The second part of the book "Zhuangzi" that has been handed down in modern times is Qi. lā

The first article is a getaway, which talks about looking at problems from a higher height and realm, especially looking at life and world affairs. Only when we stand on a higher realm, on the height of the Tao, can we wander freely in life.

So? How can we look at problems from a higher level, especially at the events of life?

Because! It's usually easier said than done! It doesn't mean that if you stand on a higher level or on a higher realm, you will stand on it. But! We have to have a method, we have to improve our own realm, and we have to raise our cognitive height.

What if you can improve your life realm and cognitive height?

The second part of the book "Zhuangzi" is telling us how to improve our realm and raise our cognitive height.

Zhuangzi's theory of homogeneity is not an end, but a way to improve our realm and cognition, and to expand our horizons.

I have read many books that interpret "Zhuangzi", and they all think that Zhuangzi's theory of all things refers to all things in one day, one thing and one horse, and what do they say "Qi I", "Qi Wu", "Qi Dream", "Qi Tong", etc., and completely regard Zhuangzi's theory of Qi Wu as the end of this, and the Qi Theory of All Things is the goal of Zhuangzi. Thereby! Characterize Zhuangzi's philosophical thought as negative.

If you think so during the Warring States period, in the period of the hundred schools of thought, it would not be strange. Because! During the period of the Hundred Schools of Thought, it was normal for various doctrines to attack and slander each other. In order to highlight one's own doctrinal viewpoint, he deliberately misinterprets the doctrines of others.

And in later generations, it is the same, there are also people who deliberately misinterpret Taoist doctrine.

And in modern society, freedom of speech, academic freedom. What if anyone else says that Zhuangzi's philosophy is negative? That's puzzling.

If modern scholars still think that Zhuangzi's philosophical thought is negative and copy the interpretation of their predecessors? So! They didn't even use their brains to peruse the Zhuangzi.

Zhuangzi's theory of homogeneity is not an end, but a way to improve our cognition.

The theory of all things in the second part of the inner part of the "Zhuangzi" handed down by later generations, like the first part of the inner chapter, was not written down by Zhuangzi in one go, but edited and sorted out the articles of Zhuangzi according to the doctrine and thought of Zhuangzi in later generations.

From this article on the Theory of Things, we can see how fierce the doctrinal debate between Confucianism and Mohism was during the Zhuangzi period. And also! The debate between Zhuangzi and Hui Shi should also be frequent.

In the Getaway chapter, there is a debate between Zhuangzi and Hui Shi. In this treatise on all things, we see the name of Hui Shi and the topics and propositions that Hui Shi often debates. And also! There are several passages that are the subject of the debate between Zhuangzi and Hui Shi. It's just that! It is not marked as the content of the debate between the two.

It is precisely because the debate of that period was intense, so! This treatise on all things starts with the debate between Confucianism and Mohistism.

The opening chapter does not directly write about the debate between Confucianism and Mohists, but writes about how Nan Guozi cultivates, and writes about the highest state of cultivation that Nan Guozi thinks. Then I wrote about the sounds of heaven and earth and the sounds of people. And then! Just write that whether it is the sound of heaven and earth and the sound of people, it is just a sound. And then! This leads to the debate between Confucianism and Mohistism, in front of the Tao, in heaven and earth, it is just a voice.

The debate between Confucianism and Mohism is like a bird singing in nature, the bird does not know that Confucianism and Mohism are debating, and thinks that it is a sound, a human voice.

If you say this directly, many people may not understand and wonder why the debate between Confucianism and Mohists has become the same sound as a bird, the same as the sound of heaven and earth, just a sound. So! Zhuangzi gives an explanation of this, so that we can understand it, and treat the debate between Confucianism and Mohism as a kind of voice.

If we accept this view, and treat the controversy between Confucianism and Mohism as a sound, just like the song of a bird, it is just a sound, the voice of man - the words of man. So! The debate between Confucianism and Mohism is unnecessary and meaningless.

Confucianism and Mohism are no longer arguing, arguing is no longer interesting, then! Where in the world is there the difference between right and wrong, right and wrong, and so on?

How does Zhuangzi explain this?

Nan Guozi believes that cultivation should achieve the goal of making oneself the same as all things, just one thing. It is a state that treats itself as a thing, as a thing in nature, as one thing as anything else, just one thing.

Nan Guozi, a fictional character of Zhuangzi.

What kind of realm is this?

This state is to forget yourself, not to think of yourself as yourself, not to think of yourself as a human being. Consider yourself as one thing, like the rest of the heavens and the earth.

There are many species in heaven and earth, there are people, beasts, mountains, water, air, soil, and so on.

The highest state of cultivation is not to regard oneself as a human being, but to treat oneself as a thing, just like other species, just one thing.

The people here refer to the civilized human beings, the human beings who have a conscious mind.

We don't think of ourselves as human beings, but as one thing, like everything else in nature.

In fact! This can give a misunderstanding, and it is also a time for other schools of thought to take advantage of the opportunity to misinterpret Taoism. They believe that Taoism, or Zhuangzi, is making people go back to ancient times, to the age of ignorance, to the age of animals, or to the age of plants. Only then can we see ourselves as things, aren't we?

In fact! This is a misunderstanding and a deliberate misinterpretation.

Neither Zhuangzi nor Lao Tzu meant this, and as wise men of the pre-Qin era, it was impossible to be ignorant to this extent. Both society and humanity are constantly progressing, and it is impossible to go back to the past.

What Zhuangzi means is that we have to reach this state of cognition, where we see ourselves as one thing, just like other things in nature. If we reach this level of awareness, then! When we look at problems, especially on the events of life, we have different views. Our outlook on life, worldview, and cosmology will be completely changed.

Why does Zhuangzi want us to treat ourselves as one thing? Like everything else in nature?

To understand this, we must have a foundation, a foundation of Taoist doctrine. We must first understand what the Tao is.

It's still the same sentence! To learn Taoist philosophy, you must first understand what the Tao is, and if you don't understand what the Tao is, you can't understand the Taoist doctrine and thought.

The Tao is the origin of all things, the origin of the universe, and everything comes from the Tao.

If so, many people may not understand.

To put it more in layman's terms, the Tao is change and evolution.

Taoists think! The current cosmic world, including the sun, moon, stars, earth, and everything on the earth, has evolved. It is all evolved from a certain Dongdong over countless years, and a certain Dongdong is the Tao.

Taoists think! People and everything have evolved, and so has the earth.

So! There is the idea that man and all things are equal.

Man and all things are one thing between heaven and earth, and with the change and operation of heaven and earth, human beings and all things have evolved. So! Man and all things, with the earth, with the sun, moon and stars are one. People and all things, the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars, etc., are all part of a certain large environment or large objects.

If we don't understand it yet? So! In this treatise on all things in the Zhuangzi, an explanation is made.

Zhuangzi uses the five organs in the human body as an analogy, can the five internal organs and other organs in our body be said to be independent individuals? None of them dared to say it, but it was! They are all part of the human body.

The same way! Can we say that people are independent individuals? Can we human beings live independently of nature and the earth?

So! Man, like all things, is only an integral part of heaven and earth, not independent.

If we have this understanding, can we see ourselves as one thing in heaven and earth? Can our cultivation reach this height, the same height as Nan Guozi, to forget ourselves, to forget all the troubles in the world, to forget our conscious thinking, and to treat ourselves as one thing?

When our cultivation realm, that is, the height of cognition, reaches this level, what if we regard ourselves as a thing in nature? So! It's not hard for me to understand that the sounds of heaven and earth are the sounds of people.

The sound of people is the sound of people.

The controversy between Confucianism and Mohism is nothing more than a human voice in the face of that realm. The sound that people make, in front of that realm, is like a bird singing, it is just a sound.

When we reach this state of cognition, what are we arguing with others? What is the point of the Confucian-Mohist debate? Isn't it?

We are all just things in nature!

So! The sound of human beings, including the arguments between Confucianism and Mohists, is just like a bird singing. It's like the sound of the wind passing through the branches of a tree. Like the howl of a wild beast, it is just a sound.

Of course! After all, there are only a few wise people who can reach this cognitive realm. And for most sentient beings, it is natural that they cannot reach this cognitive height. For ordinary Taoists, they can't reach this realm of cultivation either.

So? How do you make it understand?

How to understand that the debate between Confucianism and Mohism is not necessary?

Let's not say that the controversy between Confucianism and Mohism is just a sound, just like the singing of birds, just a sound. Let's first interpret what Confucianism and Mohism are arguing about.

All sentient beings cannot reach that high level of cognition, and regard people and all things as a part of heaven and earth. So! Can we lower the bar and analyze the problem from a lower level?

That is! Let's look at it from a different angle.

What exactly are Confucians and Mohists arguing about?

Scholars who like to examine evidence may have to cite the arguments of the scriptures and list what Confucianism and Mohists debated back then.

But for Taoists, for Zhuangzi, it can be summed up in one sentence!

What exactly are Confucians and Mohists arguing about? It is just that his academic ideas and propositions are more conducive to the survival of mankind.

It's that simple!

It's all about survival!

Let's not subdivide what details Confucianism and Mohism argued about back then! In front of the Taoists and Zhuangzi, those arguments were nothing more than quarrels between country women, and they were all inconsequential.

Just like in today's society, our country has its own legal system and governing principles, and foreign countries also have their own legal systems and governing policies. Can we say that there is something wrong with the legal system and the way the country is governed in other countries?

One word! No matter what country's legal system governs the country, it is all for the people, for the country, and for those in power. It's that simple!

When it doesn't serve the people, the country will be in chaos. If you don't serve the country, the country will fall apart, and if you don't serve those in power, there will be no one to be an official or there will be a corrupt official, it's as simple as that.

All in all! It can be summed up as all in the service of survival.

To put it in layman's terms, they are all in the service of living.

So! Zhuangzi's theory of homogeneity is not an end, but teaches us to look at problems from a different perspective. If we stand on a higher level, on the higher level of the Tao, if we look back at the events of life, will we change our previous concepts? Will we be freed from the maelstrom of the world?

Will we be able to live more freely because of this?

Repeat! Zhuangzi does not want us to treat ourselves as one thing and not as a person. But! We want to raise the level of cognition! Don't just talk about things, don't talk about what Confucianism and Mohists argued about back then, and they also participated in the debate.

But! We need to step out of that circle and think about the ultimate point of the dispute between Confucianism and Mohistism.

When we jumped out of the circle of Confucianism and Mohist controversy, we knew! Both Confucianism and Mohism fought for survival and believed that their doctrines and propositions were correct. It's that simple! Just arguing about such a thing!

When we jump out of the Confucianism and Mohist controversy and only talk about how to survive, that's easy to say! We, human beings, like all things, come from the Tao and return to the Tao after death. Our life is just a life process!

When we have this understanding and we participate in society, we will change many of the wrong views of the past.

Since life is just a process, those superfluous pursuits in our lives can be removed. If we don't pursue superfluous things, we just live for the sake of living, will we have a lot more time in our lives and live more chic? Is it time for a getaway?

So! Zhuangzi's theory of homogeneity is not an end! Nor is it negative! And quite the opposite! It is helping us how to face the things of life correctly!

At this point, we should understand why the controversy between Confucianism and Mohism is just a sound, just like the song of a bird, just a sound, just a human voice.

The little bird did not learn Confucianism or Mohist doctrine, and the little bird survived like a little bird. The beast did not learn the Confucian and Mohist doctrines, and knew how to live.

So! The controversy between Confucianism and Mohism is nothing more than a sound, just like the song of a bird, just a sound, just a human voice.

At this point in the explanation, there may be someone who has a dogma again, understanding that human beings can not learn and do nothing?

Not really! Zhuangzi's words are not finished yet, for those fools who can't turn their heads, I can only explain them step by step!