‘Following along with things’ in different ways Zhuangzi’s thoughts on how to manage external affairs

ABSTRACT

What underlies Zhuangzi’s thought is the fundamental finitude of the self, meaning that we cannot and should not alter or control things around us at whim or solely in our favour. Consequently, Zhuangzi recommends that we remain open to things instead of going against them, leading to a fulfilled life. This article discusses Zhuangzi’s underlying philosophy of openness, noting that he proposes two different strategies to do so with a distinction between the natural and the human. The former primarily appears in Zhuangzi’s discussions of life and death. To overcome the fear of death, Zhuangzi calls on us to see it in the light of the ‘heavenly patterns’ or processes that can be grasped through the circularity of life and death. Yet, this picture reveals only half of Zhuangzi’s thoughts—he also shares his wisdom on how to address human affairs that are barely discernable or absent in such patterns. Here, Zhuangzi urges us to apply a different strategy: closely and attentively sensing the situations and their vicissitudes and preparing our actions as per such (shifting) data.

KEYWORDS:

• Circularity
• inevitability
• observation
• adaptability
• attentiveness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Apart from the first seven chapters, the so-called ‘inner chapters’ (neibian) that are generally attributed to Zhuangzi, the ‘outer’ and ‘miscellaneous’ chapters (waibian; zabian) are believed to have been written by his disciples and later followers. That said, this philological issue is not this study’s concern. I freely adopt the inner chapters and any relevant passages from the other chapters based on the assumption that the entire Zhuangzi constitutes a coherent text. For further detail on the authorship of the Zhuangzi, see Guan (1962), Graham (1989), Liu (1993), and Graham and Roth (2003).

2. As for the English-language translation of the Zhuangzi, I cite Zhuangzi and Watson (2013), with some revisions to the translations following my interpretations.

3. On the diverse interpretations of the line, see Zhuangzi and Watson (2013, p.21).

4. It is also the reason why Zhuangzi is highly critical of any ‘shamanist’ (c. wu) or religious rituals and practices as they help bolster people’s ‘wishful’ thinking of transcending the Way. See Puett (2003).