列子书中的道家教诲

in the Cheng 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-jen. A fellow-disciple. Out of modesty, Lieh Tzu does not say that the teaching was imparted directly to himself. I was standing by and heard his words, which ran as follows : — 18 COSMOGONY ' 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. -That which is produced cannot but continue producing ; that which is evolved cannot but continue evolving. Hence there is constant production and constant evolution. The law of constant production and of constant evolution at no time ceases to operate. The commentator says : " That which is once involved in the destiny of living things can never be annihilated." So is it with the Yin and the Yang, so is it with the Four Seasons. The Yin and the Yang are the Positive and Negative Principles of Nature, alternately predominating in day and night. The Uncreated we may surmise to be Alone in itself.…