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THE TEXTS OF TÂOISM.
CH. III.
but rather retrograded, and is represented by the still more degenerate Tâoism of the present day.
There is a short parabolic story of Kwang-zze, intended to represent the antagonism between Taoism and knowledge, which has always struck me as curious. The last paragraph of his seventh Book is this :—'The Ruler (or god Tî) of the Southern Ocean was Shu (that is, Heedless); the Ruler of the Northern Ocean was Hû (that is, Hasty); and the Ruler of the Centre was Hwun-tun (that is, Chaos). Shů and Hû were continually meeting in the land of Hwun-tun, who treated them very well. They consulted together how they might repay his kindness, and said, “Men have all seven orifices for the purposes of seeing, hearing, eating, and breathing, while this (poor) Ruler alone has not one. Let us try and make them for him.” Accordingly they dug one orifice in him every day; and at the end of seven days Chaos died.'
So it was that Chaos passed away before Light. So did the nameless Simplicity of the Tâo disappear before Knowledge. But it was better that the Chaos should give place to the Kosmos. 'Heedless' and 'Hasty'did a good deed.
9. I have thus set forth eight characteristics of the Tâoistic system, having respect mostly to what is peculiar and mystical in it. I will now conclude my exhibition of it by The practical bringing together under one head the praclessons of tical lessons of its author for men individually,
Lâo-zze. and for the administration of government. The praise of whatever excellence these possess belongs to Lâo himself: Kwang-zze devotes himself mainly to the illustration of the abstruse and difficult points.
First, it does not surprise us that in his rules for individual man, Lâo should place Humility in the foremost place. A favourite illustration with him of the Tâo is water. In his
eighth chapter he says :-“The highest excelHumility.
o lence is like that of water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving to the contrary, the low ground which all men dislike. Hence its way) is near to that of the Tâo.' To the same effect in the seventy-eighth
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