Wandering on the way : early Taoist tales and parables of Chuang Tzu

Although less well known in the West than the TAO TE CHING, the work of Chuang Tzu is every bit its equal as a classic of Taoist thought. But this collection of tales, poems, and parables is also one of the most playful and witty books in world literature. In this vivid, contemporary translation, Victor Mair captures the quintessential life and spirit of Chuang Tzu while remaining faithful to the original text. [From the back cover.] PREFACE? Xi INTRODUCTION Xxvii NOTES ON THE TRANSLATION Xlvii MAP OF CHINA CIRCA 330 B.C.E. xlv INNER CHAPTERS . Carefree Wandering 3 . On the Equality of Things 10 . Essentials for Nurturing Life 25 The Human World 29 Symbols of Integrity Fulfilled 42 The Great Ancestral Teacher 5] He NA2ARWN . Responses for Emperors and Kings 66 OUTER CHAPTERS 8. Webbed Toes 75 9. Horses’ Hooves 80 10. Ransacking Coffers 84 11. Preserving and Accepting 90 12. Heaven and Earth 102 13. The Way of Heaven II9 14. Heavenly Revolutions 130 15. Ingrained Opinions 144 16. Mending Nature 148 17. Autumn Floods 152 18. Ultimate Joy 166 19. Understanding Life 174 20. The Mountain Tree 185 21. Sir Square Field 198 22. Knowledge Wanders North 210 MISCELLANEOUS CHAPTERS 23. Kengsang Ch’u 225 24. Ghostless Hsiit 237 25. Sunny 254 26. External Things 268 27. Metaphors 278 28. Abdicating Kingship 284 29. Robber Footpad 298 30. Discoursing on Swords 31Z 31. An Old Fisherman ale 32. Lieh Yiik’ou 324 33. All Under Heaven 300 GLOSSARY Names 349 Places 364 Terms and Allusions 370 BIBLIOGRAPHY 887 DELETED PASSAGES 393 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 401 Revered for millennia in the Chinese spiritual tradition, Chuang Tze stands alongside the Tao Te Ching as a founding classic of Taoism. The Inner Chapters are the only sustained section of this text widely believed to be the work of Chuang Tzu himself, dating to the fourth century B.C.E. But this is an ancient text that yields a surprisingly modern effect. In bold and startling prose, David Hinton's translation captures the "zany texture and philosophical abandon" of the original. The Inner Chapters fantastical passages - in which even birds and trees teach us what they know - offer up a wild menagerie of characters, freewheeling play with language, and surreal humor. And interwoven with Chuang Tzu's sharp instruction on the Tao are short-short stories that are often rough and ribald, rich with satire and paradox. On their deepest level, the Inner Chapters are a meditation on the mysteries of knowledge itself. Translated With An Introduction And Commentary By Victor H Mair. Includes Bibliographical (p. [387]-392) References.