The Taoism of Huai nan Tzu精选.pdfVIP

••• 17 ••• THE TAOISM OF HUAI-NAN TZU HUAI-NA N Tzu (d. 122 B.C.) was the most prominent Taoist philoso- pher between ancient Taoism of the fourth century B.C. and Neo-Taoism of the third and fourth centuries A.D. His originality is negligible, but he maintained Taoism at the time when Confucianism had just assumed the dominant and exclusive role in government as well as in the realm of thought. Although his ideas are no more than reiteration and elaboration of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, at least he kept the fire of Taoism burning and helped to make possible the emergence of Neo-Taoism. Because of his essentially rational approach to metaphysics and cosmogony, it may be said that he indirectly, at least, prepared for that rationalistic critic Wang Chung (27-100?). His name was Liu An. As Prince of Huai-nan, he had thousands of scholars under his patronage. He plotted rebellion, failed, and com- mitted suicide. The following selections are from the work which is a joint product of himself and his guests. THE HUAI-NAN TZU1 1. The Nature of Tao Tao covers Heaven and supports Earth. It is the extent of the four quarters of the universe and the dimensions of the eight points of the firmament. There is no limit to its height, and its depth is unfathomable. It encloses Heaven and Earth and endows things [with their nature] be- fore they have been formed. . . . Compressed, it can expand. Hidden, it can be manifest. Weak, it can be strong. Soft, it can be firm. . . . With it the mountain becomes high and the abyss becomes deep. Because of it, animals run and birds fly. Sun and moon shine and the planets revolve by it. Through it the unicorn emerges and the phoe