Three in the morning and four in the afternoon

Part VIII:

Strategizing

How many ways are there to boil an egg? When it comes to strategies there’s no end to human inventiveness.

 

30. Fixing Someone Else’s Mess

One day Yen Hui20 went to see Confucius21 and said, “I’m going to Wei.”

“What are you going there for?” asked Confucius.

Replied Yen Hui, “There’s a young upstart ruler there who can’t see wrong from right. The whole place is an absolute mess and things are getting out of control. So I’m going there to fix things up.”

“That’s generous of you,” said Confucius, “you’ll probably just get your head chopped off for your trouble. Haven’t you heard that when you interfere and try to stop a fight it’s usually you that ends up with a black eye. It used to be the case that people would make sure they had the goods themselves before they offered to sell them to others. If you’re not too sure about whether you’ve got your hands on the goods or not, why do you want to go running around to fix up someone else’s mess?”

Commentary

When you try to stop a fight it’s easy to end up on the ground yourself.

How do you deal with a troublesome tyrant?22 In the Ancient Classic on Needle Therapy (Huang di nei jing ling shu) it is stated:

The best practitioner initiates a cure where there is no disease yet.

He does not cure where there is already disease.

 

31. Chasing Applause

Confucius said to Yen Hui, “Do you know what it is that poisons a perfectly good man?”

“No, what?” asked Yen Hui.

Replied Confucius, “It’s reputation and cleverness. Chasing applause is like beating yourself on the head with a club. Showing people just how much you know is like standing naked in the ring and asking to be punched. It’s sure to end in a nasty confrontation. Running around offering to improve someone else’s complexion is really just a way of showing how good you think yours is. It’s only going to end badly.”

Commentary

How do you flatten the ripples on a pond?

In the Ancient Classic on Needle Therapy (Huang di nei jing ling shu) it is stated:

Knowing how an adjustment can be made is useful;

Not knowing how to make adjustments is harmful.

 

32. Serious Business

Confucius said to Yen Hui, “I can see you’ve got some plan up your sleeve. Come, tell me what it is.”

Replied Yen Hui, “How did you know? I do actually.”

“What is it?” asked Confucius.

“Well,” said Yen Hui, “I’m going to get serious, adopt a grave demeanor and be absolutely uncompromising. That way he will see that I mean business and he’ll follow exactly what I say.”

“Goodness me!” laughed Confucius, “You’ve really outdone yourself. You may well put on a good show by wearing a dark suit but eventually he’ll notice that wobbly leg of yours.”

Commentary

If you want to be alive then don’t call the undertaker.

Some people take a hard line. They try to strong-arm the little tyrant into submission by adopting a very serious and determined approach. They grit their teeth, close their eyes, block up their ears and padlock their door. They even refuse to laugh at a good joke.

 

33. Reasoning with Him

The next day Yen Hui came to Confucius and said, “All right, you didn’t like my last proposal. Do you want to hear my new strategy?”

“Yes, why not?” replied Confucius.

“Well,” said Yen Hui, “this is what I’ll do. I’ll befriend him. I’ll pretend outwardly to go along with him. I’ll adopt the decorum of court life and then I’ll reason with him and get him to listen to me. That way I’ll change him.”

Replied Confucius, “Goodness! You’re really full of strategies today! That is creative, I must say. But you still don’t get it. You might well keep him under control a little and stop him from rampaging around for a while but that’s as far as you’ll get.”

Commentary

Only a madman sends in a madman to cure a madman.

Strategizing leads to more strategizing. Complexity brings the profusion of further complexity. If you move the furniture around, the little tyrant will just change the chair he’s sitting in.

 

34. Listening

Yen Hui said to Confucius, “I’m all out of ideas. What should I do? You have to help me out.”

“Ok,” said Confucius, “as long as you are in the way whatever you try won’t work. I’ll give you a hint. You have to try going without.” 23

“Oh,” replied Yen Hui, “I haven’t had a good dinner with a nice drop of wine to wash it down for a couple of days now. Does that count?”

“No. That’s not what I’m talking about,” replied Confucius.

“Can you explain what you mean by going without then?” asked Yen Hui.

Replied Confucius, “You must unify the heart-mind. On the one hand there’s listening with the ears. On the other there is listening with the mind. But beyond both there is listening with your spirit.24 What do I mean by this? Listening with the ears only goes as far as hearing sounds. Listening with the mind goes only as far as a superficial understanding of things. But the spirit is spacious, empty25 and aware and intuits all things. The Way is born in openness. Opening the heart-mind is what I mean by going without. It’s also called getting yourself out of the way.”

Said Yen Hui, “Before I heard about all this, I thought I was Yen Hui. Now I can see that the I that I thought I was is not I.”

Commentary

One cannot expect to hear anything if one doesn’t listen.

Everyone hears what they want to hear. But what is the sound of no sound?26

 

35. Reaching Deeper

Yen Hui asked Confucius, “So is that all there is to it?”

Replied Confucius, “That’s it. Go and sing and dance in the birdcage27 but don’t look for applause. If someone asks you then you can tell. But don’t make a habit of talking out of turn. Keep on reaching deeper into the beginning of things and you’ll be well on your way.”

Yen Hui asked, “Is there any more?”

Replied Confucius, “Yes, one more thing. Walking is easy, but to walk without touching the ground is difficult.”

Commentary

One note rings out constantly across the universe. A string of pearls hangs suspended from the sky.

If you hold out your hand to try to grab a raindrop falling then you miss the next one. When you go lightly there’s no need to touch the ground.28

 

36. Leave the World Outside

Confucius continued, “People know about flying with wings, but they’ve never heard of flying without wings. People know all about knowing through knowing but have never heard of knowing without knowing. Spend some time in the chamber where brightness is born. Leave the world outside and rest in the beginning of things. Prosperity comes to the person who is patient.”

Commentary

If one can leave the world at one’s doorstep what else is there to be done?

In listening one returns to the beginning of things. The beginning of things is always now.29

 

37. Some Progress

Some time after Yen Hui met with Confucius and said, “I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

Confucius asked, “What on earth do you mean?”

Replied Yen Hui, “I’ve forgotten all about trying to be proper and upright.”

Said Confucius, “That’s a good start. But you’re still not there yet!”

A while later Yen Hui met with Confucius again and said, “I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

Confucius asked, “What on earth do you mean?”

Replied Yen Hui, “I’ve forgotten all about conforming with conventional ideas and beliefs.”

Said Confucius, “That’s progress. But you’re still not there yet!”

Commentary

Progress is always a matter of measurement. It’s that counting of the steps and wondering how many more are left to go.30

There is an old Chinese saying:

When you start climbing a mountain,

you don’t keep asking how high it is.

 

38. Forgetting about Everything

Some more time went by and then Yen Hui met with Confucius and said, “I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

Confucius asked, “What on earth do you mean?”

Replied Yen Hui, “I’ve forgotten about everything.”31

Said Confucius, “What do you mean you’ve forgotten about everything?”

Replied Yen Hui, “When I sit down, I don’t try to do anything and I don’t try to not do anything. Before long I forget body and mind. And then after that I completely blend into the Who Knows What. That’s what I mean about forgetting all about...