Master Zhuang is the second most influential writer in Daoism and the book Zhuangzi was named after him. Chapter Six is The Great and Vulnerable Teacher and describes how the sage becomes one with the Dao. Other terms for the sage are the perfect man, holy man, and true man.
Description of the Way
The Dao is the way of the universe. It is formless, invisible, and the root of all things. It was from before creation and gave form to creation. It has always been here but is not considered old.
“Before Heaven and earth existed, it was there, firm from ancient times. It gave spirituality to the spirits and to God; it gave birth to Heaven and to earth. It was born before Heaven and earth, and yet you cannot say it has been there for long; it is earlier than the earliest time, and yet you cannot call it old.”
Emptiness
The sage becomes one with the Dao when they achieve an empty state. In this state, they are part of the world but also withdrawn.
“He was vast in his emptiness but not ostentatious. Tolerant he seemed to be part of the world; towering alone, he could be checked by nothing; withdrawn, he seemed to prefer to cut himself off; bemused, he forgot what he was going to say.”
To reach emptiness, one must be willing to let go of the cares of the world, possessions, and life itself.
“So I began explaining and kept at him for three days and after that he was able to put the world outside himself. When he had put the world outside himself, I kept at him for seven days more, and after that he was able to put things outside himself. When he had put things outside himself, I kept at him for nine days more, and after that he was able to put life outside himself.“
When the sage reaches this state, past and future fade away. They are in the present moment and are unconcerned about life or death. They are simply living in the moment.
“After he had managed to see his own aloneness, he could do away with past and present, and after he had done away with past and present, he was able to enter where there is no life and no death.”
The Only Constancy is Change
The sage accepts that change is the only constancy of life. Major changes include birth, growth, aging, and death.
“But if you were to hide the world in the world, so that nothing could get away, this would be the final reality of the constancy of things. You have had the audacity to take on human form, and you are delighted. But the human form has ten thousand changes that never come to an end.“
“In the process of change, he has become a thing [among other things], and he is merely waiting for some other change that he doesn’t yet know about. Moreover, when he is changing, how does he know that he really is changing? And when he is not changing, how does he know that he hasn’t already changed?”
The sage is willing to accept any change including an early death or a long life.
“He delights in early death; he delights in old age; he delights in the beginning; he delights in the end.“
The sage makes no plans. They accept gain or loss, and live with no regrets. They find contentment in small things and do not let loss affect them.
“The True Man of ancient times did not rebel against want, did not grow proud in plenty, and did not plan his affairs. A man like this could commit an error and not regret it, could meet with success and not make a show.”
The Sage is unconcerned with success or failure and sees them both as fate.
“I was pondering what it is that has brought me to this extremity, but I couldn’t find the answer. My father and mother surely wouldn’t wish this poverty on me. Heaven covers all without partiality; earth bears up all without partiality—heaven and earth surely wouldn’t single me out to make me poor. I try to discover who is doing it, but I can’t get the answer. Still, here I am—at the very extreme. It must be fate.”
Life and Death
The sage doesn’t waste energy on trying to figure out why they are alive or when they will die. They remain calm in the face of adversity.
“Mengsun doesn’t know why he lives and doesn’t know why he dies. He doesn’t know why he should go ahead; he doesn’t know why he should fall behind.”
When Master Yu suffered illness he held no resentment. He knew that his life would eventually end and he would return to the Dao.
“If the process continues, perhaps in time he’ll transform my left arm into a rooster. In that case I’ll keep watch during the night. Or perhaps in time he’ll transform my right arm into a cross-bow pellet, and I’ll shoot down an owl for roasting. Or perhaps in time he’ll transform my buttocks into cartwheels. Then, with my spirit for a horse, I’ll climb up and go for a ride. What need will I ever have for a carriage again?”
The sage is content with the time they have to live. By being content emotions such as happiness and joy can not affect you.
“I received life because the time had come; I will lose it because the order of things passes on. Be content with this time and dwell in this order, and then neither sorrow nor joy can touch you.”
“They look on life as a swelling tumor, a protruding wen, and on death as the draining of a sore or the bursting of a boil. To men such as these, how could there be any question of putting life first or death last?”
The Non-Sage
It is helpful to contrast the sage with the non-sage. The non-sage gets lost in the passion of their daily life. They strive to succeed, become wealthy, or get fame. They are always busy and plan out their days to ensure success.
“Deep in their passions and desires, they are shallow in the workings of Heaven.“
“Therefore he who delights in bringing success to things is not a sage; he who has affections is not benevolent; he who looks for the right time is not a worthy man; he who cannot encompass both profit and loss is not a gentleman; he who thinks of conduct and fame and misleads himself is not a man of breeding.”
Conclusion
A person can be compared to a piece of metal being cast by a smith. The metal can not demand to be made into a sword or other object but must accept their fate according to the wishes of the smith. In the same way, the sage accepts the changes in their life. They do not allow events such as success, failure, illness, health, a long life, or a short life to affect them.
“When a skilled smith is casting metal, if the metal should leap up and say, ‘I insist on being made into a Moye! He would surely regard it as very inauspicious metal indeed.”
“Now, having had the audacity to take on human form once, if I should say, ‘I don’t want to be anything but a man! Nothing but a man!’ the Creator would surely regard me as a most inauspicious sort of person. So now I think of heaven and earth as a great furnace, and the Creator as a skilled smith. Where could he send me that would not be all right? I will go off to sleep peacefully, and then with a start, I will wake up.”
Daoism 