Cosmogony: Selections from the Taoist “Book of Lieh-Tzu,” Part 1 of 2

Today, it is a pleasure to share selections from Cosmogony from the “Book of Lieh-Tzu” by the Venerated Enlightened Master Lieh Tzu (vegetarian) translated by Lionel Giles.

“Our Master Lieh Tzu dwelt on a vegetable plot in the Chêng State for forty years, and no man knew Him for what He was. The Prince, his Ministers, and all the State officials looked upon Him as one of the common herd. A time of dearth fell upon the State, and He was preparing to migrate to Wei, when His disciples said to Him: ‘Now that our Master is going away without any prospect of returning, we have ventured to approach you, hoping for instruction. Are there no words from the lips of Hu-Ch’iu Tzu-lin that you can impart to us?’

Lieh Tzu smiled and said: ‘Do you suppose that Hu Tzu dealt in words? However, I will try to repeat to you what my Master said on one occasion to Po-hun Mou-jên. I was standing by and heard His words, which ran as, follows: “There is a Creative Principle which is itself uncreated; there is a Principle of Change which is itself unchanging. The Uncreated is able to create life; the Unchanging is able to effect change. […]”’”

“In the Book of the Yellow Emperor it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Valley dies not; it may be called the Mysterious Feminine. The issuing-point of the Mysterious Feminine must be regarded as the Root of the Universe. Subsisting to all eternity, it uses its force without effort.’ That, then, which engenders all things is itself unengendered; that by which all things are evolved is itself untouched by evolution. Self-engendered and self-evolved, it has in itself the elements of substance, appearance, wisdom, strength, dispersion and cessation. Yet it would be a mistake to call it by any one of these names.”’ […]

“The Master Lieh Tzu said: ‘The virtue of Heaven and Earth, the powers of the Sage, and the uses of the myriad things in Creation, are not perfect in every direction. It is Heaven’s function to produce life and to spread a canopy over it. It is Earth’s function to form material bodies and to support them. It is the Sage’s function to teach others and to influence them for good. It is the function of created things to conform to their proper nature. That being so, there are things in which Earth may excel, though they lie outside the scope of Heaven; matters in which the Sage has no concern, though they afford free play to others. For it is clear that which imparts and broods over life cannot form and support material bodies; that which forms and supports material bodies cannot teach and influence for good; one who teaches and influences for good cannot run counter to natural instincts; that which is fixed in suitable environment does not travel outside its own sphere. Therefore the Way of Heaven and Earth will be either of the Yin or of the Yang; the teaching of the Sage will be either of altruism or of righteousness; the quality of created objects will be either soft or hard. All these conform to their proper nature and cannot depart from the province assigned to them.’”