Master Zhuang is the secono most influential writer in Daoism and the book Zhuangzi was named after him. Chapter Four is Man Among Men and teaches how to reform someone without virtue.
Reforming One without Virtue
The Zhuangzi used historical figures such as Confucius to teach about the Way. Yan Hui asked Confucius for permission to go to Wei to reform a violent ruler. Confucius advised against going, warning that he likely would be killed.
“if you do not understand men’s minds but instead appear before a tyrant and force him to listen to sermons on benevolence and righteousness, measures and standards —this is simply using other men’s bad points to parade your own excellence. You will be called a plaguer of others. He who plagues others will be plagued in turn. You will probably be plagued by this man.”“
If he was fortunate enough not to be executed, he would probably still fail. Rulers are experts at bringing others to their side and can convince others to support them. Besides, one should be sure they have virtue in themselves before you try to reform others.
“On the other hand, if the Prince loves the good and hates the bad, what object will you have in inviting him to change his ways? Before you have opened your mouth to preach, the Prince himself will have seized the opportunity to wrest the victory from you. Your eye will fall, your expression fade, your words will stick, your face will change, and your heart will die within you. It will be as though you took fire to quell fire, water to quell water, which is popularly known as ‘pouring oil on the flames.’ ”
Yan Hui asked if he could reform the ruler by being resolute. Confucius responded that the ruler may make outward signs of reform but would never truly do so.
“If you make a show of being perfect and obtrude yourself, the Prince’s mood will be doubtful. Ordinarily, he is not opposed, and so he has come to take actual pleasure in trampling upon the feelings of others. And if he has thus failed in the practice of routine virtues, do you expect that he will take readily to higher ones? You may insist, but without result. Outwardly you will be right, but inwardly wrong.”
Not giving up easily, Yan Hui suggested outwardly agreeing with the ruler but remaining inwardly resolute. He could quote the words of historical teachers. Confucius responded, that he may avoid punishment, but would still not convert the tyrant.
“However, your firmness will secure you from harm; but that is all. You will not influence him to such an extent that he shall seem to follow the dictates of his own heart.”
The Daoist Approach
The Daoist approach to reform others is to be resolute inwardly and follow your own way. Don’t be motivated by fame or look for personal gain. Forget ego and be in a state of emptiness. Give the person advice only if they are willing to listen, otherwise remain silent.
“If you can enter this man’s domain without offending his amour propre, cheerful if he hears you, passive if he does not; without science, without drugs, simply living there in a state of complete indifference,—you will be near success.”
Yan He wanted to reform the prince of Wei. Ju Boyu advised him to support the prince’s actions outwardly, but to be careful not to get drawn into his actions so much as be condemned by others.
“If he would play the child, do you play the child too. If he cast aside all sense of decorum, do you do so too. As far as he goes, do you go also. Thus you will reach him without offending him.”
The Ambassador
Ambassador Zigao of She asked Confucius for advice on his upcoming mission. Confucius reminded Zigao of the two great decrees: the duty to parents and to the nation. However, the greatest virtue is not to allow outside factors to affect your personal way and accept that there are things that you can not change.
“To serve one’s prince without reference to the act but only to the service, is the perfection of a subject’s loyalty. To serve one’s own heart so as to permit neither joy nor sorrow within, but to cultivate resignation to the inevitable,—this is the climax of Virtue.”
Confucius went on to give advice on being a messenger. A messenger feels pressure to please both sides by exaggerating the positives. Exaggeration is irresponsible and reduces credibility. Inaccurate words can put the messenger in danger.
“Confine yourself to simple statements of fact, shorn of all superfluous expression of feeling, and your risk will be small.”
The messenger should never go beyond their orders or press too hard for agreement. A lasting agreement takes time and a bad agreement is hard to change. One should accept what you can’t change and focus on your own personal way.
“’Neither deviate from nor travel beyond your instructions. To pass the limit is to go to excess.’ To deviate from, or to travel beyond instructions, may imperil the negotiation. A settlement to be successful must be lasting. It is too late to change an evil settlement once made. Therefore let yourself be carried along without fear, taking refuge in no alternative to preserve you from harm on either side. This is the utmost you can do. What need for considering your obligations? Better leave all to Destiny, difficult as this may be.”
Usefulness
Trees feature prominently in Daoist thought. The carpenter Shi went to Qui and saw an enormous oak tree with its lowest branches 80 feet off the ground. He called the tree worthless because it could not be used for timber, boats, or doors. Shi had a dream where the Oak tree visited saying it was not useless because it sheltered hundreds of people. Besides, “useful” trees do not get to live out their normal lifespan because they are cut down prematurely.
“Thus do these trees by their own value injure their own lives. They cannot fulfill their allotted span of years, but perish prematurely in mid-career from their entanglement with the world around them.”
In a similar episode, Ziqi of Nanbo saw a large tree in which thousands of horses could take shelter. Even though its gnarled and pitted limbs made it “useless” as timber, it was used by Holy Men for gatherings.
“Ah!’ said Ziqi. ‘This tree is good for nothing, and that is how it has attained this size. A wise man might well follow its example.’”
A disabled man named Shu had a twisted body and could not stand straight. He survived by washing other people’s clothes and getting handouts. In-spite of his physical disabilities he got by and lived out his normal years. He avoided conscription by the army and his physical disability paled in comparison to a disability of virtue.
“And if physical deformity was thus enough to preserve his body until its allotted end, how much more would not moral and mental deformity avail!”
Finally, Jie Yu was called the madman of Chu because he would cry out in public that the past was gone and the future would never arrive. The sage succeeds with the Way and simply survives without it. No one can truly know the usefulness of something.
“When Confucius was in the Chu State, the eccentric Jie Yu passed his door, saying, ‘O phoenix, O phoenix, how has thy virtue fallen! — unable to wait for the coming years or to go back into the past. If Tao prevails on earth, prophets will fulfill their mission. If Dao does not prevail, they will but preserve themselves. At the present day they will but just escape...All men know the use of useful things; but they do not know the use of useless things.”
Summary
Trying to reform others can be dangerous and lead to failure. One must be sure in their own virtue before reforming others. The best approach is to be inwardly resolute and following your own personal way. Don’t be motivated by fame and only give advice if the other person is willing to listen. A messenger should never exaggerate or press for an agreement. Twisted trees may appear useless but often have an unforeseen purpose living out its normal years. Twisted virtue is much worse than having a twisted body.
Resource
Chuang Tzu, Mystic, Moralist and Social Reformer, Herbert A. Giles, translator. Bernard Quaritch 1889. Classic public domain translation.
