According to Zhuan-zi, happiness is only realizable by practicing Lao-zis idea of doing without doing ( ).

What that entails is to abandon the world ( ) by letting go of ones worldly obsessions and concerns. As readers will see in this document, this Daoist program of selfrestoration is quite different from the Confucian idea of self-cultivation. It is more congenial to those who have already paid their dues to the ups and downs as well as the bitter and sweet of life.

============================================= Zhuan-zis Daoist Program of Self-Restoration

An excerpt from The Six Patriarchs of Chinese Humanism
Author: Peter M.K. Chan All rights reserved

============================================ As to the question of how happiness of life is really to be had, Zhuan-zis answer is that it is only achievable by abandoning worldly affairs. By abandoning worldly affairs, one will be free from worry. Being free of worry, one would be able to maintain equilibrium (of body and mind), which in turn will allow one to renew oneself. ( Ibid. Chapter 19) That is to say, when worldly affairs are abandoned, one will not have to toil with ones body. Not having to toil with ones body is to retain ones vital energy. To keep ones body whole and revive its vital energy is to be in tune with Nature itself. ( Ibid.) As it is said, it is by loosing and discarding the bondage of (material) nature that the spirit ( or soul) would go forward, with the body following behind. (
Ibid. Chapter 22)

What that entails is to eliminate the arrogance of will, loosen the delusions of mind, and discard the burdens of virtue, thus clearing away all obstacles to Dao. ... When these (obsessive elements) are not rampant in the mind, one will become calm. When one is calm, one will become tranquil;

when one is tranquil, one will become enlightened; when one is enlightened, one will become vacuous (free of concerns and obsessions); and if one is vacuous, one will be able to accomplish anything without having to exert oneself. (
..... Ibid. Chapter 23) As it is said,

tranquility leads to non-action, and non-action is the duty of those who really want to get things done. It is by practicing non-action could one be at ease with oneself. Being at ease with oneself, worry and sorrow will not stay, and a long life is also to be had. (
Ibid. Chapter 13)

As Lao-zi is also known to have advised: the way toward safe guarding life is to ask oneself the following. Can I embrace the One (i.e. Dao of Nature)? Can I hold onto it? Can I tell fortune and misfortune without divination? Can I know when to stop? Can I just be myself? Can I ask of myself instead of asking from others? Can I be free of worries and cares? Can I be nave and ignorant? Can I become like a newborn child? (
Ibid. Chapter 23) A newborn child does not

know what to do, and moves without knowing where to go. Its body is like the branch of a withered tree and its mind is as dead as ash. For it, misfortune does not come and good fortune does not arrive. For this reason, he is not cognizant of the calamities of man. (
Ibid.)

In light of the above, said Zhuan-zi, the answer as to what to do and what not to do is that one should just let things transform in and of themselves. ( Ibid. Chapter 17) It is to submit fully to that which is infinite (or the Dao of Nature), and to move freely according to the dictates of no one. It is to exercise fully and accept without prejudice whatever is given by Nature. (

That is to say, do not let what is human destroy Nature, do not let old habits do away with life ( or destiny), and do not sacrifice name for gain. Hold fast (to ones natural temperament) so as not to lose it. This is what is meant by returning to ones innocence.
Ibid. Chapter 7) ( Ibid. Chapter 17)

What that means is that only non-action is able to maintain perfect happiness and bodily delight. As it is said, Heaven and Earth did not do anything, and nothing is left undone. It is also incumbent upon man to practice nonaction! (...... Ibid. Chapter 18) It also means that he who is in tune with his natural temperament would not seek what could not really be done. He who is in tune with the nature of his life would not seek to know what is beyond his capacity. (
Ibid. Chapter 19)

In short, one who discards position and wealth as worthless mud would know that his life is more important than position and wealth. If he values his self, he will not lose himself in the midst of change. As there is both beginning and end to the transformation of all things, what is there for him to worry about? He who practices Dao is aware of this truth. (
Ibid. Chapter 21) That is also to

say, one must distinguish the Way of Nature from the way of man, and to conduct oneself according to Nature. It is to be at ease with what one has got, as well as to bend and extend as situations require. This is a contrarian and ultimate truth. (
Ibid. Chapter 17)

Therefore, concludes Zhuan-zi: One who knows Dao will surely penetrate the principle of things. One who penetrates the principle of things will surely understand how they work.

One who understands how things work will not injure himself with (material) things. ( Ibid. ) As it is said: Nature lies within, what is human lies without, and Virtue depends on Nature. (
Ibid. )

What is being conveyed in the forgoing is basically this. What is wrong with man is that he has lost the innocence of his child-like temperament. This is due to the fact that the human mind is not only disturbed and deluded, but has also become obstinate and obsessed with what it finds in the world. This is the reason why man is not able to find happiness with his life. What this means is that if happiness is really to be had, the human mind would have to be restored to the tranquility of its original carefree state. Toward this end, two therapeutic steps are deemed necessary. Firstly, free the mind from worldly concerns. Secondly, remove all obstinacies and obsessions (deep-seated feelings and attitudes). It is only by taking these two steps would the mind return eventually to the tranquility of its child-like and carefree state. This whole package is what Lao-zi meant by practicing non-action (or doing without doing), which is not to exert, but let things transform naturally in and of themselves.
Comment: As reader can see, what Zhuan-zi had done was nothing less than providing psychological content and procedures to Lao-zis idea of practicing non-action. The two steps recommended are not by any means easy to follow. To put them to work would require tons of self-restraint and determination. This is not something that folks in general are able to emulate. It should thus be seen that despite its easy-sounding slogan (Heaven and Earth did not do anything, and nothing is left undone), this Daoist program toward self-restoration is perhaps harder to accomplish (for the young and upcoming in particular) than the Confucian idea of self-cultivation, which if readers recall, involve only sincerity of mind by way of self-discipline and extension of knowledge by way of learning. Another thing to note is that unlike the Confucian idea of self-cultivation, which is meant to activate and improve upon what Nature has given; this Daoist program is designed to restore the

original carefree state of the human mind by eliminating and discarding what is deemed to be contrary to the Dao of Nature. This difference of approach is a direct reflection of their different presuppositions about the inborn nature of man. For Confucius, it is something that has to be cultivated and improved upon. For the Daoists, it is something that is already perfect, and should be regained.

And Zhuan-zi was very firm as to where he stood. Attempting to improve ones nature with worldly learning is not able to restore ones original state, and to play with worldly ideas is not able to make one enlightened. Those who think so are ignorant and blind. ( Ibid. Chapter 16) It was also his view that men of ancient times who practiced Dao had to nurture their knowledge with tranquility. They knew about life, but did not conduct themselves in accordance with what they knew. It was by nurturing tranquility with knowledge, and knowledge with tranquility that harmony and order grew out of their inborn nature. (
Ibid.)

As Lao-zi was also reported to have said: As the transparency of water is a natural quality and not the result of human action, the virtue of a perfect man is also a natural disposition, not the result of cultivation. As Heaven is high and the Earth is thick in and of themselves, so is the brightness of the sun and moon. No cultivation is required. (
Ibid. Chapter 21)
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Peter M.K. Chan is the author of The Mystery of Mind published 2003, and Soul, God, and Morality published 2004. Recently, he has competed another work titled The Six Patriarchs of Chinese Humanism (available in ebooks, but not yet in print). For details regarding the above, please visit http://sites.google.com/site/pmkchan/home http://sites.google.com/site/patriarchsofchinesephilosophy/home

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