CHAPTER XXVIII. Taoist Untruths (Tao-hsil).
In the books of the Literati it is stated that 1 Huang Ti exploited the copper mines of Mount Shou, 2 and out of the ore
cast tripods at the foot of the Ching Mountain. 3 When the tripods
were completed, a dragon with a long beard came down, and went
to meet Huang Ti. Huang Ti mounted the dragon. His whole suite
including the harem, over seventy persons in all, mounted together
with him, whereupon the dragon ascended. The remaining smaller
officials, who could not find a seat on the dragon, all got hold of
the dragon's beard, which they pulled out. Huang Ti's bow fell
down. The people gazed after him, until he disappeared in the sky.
Then they hugged his bow, and the dragon's beard, and moaned.
Therefore later ages named the place Ting-hu (Tripod Lake) 4 and
the bow of the emperor Wu-hao (Raven's Cry). 5
The Grand Annalist in his eulogy on the Five Emperors 6 also
says that having performed the hill-sacrifice Huang Ti disappeared
as a genius, and that his followers paid their respect to his garments
and cap, and afterwards buried them.7 I say that this is not true.
1 The following story is taken from the Shi-chi, chap. 28, p. 28 v., where an
official relates it to Han Wu Ti. Cf. Chavannes, Mém. Hist. Vol. III, p. 488.
2 In Shansi Province, near P'u-chou-fu.
3 This mountain lies in Shansi, near Hsi-an-fu.
4 The context requires 鼎胡. " Tripod beard," but we read 湖 instead
of 胡. a place, called 鼎湖 "Tripod lake" actually exists in Honan (Playfair
Cities and Towns No. 7329). This name has perhaps been the origin of the legend,
as Wang Ch'ung suggests (cf. above p. 322). In ancient times only the phonetic part
of a character was often written, and the radical left out. Thus 胡 could stand
for鬍 "beard" as well as for 湖 "lake." Our text has 胡髯 the "beard."
5 Some commentators hold that the name Wu-hao 乌号 = Raven's Cry
refers to the lament of the people, others that it was the name of a tree well fit
for the fabrication of bows.
6 Huang Ti, Chuan Hsü, K'u, Yao, and Shun. According to other writers
the Five Emperors are: — T'ai Hao, Yen Ti, Huang Ti, Shao Hao, and Chuan Hsü.
7 Shi-chi chap. 28, p. 30 v. When Ch'in Shih Huang Ti had sacrificed on the
tomb of Huang Ti upon Mount Chiao, he asked, how Huang Ti could be an immortal,
and yet be buried there. Then somebody replied that Huang Ti had ascended to
heaven as a genius, and that only his garments and cap were left and interred.
Taoist Untruths. 333
What does Huang Ti really mean? Is it an appellative or a
posthumous title? Being a posthumous title it must be some praise
bestowed upon him by his subjects, for this kind of title is a glorification of what the deceased has done during his life-time. Huang
Ti was a votary of Tao,1 and subsequently, as they say, rose to
Heaven. If his subjects wanted to honour him, they ought not to
have styled him Huang, but ought to have given him a title implying his ascension as an immortal.
According to the rules for honorary titles the pacification of
the people would be called Huang, which means that he who is
styled so kept the people at peace, 2 but the word does not denote
the acquisition of Tao. Among the many emperors those given to
arts and literature were called Wên i. e. Scholarly, those fond of
War Wu i. e. Warriors. Both designations had their real basis.
They served to exhort others to do the like.
If at the time of Huang Ti posthumous titles were not yet
given according to qualities, of what generation were those who
first called him Huang Ti? Huang Ti's own subjects must have known
their prince, and later generations could trace his doings. Although
our doubts about the existence of appellatives and posthumous titles
at Huang Ti's time may not be set at rest, at all events it is evident
that Huang cannot mean an Immortal who rose to Heaven.
A dragon does not rise to Heaven. If Huang Ti rode on a
dragon, it is clear that he could not have ascended to Heaven
either. When a dragon rises, clouds and rain appear simultaneously
and carry it along. As soon as the clouds disperse, and the rain
stops, the dragon comes down again, and re-enters its pond. Should
Huang Ti really have ridden on a dragon, he would afterwards
have been drowned with the dragon in the pond.
Huang Ti was interred in the Chiao Mountain,3 and still they
say that his officials buried his garments and cap. If he actually
went up to Heaven on a dragon, his garments and cap cannot have
separated from his body, and if he became a genius after the hill
sacrifice and vanished, he cannot have left his garments and cap
1 The fundamental principle of Taoism. The Taoists have always claimed
Huang Ti as one of theirs. Hence the legend of his ascension to heaven.
2 This seems to me a fancy etymology. Huang is " yellow," but never
means " to pacify." The " Yellow Emperor " was called yellow from the colour of
the earth, over which he ruled. Thus the name is generally explained, whether
correctly is doubtful.
3 Some say that this mountain is situated in the province of Kansu, others
more eastward in the province of Shensi. Vid Shi-chi chap. 1, p. 8.
334 Lun-hêng: C. Physical.
behind either. Did Hung Ti really become a genius, who could
not die, but rose to Heaven, his officers and people must have seen
it with their own eyes. Having thus witnessed his ascension to
Heaven, they decidedly knew that he did not die. Now, to bury
the garments and cap of somebody, who did not die, would have
been, as if he had died. Such a thing would not have been in
accordance with the feelings of the officials, who were aware of
the real state of affairs, and could distinguish between life and death.
It is on record that the seventy-two sovereigns who ascended
Mount T'ai,1 had troubled and toiled, worrying themselves over the
state of the empire. Subsequently their efforts were crowned with
success, and things settled, so that universal peace reigned throughout
the land. When there was universal peace, the whole empire enjoyed harmony and tranquillity. Then they ascended the T'ai-shan,
and performed the hill-sacrifices. Now, the pursuit of Tao and the
struggle for immortality are different from the vexations of official
life and business. He whose thoughts all centre in Tao, forgets
worldly affairs, because to trouble about them would injure his
nature."2 They say that Yao looked dried up and Shun withered.
Their hearts were sorrowful, and their bodies feeble and care-worn.
If Huang Ti brought about universal peace, his appearance must
have been similar to that of Yao and Shun. Since Yao and Shun
did not attain to Tao, it cannot be true that Huang Ti rose to
Heaven.3 If Huang Ti in his pursuit of Tao neglected all worldly
affairs, his mind would have been equanimous, and his body fat
and strong. Then he would have been quite different from Yao and
Shun, and consequently his achievements could not have been the
same. In that case the universe would not have enjoyed universal
peace. Without the universal peace his sacrifice on the mountain
would not have taken place.4
The Five Emperors and Three Rulers were all remarkable for
their wisdom and virtue, Huang Ti not more than the others. If
all the sages became genii, Huang Ti would not be one alone, and
if the sages did not become genii, why should Huang Ti alone be
1 China's most sacred mountain in Shantung.
2 Taoism inculcates contemplation and quietism, and abhors an active life.
3 Only he who possesses Tao, becomes immortal, and can ascend to heaven.
If the model emperors Yao and Shun did not attain to Tao, why should Huang Ti,
provided that he worried as hard as Yao and Shun.
4 The hill-sacrifice, 封禅 was not performed, unless the empire enjoyed
peace, and peace could not be secured without hard work. Hard work precluded
a Taoist life, and without Yao, Huang Ti could not ascend on high.
Taoist Untruths. 335
a genius? People seeing that Huang Ti was very partial to magical
arts, which are practised by genii, surmised that he was a genius.
Moreover, on finding the name of " Ting-Hu " "Tripod beard " 1
they said that Huang Ti exploited the copper of Mount Shou, and
cast it into tripods, and that a dragon with a floating beard came
to meet him. This explanation would be on the same line with
that of the K'uei-chi Mountain. 2 The purport of the name of this
mountain is said to be that the emperor Yü of the Hsia dynasty
on a tour of inspection held a meeting (會) and a review (稽) on
this mountain, whence its name K'uei-chi.3 Yü went to K'uei-chi for
the purpose of regulating the water courses, but not on a tour of
inspection, just as Huang Ti was addicted to magic, but did not
ascend to heaven. There was no such thing like a meeting or a
review, as there was no casting of tripods, nor a dragon with a
long beard. There is a village called Shêng-mu " Vanquish mother."
Does that mean that there was really a son who vanquished his
mother? A city is called Chao-ko "Morning song." Are we to infer
that the inhabitants of that city used to sing, when they rose in
the morning?
The books of the Literati relate that the Prince of Huai-nan 4
in his study of Taoism assembled all the Taoists of the empire,
and humbled the grandeur of a princedom before the expositors of
Taoist fore. Consequently, Taoist scholars flocked to Huai-nan and
vied with each other in exhibiting strange tricks and all kinds of
miracles. Then the prince attained to Tao and rose to heaven with
his whole household. His domestic animals became genii too. His
dogs barked up in the sky, and the cocks crowed in the clouds.
That means that there was such plenty of the drug of immortality,
that dogs and cocks could eat of it, and follow the prince to
Heaven. All who have a fad for Taoism and would learn the art
of immortality believe in this story, but it is not true.
Man is a creature. His rank may be ever so high, even princely
or royal, his nature cannot be different from that of other creatures.
There is no creature but dies. How could man become an im-
1 The text says " Tripod lake.' Cf. above p. 332.
2 會稽 . In the province of Chekiang.
3 This etymology is given by Sse Ma Ch'ien, Shi-chi chap. 2, p. 26.
4 Liu An, Prince of Huai-nan, commonly known as Huai Nan Tse, a Taoist
philosopher and alchemist of the 2nd cent. b.c. He was a prince of the imperial
family of the Han emperors. His principality was situated in Anhui.
336 Lun-hêng: C. Physical.
mortal? Birds having feathers and plumes can fly, but they cannot
rise to Heaven. How should man without feathers and plumes be
able to fly and rise? Were he feathered and winged, he would
only be equal to birds, but he is not; how then should he ascend
to heaven?
Creatures capable of flying and rising, are provided with
feathers and wings, others fast at running, have hoofs and strong
feet. Swift runners cannot fly, and flyers not run. Their bodies
are differently organised according to the fluid they are endowed
with. Now man is a swift runner by nature, therefore he does
not grow feathers or plumes. From the time he is full-grown up
till his old age he never gets them by any miracle. If amongst
the believers in Taoism and the students of the art of immortality
some became feathered and winged, they might eventually fly and
rise after all.
In case the nature of creatures could be changed, it ought to
be possible that metal, wood, water, and fire were also altered.1
Frogs can be changed into quails, and sparrows dive into the water
and become clams.2 It is the upshot of their spontaneous, original
nature, and cannot be attained by the study of Tao. Lest the
Taoists should be put on a level with the aforesaid animals, I say
that, if men could have all the necessary feathers and plumage, they
might ascend to heaven.
Now, the growth and development of creatures is not abrupt,
and its changes are not violent, but gradually brought about. If
the Taoists and students of immortality could first grow feathers
and plumes several inches long, so that they could skim over the
earth, and rise to the terraces of high buildings, one might believe
that they can ascend to heaven. But they do not show that they
are able to fly even a small distance. How can they suddenly
acquire the faculty of flying such a long way through the study of
their miraculous arts without any gradual progress? That such a
great result might be really effected by means of feathers and wings
cannot be ascertained.
The human hair and beard, and the different colours of things,
when young and old, afford another cue. When a plant comes out,
it has a green colour, when it ripens, it looks yellow. As long as
man is young, his hair is black, when he grows old, it turns white.
1 The elements of which the bodies of all creatures are composed cannot be
transformed, therefore those creatures cannot change their nature.
2 These metamorphoses are mentioned in ancient works, and believed by the
Chinese up to the present day. Cf. p. 326.
Taoist Untruths. 337
Yellow is the sign of maturity, white of old age. After a plant
has become yellow, it may be watered and tended ever so much,
it does not become green again. When the hair has turned white,
no eating of drugs nor any care bestowed upon one's nature can
make it black again. Black and green do not come back, how
could age and decrepitude be laid aside?
Yellow and white are like the frying of raw meat, and the
cooking of fresh fish. What has been fried, cannot be caused to
become raw again, and what has been cooked, to become fresh.
Fresh and raw correspond to young and strong, fried and cooked,
to weak and old. Heaven in developing things can keep them
vigorous up till autumn, but not further on till next spring. By
swallowing drugs and nourishing one's nature one may get rid of
sickness, but one cannot prolong one's life, and become an immortal.
Immortals have a light body and strong vital energy, and yet they
cannot rise to heaven. Light and strong though they be, they are
not provided with feathers and wings, and therefore not able to
ascend to heaven.
Heaven and earth are both bodies. As one cannot descend
into the earth, one cannot ascend into heaven. Such being the
case, where would be a road leading up to heaven? Man is not
strong enough to enter and pass through heaven's body. If the
gate of heaven is in the North-west, all people rising to heaven
must pass by the K'un-lun Mountain. The State of Hwai Nan Tse
being situated in the South-east of the earth, he must, if he really
ascended to heaven, first have gone to K'un-lun with all his house-hold, where he would have found an ascent. Provided the Prince
of Huai-nan flew straight across the land to the north-western corner,
flapping his wings, then he must have had feathers and wings.
But since no mention is made of his passing by the K'un-lun, nor
of feathers and wings growing out of his body, the mere assertion
of his ascension cannot be but wrong and untrue.
Liu An, prince of Huai-nan, lived contemporaneously with the
emperor Hsiao Wu Ti.1 His father Liu Chang was banished to Yen-tao2 in Shu 3 for some offence, but died on the road, when he arrived at Yung-chou.4 Liu An, who succeeded him in his princedom,
bore a grudge against the emperor for having caused his father's
1 140-86 B.C.
2 The modern Ya-chou-fu.
3 An old kingdom in Ssechuan.
4 One of the Nine Provinces, into which Yü divided the Empire, comprising
Shensi and Kansu.
3B8 Lun-hêng: C. Physical.
death in exile, and thought of making rebellion. He attracted all
sorts of schemers, and intended great things. Men like Wu Pel filled
his palaces, busy in writing books on the Taoist arts, and publishing
essays on the most miraculous subjects. They were bustling about
and putting their heads together.
In the "Memoir of the Eight Companions " 1 they wished to
prove supernatural forces, as if they had attained to Tao. But they
never reached it, and had no success. Then Huai Nan Tse plotted
a rebellion together with Wu Pei. The scheme was discovered, and
he committed suicide or, as some say, was done to death. Whether
this be the case, or whether he committed suicide is about the
same. But people finding his writings very deep, abstruse, and
mysterious, and believing that the predictions of the " Pa-kung-
chuan" had been fulfilled, divulged the story that he had become
a genius, and went up to heaven, which is not in accordance
with truth.
It is chronicled in the books of the Literati 2 that Lu Ao,3
when wandering near the "Northern Sea,"4 passed the "Great
North," and through the "Dark Gate" 5 entered upon the Mongolean" 6 plateau. There he beheld an individual with deep eyes,
a black nose and the neck of a wild goose. Lifting his shoulders,
he soared up, and rapidly came down again, gamboling and disporting all the time against the wind. When he caught sight of
Lu Ao, he suddenly took down his arms, and sought refuge under
a rock. Lu Ao saw him there resting on the back of a tortoise
and eating an oyster.
Lu Ao accosted him saying, " Sir, I believe that, because I
have given up what the world desires, separating from my kindred
and leaving my home, in order to explore what is outside of the
six cardinal points,7 you will condemn me. I began travelling in
my youth. When I had grown up, I did not care for the ordinary
1 The eight principal Taoist associates of" Huai A cm Tse, one of which was
Wei Fu.
2 The following story is taken from Huai Nan Tse.
3 A traveller of the 3rd cent. b.c.
4 This expression can mean the Gobi.
5 The " Great North " and the " Dark Gate " are Taoist fancy names.
6 It is interesting to note the name Mongol 蒙毂 here. The last character
is written 古 now. The Mongols were already known to the Chinese under their
actual name in the second century b.c, when they were living in the north of China.
7 To wit the four quarters, above and below.
Taoist Untruths. 339
duties of man, but managed to travel about. Of the four poles
the " Greath North " is the only one which I have not yet seen.
Now unexpectedly I find you here, Sir. Shall we not become
friends?"
The stranger burst out laughing and said, " Why, you are a
Chinaman. You ought not to come as far as this. Yet sun and
moon are still shining here. There are all the stars, the four
seasons alternate, and the Yin and the Yang are still at work. Compared to the " Nameless Region " this is only like a small hill.
I travel south over the " Weary Waste," and halt north in the
" Hidden Village." I proceed west to the " Obscure Hamlet," and
pass east through the " Place of Dimness." There is no earth
beneath, and no heaven above. Listening one does not hear, and
to the looker-on the objects flit away from sight. Beyond that
region there is still shape. Where that ends, one advances ten
million Li by making one step. I could not yet get there. You,
Sir, reached only this place in your travels, but speak of exploring.
Is not that an exaggeration? But, please, remain. I have to meet
Han Man1 on the ninth heaven, 2 and cannot stay longer." — The
stranger then raised his arms, gave his body a jerk, and off he
went into the clouds.
Lu Ao stared after him, until he became invisible. His heart
was full of endless joy, and at the same time he was grieved, as
though he had lost somebody. " Compared with you, my master,
said he, I am nothing more than an earth-worm is to a wild goose.
Crawling the whole day, I do not advance more than some feet,
but myself consider it far. It is pitiable indeed." —
Such as Lu Ao held that dragons alone have no wings, and
when they rise, ride on the clouds. Had Lu Ao said that the
stranger had wings, his words might be credible. But he did not
speak of wings, how could the other then ascend to the clouds?
Those creatures which with agility rise into the clouds, do
not take human food or human drink. The dragon's food is different
from that of snakes, hence its movements are not the same as
those of snakes. One hears that the Taoists drink an elixir made
of gold and gems and eat the flowers of the purple boletus. These
extremely fine stuffs make their bodies light, so that they become
spirits and genii. The stranger ate the flesh of an oyster. Such
is the food of ordinary people, by no means fine, or rendering the
1 This is probably the name of a genius.
2 According to the belief of the Taoists there are nine superposed stages or
spheres of the heavens.
340 Lun-Hêng: C. Physical.
body light. How could lie then have given himself a jerk and
ascended to heaven?
I have heard that those who teed on air do not take solid
food, and that the latter do not eat air. The above mentioned
stranger ate something substantial. Since he did not live on air,
he could not be so light, that he might have risen on high.
May be that Lu Ao studying Tao and trying hard to become
an immortal, travelled to the Northern Sea. Having left human
society, and gone far away, he felt that he did not succeed
in acquiring Tao. He was ashamed and afraid, lest his fellow-
countrymen should criticize him. Knowing that things would certainly turn out so, that every body would reproach him, he invented
the extravagant stories. He said that he met with a stranger.
The meaning of the whole story is that his efforts to become immortal were not successful, and that time had not yet come.
In the case of Liu An, Prince of Huai-nan, who suffered death
as a punishment of rebellion, all people heard of it, and at that
time saw it, and yet the books of the Literati say that he obtained
Tao, and disappeared as a genius, and that his cocks and dogs
went up to heaven also. We cannot be surprised then that Lu Ao,
who alone went to a far-off country, leaving no trace, should speak
obscure and mysterious words. His case is similar to that of Hsiang
Man Tu 1 of P'u-fan 2 in Ho-tung. 3
Hsiang Man Tu was a follower of Tao and a student of spiritism. He abandoned his family, and went away. When after three
years absence he came back, his people asked him, what had happened to him. Hsiang Man Tu replied "I have no clear recollection
of my departure, but I suddenly found myself as if lying down.
Several genii appeared, who took me up to heaven, until we were
at some few Li's distance from the moon. I saw that above and
beneath the moon all was dark, so that I could not distinguish
East and West. Where we stopped near the moon, it was bitter
cold. I felt hungry, and wished to eat, when a genius gave me
a cupful of morning-red to drink. After having taken one cup, one
does not feel hunger for several months. I do not know, how many
years or months I stayed there, nor what fault I committed, for suddenly I found myself asleep again, and brought down to this place."
1 In the " Water Classic " 水经注 Hsiang Man Tu 项曼都 is called
Hsiang Ning Tu 项宁都.
2 The modern P'u-chou-fu in Skansi.
3 A circuit comprising the southern part of Shansi.
Taoist Untruths. S41
The Ho-tung people gave him the surname of " Fallen Angel."
But dealing thoroughly with the subject, we find that this story
is impossible. If Hsiang Man Tu could rise to heaven, he must
have become a genius. How could he return after three years' time?
If a man leaves his kindred, and ascends to heaven, his vital fluid
and his body must have undergone a change. Now, all creatures
that have been metamorphosed, do not return to their previous
state. When a chrysalis has changed into a cricket, and received
its wings, it cannot be transmuted into a chrysalis again. All
creatures that fly up, have wings. When they fly up, and come
down again, their wings are still there as before. Had Hsiang Man
Tu's body had wings, his tale might be reliable, but since it had
not, his talk is futile and not more trustworthy than Lu Ao's.
Perhaps it was known at his time that Hsiang Man Tu was
a fervent believer in Tao, who stealthily left his home, and wandered
about in distant lands. At last, when he achieved nothing, and
felt his strength exhausted, and his hope gone, he stealthily returned home, but being ashamed, if he had nothing to say, he
told the story of his ascension to heaven, intimating thereby that
Tao could be learned, and that there really were genii, and that
he himself was degraded for some fault, after having reached the
goal, first rising to heaven, and then coming down again.
The books of the Literati contain the statement that the king
of Chi being dangerously ill, a messenger was sent to Sung to fetch
Wên Chih.1 When he arrived and saw the king's sickness he said
to the heir-apparent: "The king's illness can certainly be cured,
but when it has been, the king is sure to kill me."
The heir-apparent inquired what for, Wên Chih replied, "With-
out anger the king's illness cannot be cured, but when the king
gets angry, my death is certain."
The heir-apparent bowed his head, and entreated him saying,
" Should you cure the king's sickness, myself and my mother are
going to forcibly restrain the king at the cost of our lives. The
king will certainly please my mother. We are wishing that you,
master, shall have no trouble."
Wên Chih gave his consent and said that he was prepared to
die. The king with his eldest son fixed a time. Thrice the physician
1 A famous doctor, who cannot have lived later than the 4th cent. B.C., for
he is mentioned in Lieh Tse.
342 Lun-hêng: C. Physical.
was expected, but did not come so, that the king of Ch'i was
already very angry. When he came at last, he did not put on
his shoes, but walked upon the bed and tread upon the sheets.
He asked the king about his sickness, but the king was so furious,
that he did not speak with him. Then he said something which
but aggravated the king's wrath. The kins abused him, and rose
up, and his disease was gone. He was so enraged and so little
pleased, that he wished to boil Wên Chih alive.1 The heir-apparent
and the queen forthwith interfered, but could obtain nothing. Wên
Chih was actually boiled alive in a cauldron: After three days' and
three night's cooking, his appearance had not yet changed. Wên
Chih said, " If one really is anxious to kill me, why does one not
put on the lid to intercept the Yin and the Yang fluids."
The king had the lid put on, whereupon Wên Chih died.
Wên Chih was a Taoist, in water he was not drowned, and in fire
he did not burn.2 Hence he could remain three days and three
nights in the kettle without changing colour.
This is idle talk. Wên Chih was boiled three days and nights
without changing colour. If then only in consequence of the lid
being put on he was choked and died, this proves that he was
not in possession of Tao. All living and breathing creatures die,
when deprived of air. When they are dead and boiled, they
become soft. If living and breathing creatures are placed in vessels
with a lid on, having all their fissures carefully filled, so that the
air cannot circulate, and their breath cannot pass, they die instantaneously. Thrown into a kettle with boiling water, they are also
cooked soft. Why? Because they all have the same kind of body,
the same breath, are endowed by heaven with a similar nature,
and all belong to one class. If Wên Chih did not breathe, he would
have been like a piece of metal or stone, and even in boiling water
not be cooked soft. Now he was breathing, therefore, when cooked,
he could not but die.
If Wên Chih could speak, he must have given sounds, which
require breathing. Breathing is closely connected with the vital
force, which resides in bones and flesh. Beings of bones and flesh
being cooked, die. To deny that is the first untruth.
Provided that Wên Chih could be cooked without dying, he
was a perfect Taoist, similar to metal or stone. To metal or stone
it makes no difference, whether a lid be put on, or not. There-
1 A parallel passage of this story occurs in the Lü-shih-ch'un-ch'iu.
2 That is what the Taoists say of themselves.
Taoist Untruths, 343
fore, to say that Wen Chili died, when the lid was put on, is a
second untruth.
Put a man into cold water, which is not hot like boiling
water, and he will die for want of breath after a short interval,
his nose and mouth being shut out from the outer air. Submerged
in cold water, a man cannot remain alive, how much less in bubbling, boiling water, in the midst of a violent fire? To say that
Wên Chih survived in the boiling water is a third untruth.
When a man is submerged in water, so that his mouth is not
visible outside, the sound of what he says is inaudible. When
Wên Chih was cooked, his body was certainly submerged in the
kettle, and his mouth invisible. Under those circumstances one
could not hear, what he said. That Wên Chih should have spoken
is the fourth untruth.
Had a man who after three days' and three nights' cooking
died, not changed colour, even ignorant people would have been
amazed. If the king of Ch'i was not surprised, the heir-apparent and
his ministers should have noticed this wonderful fact. In their
astonishment at Wên Chih they would have prayed that he be taken
out, granted high honours, and be venerated as a master, from
whom one might learn more about Tao. Now three days and three
nights are mentioned, but nothing is said about the officials asking
for his release. That is the fifth untruth.
At that time it was perhaps known that Wên Chih was actually
cooked, and that his death was caused by it. People noticing
that he was a Taoist, invented the story that he lived a subtle
life, and did not die, just as Huang Ti really died, whereas the
reports say that he rose to heaven, and as the prince of Huai-nan
suffered the punishment of rebellion, whilst the books say that he
entered a new life. There are those who like to spread false
reports. Hence the story of Wen Chih has been propagated until now.
There are no instances of any one having obtained Tao, but
there have been very long-lived persons. People remarking that
those persons, while studying Tao and the art of immortality, be-
come over a hundred years old without dying, call them immortals,
as the following example will show.
At the time of Han Wu Ti 1 there lived a certain Li Shao Chün.
who. pretended that by sacrificing to the "Hearth '" and abstaining
from eating grain he could ward off old age. He saw the emperor,
who conferred high honours upon him. Li Shao Chün kept his age
1 140-85 B.C.
344 Lun-hêng: C. Physical.
and the place where he was born and had grown up secret, always
saying that he was seventy old, and could effect that things did
not grow old. On his journeys he visited all the princes around,
and was not married. On hearing that he could manage that things
did not age, people presented him with much richer gifts than they
would otherwise have done. He had always money, gold, dresses,
and food in abundance. As people believed that he did not do
any business, and was yet richly provided with everything, and
as nobody knew, what sort of a man he really was, there was a
general competition in offering him services.
Li Shao Chün knew some clever manoeuvres and some fine
tricks, which did not fail to produce a wonderful effect. He used
to feast with the Marquis of Wu-an. 1 In the hall there was a man
of over 90 years. Li Shao Chün indicated to him the places which
his grand-father frequented, when shooting. The old man knew
them, having visited them as a child with his father. The whole
audience was bewildered.
When Li Shao Chün saw the emperor, the emperor had an
old bronze vase, about which he asked him. Li Shao Chün replied
that in the 15th year 2 of the reign of Duke Huan of Ch'i 3 it was
placed in the Po-chin hall. The inscription was examined, and it
was found out that it was indeed a vessel of Duke Huan of Ch'i.
The whole Court was startled, and thought that Li Shao Chün was
several hundred years old.4 After a long time he died of sickness.
Those who now-a-days are credited with the possession of
Tao are men like Li Shao Chün. He died amongst men. His body
was seen, and one knew, therefore, that his nature had been longevous. Had he dwelt in mountain-forests or gone into deserts,
leaving no trace behind him, he would have died a solitary death
of sickness amidst high rocks. His corpse would have been food
for tigers, wolves, and foxes, but the world would again have believed him to have disappeared as a real immortal.
The ordinary students of Tao have not Li Shao Chün's age.
Before reaching a hundred years they die like all the others. Yet
uncultured and ignorant people still hold that they are separated
from their bodies, and vanish, and that, as a matter of fact, they
do not die.
1 A district in Uonan. The name of the Marquis was T'ien Fên.
2 The Shih-chi says the tenth year.
3 Duke Huan of Ch'i reigned from 683-641 b.c. The 15th year of his reign
was 669.
4 This story of Li Shao Chün is quoted from the Shi-chi chap. 28, p. 21.
Taoist Untruths. 345
What is understood by separation from the body? Does it
mean that the body dies, and the spirit disappears? Or that the
body does not die, but drops its coil? If one says that the body
dies, and the spirit is lost, there is no difference from death, and
every one is a genius. And if one believes that the body does not
die, but throws off its coil, one must admit that the bones and
the flesh of all the deceased Taoists are intact and in no wise
different from the corpses of ordinary mortals.
When the cricket leaves its chrysalis, the tortoise drops its
shell, the snake its skin, and the stag its horns, in short, when
the horned and skinned animals lose their outward cover, retaining
only their flesh and bones, one might speak of the separation from
the body. But even if the body of a dead Taoist were similar to
a chrysalis, one could not use this expression, because, when the
cricket leaves the chrysalis, it cannot be considered as a spirit with
regard to the chrysalis. Now to call it a separation from the body,
when there is not even a similarity with the chrysalis, would again
be an unfounded assertion missing the truth.
The Grand Annalist was a contemporary of Li Shao Chün.
Although he was not amongst those who came near to Li Shao
Chün's body, when he had expired, he was in a position to learn
the truth. If he really did not die, but only parted with his body,
the Grand Annalist ought to have put it on record, and would not
have given the place of his death.
The reference to the youth of the nonagenarian in the court
would prove Li Shao Chün's age. Perhaps he was fourteen or fifteen years old, when the old man accompanied his grandfather as
a boy. Why should Li Shao Chün not know this, if he lived
200 years? 1
Wu Ti's time is very far from Duke Huan, when the bronze
vase was cast, 2 and Li Shao Chün cannot have seen it. Perhaps
he heard once that in the palace there was an old vessel, or he
examined the inscription beforehand to speak upon it, so that he
was well-informed, when he saw it again. When our amateurs of
to-day see an old sword or an antique crooked blade, they generally know where to place it. Does that imply that they saw, how
it was wrought?
1 Why 200 years? Li Shao Chün would have known the nonagenarian's
grandfather, if he was about ninety years old himself.
2 The interval is upwards of 500 years.
346 Lun-Hêng: C. Physical.
Tung Fang So is said to have also been possessed of Tao. His
name was Chin, his style Man Ch'ien, but he changed his names
and for a time took office with the Han dynasty. Outwardly he
was considered an official, but inwardly he passed to another
existence.
This is wrong too. Tung Fang So lived together with Li
Shao Chün under the reign of Wu Ti, and must have been known
to the Grand Annalist. Li Shao Chün taught Tao and a method
to keep off old age by means of sacrificing to the " Hearth." He
determined the period of a tripod cast under Duke Huan of Ch'i,
and knew the places frequented, when hunting, by the grandfather
of a nonagenarian, and yet he did not really attain to Tao. He
was only a long-lived man, who died late. Moreover, Tung Fang
So was not as successful as Li Shao Chün in magical arts, where-
fore then was he credited with the possession of Tao? Under Wu
Ti there were the Taoists Wên Ch'êng and Wu Li and others of the
same type, who went on sea in search of the genii and to find the
physic of immortality. Because they evidently knew the Taoist
arts, they were trusted by the Emperor. Tung Fang So undertook
no mission on sea, nor did he do anything miraculous. If he had
done, he would only have been a man like Li Shao Chün or on a
level with Wên Ch' eng and Wu Li. Nevertheless he had the chance
to be credited with the possession of Tao. He again resembled
Li Shao Chün, insomuch as he made a secret of his birth place,
and the courtiers did not know his origin. He exaggerated his
age. People finding that he looked rather strong and young and
was of phlegmatic temper, that he did not care much for his office,
but was well versed in divination, guessing, and other interesting
plays, called him therefore a man possessed of Tao.
There is a belief that by the doctrine of Lao Tse one can
transcend into another existence. Through quietism and dispassionateness one nourishes the vital force, and cherishes the spirit. The
length of life is based on the animal spirits. As long as they are
unimpaired, life goes on, and there is no death. Lao Tse acted
upon this principle. Having done so for over a hundred years, he
passed into another existence, and became a true Taoist sage.
Who can be more quiet and have less desires than birds and
animals? But birds and animals likewise age and die. However,
we will not speak of birds and animals, the passions of which are
Taoist Untruths. 347
similar to the human. But which are the passions of plants and
shrubs, that they are born in spring, and die in autumn? They
are dispassionate, and their lives do not extend further than one
year. Men are full of passions and desires, and yet they can become a hundred years old. Thus the dispassionate die prematurely,
and the passionate live long. Hence Lao Tse's theory to prolong
life and enter a new existence by means of quietism and absence
of desires is wrong.
Lao Tse was like Li Shao Chün. He practised his theory of
quietism, and his life happened to be long of itself. But people
seeing this, and hearing of his quietism, thought that by his art
he passed into another existence.
The idea prevails that those who abstain from eating grain,
are men well versed in the art of Tao. They say e. g. that Wang
Tse Ch'iao 1 and the like, because they did not touch grain, and
lived on different food than ordinary people, had not the same
length of life as ordinary people, in so far as having passed a
hundred years, they transcended into another state of being, and became immortals.
That is another mistake. Eating; and drinking; are natural
impulses, with which we are endowed at birth. Hence the upper
part of the body has a mouth and teeth, the inferior part orifices.
With the mouth and teeth one chews and eats, the orifices are for
the discharge. Keeping in accord with one's nature, one follows
the law of heaven, going against it, one violates one's natural propensities, and neglects one's natural spirit before heaven. How can
one obtain long life in this way?
If Wang Tse Ch'iao had got no mouth, teeth, or orifices at
birth, his nature would have been different from that of others.
Even then one could hardly speak of long life. Now, the body
is the same, only the deeds being different. To say that in this
way one can transcend into another existence is not warranted by
human nature.
For a man not to eat is like not clothing the body. Clothes
keep the skin warm, and food fills the stomach. With a warm
epidermis and a well-filled belly the animal spirits are bright and
exalted. If one is hungry, and has nothing to eat, or feels cold,
and has nothing to warm one's self, one may freeze or starve to
death. How can frozen and starved people live longer than others?
1 A magician of the 6th cent, b.c, son of King Ling of the Chou dynasty.
He is reported to have been seen riding on a white crane through the air as an
immortal.
348 Lun-hêng: C. Physical.
Moreover, during his life man draws his vital force from food,
just as plants and trees do from earth. Pull out the roots of a
plant or a tree, and separate them from the soil, and the plant
will wither, and soon die. Shut a man's mouth, so that he cannot
eat, and he will starve, but not be long-lived.
The Taoists exalting each other's power assert that the " pure
man " eats the fluid, that the fluid is his food. Wherefore the
books say that the fluid-eaters live long, and do not die, that,
although they do not feed on cereals, they become fat and strong
by the fluid.
This too is erroneous. What kind of fluid is understood by
fluid? If the fluid of the Yin and the Yang be meant, this fluid
cannot satiate people. They may inhale this fluid, so that it fills
their belly and bowels, yet they cannot feel satiated. If the fluid
inherent in medicine be meant, man may use and eat a case full of
dry drugs, or swallow some ten pills. But the effects of medicine
are very strong. They cause great pain in the chest, but cannot
feed a man. The meaning must certainly be that the fluid-eaters
breathe, inhaling and exhaling, emitting the old air and taking in
the new. Of old, P'êng Tsu 1 used to practise this. Nevertheless
he could not live indefinitely, but died of sickness.
Many Taoists hold that by regulating one's breath one can
nourish one's nature, pass into another state of being, and become
immortal. Their idea is that, if the blood vessels in the body be
not always in motion, expanding and contracting, an obstruction
ensues. There being no free passage, constipation is the consequence, which causes sickness and death.
This is likewise without any foundation. Man's body is like
that of plants and trees. Plants and trees growing on the summits
of high mountains, where they are exposed to the squalls of wind,
are moved day and night, but do they surpass those that are
hidden in mountain valleys and sheltered from wind?
1 The Chinese Methusaleh, who is believed to have lived over 800 years,
and to have been a great grandson of the legendary Emperor Chuan Hsü 2514 B.C.
Taoist Untruths. 849
When plants and trees, while growing, are violently shaken,
they are injured, and pine away. Why then should man by
drawing his breath and moving his body gain a long life and not
die? The blood arteries traverse the body, as streams and rivers
flow through the land. While thus flowing, the latter lose their
limpidity, and become turbid. When the blood is moved, it becomes agitated also, which causes uneasiness. Uneasiness is like
the hardships man has to endure without remedy. How can that
be conducive to a long life?
The Taoists sometimes use medicines with a view to rendering
their bodies more supple and their vital force stronger, hoping
thus to prolong their years and to enter a new existence.
This is a deception likewise. There are many examples that
by the use of medicines the body grew more supple and the vital
force stronger, but the world affords no instance of the prolongation
of life and a new existence following.
The different physics cure all sorts of diseases. When they
have been cured, the vital force is restored, and then the body
becomes supple again. According to man's original nature his body
is supple of itself, and his vital force lasts long of its own accord.
But by exposure to wind and wetness he falls a victim to hundreds
of diseases, whence his body becomes heavy and stiff, and his force
is weakened. By taking an efficacious remedy he restores his body
and the vital force. This force is not small at the outset, or the
body heavy, and it is not by medicine that the force lasts long,
or the body grows supple and light. When first received,^ they
already possess those qualities spontaneously. Therefore, when by
medicines the various diseases are dispelled, the body made supple,
and the vital force prolonged, they merely return to their original
state, but it is impossible to add to the number of years, let alone
the transition into another existence.
Of all the beings with blood in their veins there are none
but are born, and of those endowed with life there are none but
die. From the fact that they were born, one knows that they
must die. Heaven and Earth were not born, therefore they do
not die. The Yin and the Yang were not born, therefore they do
not die. Death is the correlate of birth, and birth the counterpart of death. That which has a beginning, must have an end,
and that which has an end, must necessarily" have had a beginning.
1 Viz. received by man at his birth, when Heaven endows him with a body
and the vital fluid.
350 Lun-hêng: C. Physical.
Only what is without beginning or end, lives for ever and
never dies. 1
Human life is like water. Water frozen gives ice, and the
vital force concentrated forms the human being. Ice lasts one
winter, then it melts, man lives a hundred years, than he dies.
Bid a man not to die, can you bid ice not to melt? All those
who study the art of immortality and trust that there are means,
by which one does not die, must fail as sure, as one cannot cause
ice never to melt.
1 This the Taoists say of their fundamental principle. " Tao is without
beginning, without end," says Chuang Tse chap. 17, p. 13, and thus the Taoists
which have become one with Tao, are immortal.