Some have named the Wenzi (Wen Tzu) the fourth most influential Daoist text after the Dao De Jing, Zhuangzi, and Liezi. However scholars have questioned its authenticity because it contains Confucian, Legalist, and Mohist philosophies. (Creativity and Intertextuality, pages 8, 23, 25, 32, 61-65, 81, and 84).
Chapter One is named The Origin of the Way and discusses the mystery that is the Dao along with flexibility, effortless action, and emptiness.
Dao
The Dao was in existence before creation. Existence came out of non-existence.
“There is something, an undifferentiated whole, that was born before heaven and earth.”
“So being is born from nonbeing, fulfillment is born from emptiness.“
“The named is born from the nameless; the nameless is the mother of the named. On the Way, existence and nonexistence produce each other; difficulty and ease create each other.”
It has no form and makes no noise.
“It has only abstract images, no concrete form. It is deep, dark, silent, undefined; we do not hear its voice.”
Although it is formless it creates sounds, colors, and flavors.
“It has no form, but forms are born in it. It has no sound, yet all sounds are produced in it. It has no flavor, yet all flavors are formed in it. It has no color, yet all colors are made in it.“
It manifests itself through nature and creates harmony between light and dark, large and small, flexibility and firmness.
“There are myriad differences as the Way facilitates life: it harmonizes dark and light, regulates the four seasons, and tunes the forces of nature.”
“It is restrained but can expand; it is dark but can illumine; it is flexible but can be firm.”
It is found in all existence and unifies all things.
“Therefore the principle of oneness applies everywhere. The vastness of the one is evident throughout heaven and earth.”
Flexibility
The sage is one who follows the way. A sage follows the way by being flexible and yielding. A sage is willing to change course based on the circumstances.
“Flexible yielding is the function of the Way. Reversal is normal for the Way: flexibility is the firmness of the Way, yielding is the strength“
They never act in preconditioned patterns but instead react to circumstances. This allows one to be successful and avoid harm.
“Those who serve life adapt to changes as they act. Changes arise from the times; those who know the times do not behave in fixed ways.”
“Behave flexibly, but be firm, and there is no power you cannot overcome, no enemy you cannot rise above. Respond to developments, assess the times, and no one can harm you.”
The sage remains humble and knows that humility allows them to overcome obstacles in their life.
“Therefore nobility must be rooted in humility, loftiness must be based on lowliness.”
“Use the small to contain the great; remain in the center to control the external.“
“Therefore sages cultivate the basis within and do not adorn themselves outwardly with superficialities.”
By remaining humble they protect themselves because others are not threatened by them.
“Therefore when they are above, the people do not take it gravely; and when they are in front, others do not attack them. The whole world resorts to them, the treacherous fear them. Because they do not contend with anyone, no one dares to contend with them.”
Failure to be humble puts one in danger.
“Therefore when an army is strong it perishes, when a tree is strong it breaks, when leather is strong it rips; the teeth are harder than the tongue, but they are the first to die.”
Life is flexible while death is inflexible.
“So flexibility and yielding are the administrators of life, hardness and strength are the soldiers of death.”
Emptiness
A person is born into a state of emptiness but over time they become uncentered due to their experiences.
“The essential nature of the original human being has no perversion or defilement, but after long immersion in things it easily changes, so we forget our roots and conform to a seeming nature.”
The sage seeks to return to this state where one has a clear mind, accepts their situation, and remains calm.
“Emptiness means there is no burden within. Evenness means the mind is untrammeled.”
“Therefore sages hold to the open calm and subtlety of the Way, whereby they perfect their virtues.”
“Flexible and yielding, they are thereby calm. Peaceful and easygoing, they are thereby secure.”
“Keep yourself open, unminding, and you may attain clarity and all-around mastery.”
In this state the sage is not affected by desire or struggles in life. They are not distracted by sorrow or joy.
“When habitual desires do not burden you, this is the consummation of emptiness. When you have no likes or dislikes, this is the consummation of evenness. When you are unified and unchanging, this is the consummation of calmness. When you are not mixed up in things, this is the consummation of purity. When you neither grieve nor delight, this is the consummation of virtue.“
“Nothing pleases them, nothing pains them; nothing delights them, nothing angers them. All things are mysteriously the same; there is neither right nor wrong.”
In emptiness one has inner balance and harmony.
“With attainment of the center, the internal organs are calm, thoughts are even, sinews and bones are strong, ears and eyes are clear.”
“Therefore sages do not replace the celestial by the human. Outwardly they evolve along with things, yet inwardly they do not lose their true state.”
They are formless and merge with the world.
“Flexible yielding is the function of the Way. Empty calm is the ancestor of all beings. When these three are put into practice, you enter into formlessness. Formlessness is a term for oneness; oneness means mindlessly merging with the world.”
True happiness is found in emptiness and harmony. It is not found in wealth or status.
“Happiness has nothing to do with wealth and status, but is a matter of harmony.”
Effortless Action
The sage doesn’t act rashly from a state of emptiness.
“As they go along and respond to changes, they always follow and do not precede.”
Instead they respond to their environment.
“the celestial nature. Sensing things, they act; this is natural desire. When things come to them, they respond; this is the action of knowledge.”
They only act when it is the right time.
“Tranquil and uncontrived, when they act they do not miss the timing.“
They do not act based on logic, strategy, reason, or education.
“Terms that can be designated do not make books to be treasured. The learned come to an impasse again and again; this is not as good as keeping centered. Put an end to scholasticism, and there will be no worries; put an end to sagacity, abandon knowledge, and the people will benefit a hundredfold.”
Instead they act according to the Dao.
“They activate their vital spirit and lay to rest their learned opinions.”
Leadership
A true leader follows the Dao and acts in accordance with nature.
“Therefore the laws of ancient monarchs were not something made up, but what was relied upon; their prohibitions and punishments were not something contrived, but what was observed.”
They do not rely on logic and are not arrogant nor cunning.
“The government of complete people abandons intellectualism and does away with showy adornment. Depending on the Way, it rejects cunning. It emerges from fairness”
They give people freedom to be themselves and do not strive for power.
“when an abundance of laws and imperatives are promulgated, there are many thieves and bandits. Get rid of all that, and calamities will not arise. Thus to govern a nation by cunning is detrimental to the nation; not to govern a nation by cunning is beneficial to the nation.”
They do not support harsh rules for they know it is not in accordance with the Dao.
“Rigid laws and harsh punishments are not the work of great leaders; whipping the horse over and over is not the way to ride a long distance.”
The sage does not wish to govern others but focuses inward on their connection to the Dao.
“Sagehood has nothing to do with governing others but is a matter of ordering oneself. Nobility has nothing to do with power and rank but is a matter of self-realization; attain self-realization, and the whole world is found in the self.“
Summary
The Dao is formless and manifests itself in nature. It creates harmony and unifies all things. The sage follows the way by being flexible, yielding, and humble. The sage seeks the state of emptiness where one has a clear mind, accepts their situation, and remains calm. They are not affected by desire and are formless merging with the world. In this state, the sage acts effortlessly by responding to their environment at the right time. A true leader follows the Dao and gives people freedom to be themselves.
Consider how water is the softest element yet can’t be hurt, wounded, or burned. It is strong enough to penetrate any substance.
“Nothing in the world is softer than water.“
“Strike it, and it is not damaged; pierce it, and it is not wounded; slash it, and it is not cut; burn it, and it does not smoke. Soft and fluid, it cannot be dispersed. It is penetrating enough to bore through metal and stone, strong enough to submerge the whole world.”
It is flexible in both its shape and purpose. It can be rain, dew, rivers, or lakes.
“Up in the sky it turns into rain and dew; down in the earth it turns into moisture and wetlands.”
Water embraces all life without bias.
“Beings cannot live without it, works cannot be accomplished without it. It embraces all life without personal preferences. Its moisture reaches even to creeping things, and it does not seek reward.“
Resources
Wen-Tzu, Understanding the Mysteries, Thomas Cleary, Translator. 1991.
The Wenzi: Creativity and Intertextuality in Early Chinese Philosophy (Studies in the History of Chinese Texts, 9), Paul Van Els, Brill Academic Publisher, 2018.
