Cultivate Knowledge?

Musing on chapters 14 & 16 of Master Zhuang's Outer Chapters: "The Revolving Heaven天運" & "Mending One's Original Nature or Correcting The Nature 繕性"

[16.1.1] "Once they have mended original nature with conventional wisdom, people now seek to recover its initial state."

This is to mean that when we take in accord with the vulgar "wisdom" of the world and try to use it to alter our innate nature's, we become ever estranged from the Dao.

For most of the Zhuangzi, we see a very anti-epistemological approach. A doing away with the conventional and human distinctions on "what is" and "what isn't," [Zhuangzi 2.14.11-14]. We are told to abandon the pursuit of knowledge [Dao dejing 3]. This is what Master Lao Dan (Laozi) would have Confucius do in chapter 14 天運 "The Revolving of Heaven." Master Zhuang presents us with another dialogue between the illustrious characters where Confucius had been searching high and low for the Dao for 51 years. Yet, he has not yet attained It [14.22]. Lao Dan inquires where Confucius had been seeking The Dao. Confucius says for 5 years he had sought the Dao in astronomical/astrological calculations for 5 years, yet he has still failed to acquire the inarticulate Dao. For 12 years, Confucius sought the Yin and Yang, yet he still has not attained it [14.23-27]. Lao Dan responds wonderfully to Confucius's journey, saying that,

[14.28.1] "Exactly! If the Dao could be presented, who would not present it to his sovereign! If the Dao could be offered, who would not offer it to his parents! If the Dao could be conveyed, who would not convey it to his brothers! If the Dao could be bestowed, who would not bestow it on his sons and grandsons! However, all this is impossible for no other reason than because no master exists within, so it does not linger."

According to Guo Xiang, this means Lao Dan would have Confucius do away entirely with knowledge. Confucius, as he is being presented currently, is looking outward for The Dao, yet he has no master within himself to properly use this knowledge in accord with his natural principle.

Lao Dan says this in 14.28.3-4, "If that which may emerge from within is not received without, the sage does not let it go forth. If that which may enter from without finds no master within, sageness won't abide there." 14.28.3 gives validity to the teacher-student transmission of things. For if no one is there to hear your teaching that arrives spontaneously, in step with Dao and its principles, the teachings do not go forth. And likewise, if we are not present, living radically in the moment while we are (outwardly) learning, true sageness/Dao will not abide within or out of us.

The rest of Confucius and Lao Dan's dialogue concludes that he must do away with those "classics" that I mentioned in my last post. Guo Xiang expands on this, conveying that without us being in accord with our natural principles and finding tranquility from within, everything we learn and know is fodder. It does nothing but estrange us from the speechless Dao. Although the pursuit of knowledge is indeed fulfilling, without us being radically in the moment while we are being presented with "learning" or "knowledge," how can it abide within us and, ergo, fulfill our virtue?

So now we are jumping back to chapter 16. This is quite a curious chapter, meaning it slightly shifts its perspective on knowledge. 16.1.2 tells us, "Having confused their desires with conventional wisdom, they now seek to perfect their understanding through self-conscious thought." This is too mean that we have confused our innate principle with the literal desire to attain knowledge, for knowledge's sake, self-consciously self-reflecting on said knowledge, forever refining our thinking; forever causing us to err. Master Zhuang calls these people the obstructed and obscure [16.1.3]. Guo Xiang expounds on this by suggesting only if we abandon such conventional wisdom and rid ourselves of the desire to attain such wisdom we would be so close to this ineffable Dao.

We must find that "master" within us, as suggested in Chapter 14.28.1, for knowledge to truly benefit us and aid our arsenal to cultivate the Dao. Without it, our nature is lost, and knowledge is thus agitated. This is why in 16.2.1, we are told, "In antiquity those who governed with the Dao cultivated knowledge in tranquility." And again, in 16.2.2, "They knew how to live but were free of knowing how to act with self-conscious purpose, so it may be said of them that they used knowledge to cultivate tranquility." I take this to mean, with the help of Guo Xiang, we just must spontaneously know. Knowledge is something that we must cultivate, there is no question about it. Setting aside religion and philosophy for a second and just using logic, we know that learning and knowledge are fundamental parts of the human experience. We constantly learn daily, whether we are fully aware of it or not. And that, right there, is the point, our awareness of the mass cultivation of knowledge we experience in an ever-globalized world. We are more connected and can access knowledge at the click of a button or a few strokes on a keyboard. Without us being presently aware, living radically in the moment of the knowledge we absorb, the knowledge is agitated, and our natures are obstructed.

Knowledge must nourish our souls and our innate principles. The same is said in reverse, our "master within" or our innate principle must be acted in accordance with the knowledge we receive. This knowledge "used to cultivate tranquility" sounds awfully like gnosis as described in more Western schools of thought, such as Hermeticism. But before we get into that, I must say how important it is to first become tranquil, meaning mastering our inner selves, which could mean becoming more disciplined, doing away with our self-preconceived notions of "this is" and "this is not" and thus, having a complete disregard for knowledge before we embark on any kind of "knowledge" or gnosis. Our tranquility must nourish the knowledge we receive outwardly; likewise, the knowledge we take in must nourish our inner selves.

Okay, enough redundancy. How does this "knowledge used to cultivate tranquility" compare to gnosis? Let's look at Corpus Hermeticum book IV.9: "Thus knowledge is not a beginning of the Good, but it furnishes us the beginning of the Good that will be known... For the Good has neither shape nor outline." Now, Hermeticism is big on "knowledge" or gnosis, which can be defined as the "highest" form of knowledge there is. This knowledge pertains to the Good who is God (The One) and other incorporeal entities such as the gods. It is not something that can be necessarily be "cultivated," in my opinion, but rather experienced. This is not all too different from chapter 16 from Zhuangzi's description of cultivating knowledge to nourish our tranquility and vice-versa [16.2.2]. Gnosis, knowledge, or whatever kind of "learning" is never the beginning of the Good, or of the Dao, but it does indeed furnish us to begin to know the road that leads to the Good, or the Dao.

CH IV.11 then tells us, "If your vision of it (The Good) is sharp and you understand it with the eyes of the heart, believe me, child, you shall discover the road that leads above, or rather, the image itself will show you the way. This sentiment rings back in chapter 14 of the Zhuangzi when we discussed finding "the master within" [14.28.3-4]. To "understand it with the eyes of the heart" sounds similar to having a "master exist within."

So to wrap this up, knowledge is okay to cultivate. Knowledge is okay to pursue. Knowledge is something we should strive for. If and only if, we use said knowledge to cultivate our virtue, our tranquility, and our innate principles. We must be in step with our inner selves first and foremost before any pursuit of knowledge or gnosis can have any real, practical effect in our lives. In Hermetic terms, we must use gnosis to furnish our road to The Good which belongs only to the Godhead. Any other knowledge that employs the use of logos, or speech (the conventional wisdom as mentioned above in Zhuangzi 16.1.1), will be fodder in comparison to the gnosis that is experienced and used to furnish our road and the ineffable Good, that is God.

**DISCLAIMER** Any philosophical parallels I draw between Eastern and Western schools of thought are for my own understanding. These parallels, as vague as they might seem, are not to suggest that there is any metaphysical or historical connection or of any historical transmission of ideas between said Eastern (Daoism) and Western schools (Hermeticism). I draw these parallels to remind myself that ideas and philosophical concepts can have similar sentiments, even though the cultivation of each thing (the Dao, and the Good) are gone about in different ways, practice-wise.

[julieterbang]

[sevengraces7777]

[rajanjolly]

Chinese Malatang Stir Fry Recipe | Mala Xiang Guo | Chinese Street Food

[shanelim080]

Looking for the best Mala Xiang Guo in Geylang? then visit Zhang Liang Mala Tang 张亮麻辣烫 @ PLQ Mall. They have the best Chinese food in Geylang.