Monday, July 04, 2005

Three in the Morning

A keeper of monkeys said that each monkey was to have three chestnuts in the morning and four at night. But the monkeys were very angry at this; so the keeper said they might have four in the morning and three at night, with which arrangement they were all well pleased. The actual number of the chestnuts remained the same, but there was an adjustment to meet to the likes and dislikes of those concerned. Such is the principle of putting oneself into subjective relation with externals.

Therefore a wise man, while regarding contraries as identical, adapts himself to the laws of nature. This is called following two courses at once.

- Zhuang Zi

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