In the World of Men

Yan Hui went to see Confucius and asked permission to go to Wei. Confucius said, 'You will probably go and be executed! The Way does not want to be mixed. The perfected ones of old first made sure they had it in themselves before they tried to give it to others.'

Confucius said, 'Fast, and I will tell you.' Yan Hui said, 'My family is poor. I have not drunk wine or eaten meat for several months. Can this be considered fasting?' 'That is the fasting of sacrifice, not the fasting of the heart.' 'May I ask about the fasting of the heart?' 'Unify your will. Listen not with your ears but with your heart. Listen not with your heart but with your qi. Qi is empty and waits on all things. Only the Way gathers in emptiness. Emptiness — that is the fasting of the heart.'

In the world of men, there are two great commandments: one is destiny, the other is duty. A child's love for parents is destiny — it cannot be removed from the heart. A subject's service to the ruler is duty — there is no escape between heaven and earth.

Words are like wind and waves; actions are a matter of gain and loss. Carpenter Shi saw a great oak tree. His disciples admired it, but he walked past without looking. 'It is worthless timber. If you made a boat from it, it would sink. If you made a coffin, it would rot quickly. It is because it is useless that it has lived so long.'

All people know the use of usefulness, but no one knows the use of uselessness.