刻意 (Constrained in Will) — Chinese ink painting

莊子 Zhuangzi · Chapter 15

刻意

Constrained in Will

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不刻意而高

Lofty Without Striving

若夫不刻意而高,無仁義而修,無功名而治,無江海而閒,不道引而壽,無不忘也,無不有也。淡然無極而眾美從之。此天地之道,聖人之德也。

But suppose one could be lofty without striving, cultivated without benevolence and righteousness, well-governed without merit or fame, at leisure without rivers and lakes, long-lived without breathing exercises — forgetting everything, yet possessing everything. Serene and boundless, with all beauties following along. This is the Way of Heaven and Earth, the virtue of the sage.

純素之道

The Way of Pure Simplicity

精神四達並流,無所不極,上際於天,下蟠於地,化育萬物,不可為象,其名為同帝。純素之道,唯神是守。守而勿失,與神為一。一之精通,合於天倫。

The spirit reaches in all four directions, flowing wherever it may go, with nothing it does not touch — upward to the sky, downward coiling into the earth, transforming and nourishing all things, too vast to be captured in image. Its name is 'Equal to the Lord.' The Way of pure simplicity consists solely in guarding the spirit. Guard it and do not lose it, and you become one with spirit. The essence of this oneness penetrates and merges with the order of Heaven.

Edition & Source

Text
《莊子》 Zhuangzi
Edition
《四部叢刊》本
Commentary
Traditional Daoist commentaries