Sacred Books of the East Vol. 40 - Taoism Vol. 2

The king of Khû and the ruler of Fan{fr. 2} were sitting together. After a little while, the attendants of the king said, 'Fan has been destroyed three times.' The ruler of Fan rejoined, 'The destruction of Fan has not been sufficient to destroy what we had that was most deserving to be preserved.' Now, {fn. 1. It is difficult to see why this should be predicated of the ‘spirits' of the True men.} {fn. 2. Fan was a small state, held at one time by descendants of the famous duke of Kâu;--see the Zo Khwan, I, vii, 6; V, xxiv, 2. But we do not know what had been the relations between the powerful Khû and the feeble Fan, which gave rise to and could explain the remarks made at the entertainment, more honourable to Fan than to Khû.} {p. 56} if the destruction of Fan had not been sufficient to destroy that which it had most deserving to be preserved, the preservation of Khû had not been sufficient to preserve that in it most deserving to be preserved. Looking at the matter from this point of view, Fan had not begun to be destroyed, and Khû had not begun to be preserved. {file "Book XXII. Kih Pei Yû, or 'Knowledge Rambling in the North.'"} {p. 57} BOOK XXII. PART II. SECTION XV. Kih Pei Yû, or 'Knowledge Rambling in the North{fr. 1}.' 1. Knowledge{fr. 2} had rambled northwards to the region of the Dark Water{fr. 3}, where he ascended the height of Imperceptible Slope{fr. 3}, when it happened that he met with Dumb Inaction{fr. 2} . Knowledge addressed him, saying, 'I wish to ask you some questions:--By what process of thought and anxious consideration do we get to know the Tâo? Where should we dwell and what should we do to find our rest in the Tâo? From what point should we start and what path should we pursue to make the Tâo our own?' He asked these three questions, but Dumb Inaction{fr. 2} gave him no reply. Not only did he not answer, but he did not know how to answer.